Why is my new carpet shedding?
You have fluff coming off a new carpet and want to know if it is normal.
Shedding is normal in most new cut pile carpets, especially wool and wool blends. Loose short fibres left over from manufacturing work their way to the surface and come up in the hoover. It usually tails off over the first few weeks to a few months of regular vacuuming. Shedding that never slows, bald patches or whole tufts pulling out are different, and point to a fault or the wrong carpet for the room.
Written for: For anyone who has just had carpet laid and is emptying the hoover more often than expected.
What shedding actually is
A cut pile carpet is made from yarn that is tufted into a backing and then cut. During spinning and cutting, short lengths of fibre end up sitting loose among the tufts. They are not attached to anything, so as the carpet is walked on and vacuumed, they rise to the top. That fluff in the hoover is the carpet losing material it was never holding on to.
Because the fibres are short ends, the amount looks alarming compared with the effect on the carpet. Losing them does not thin the pile in any way you would see.
Which carpets shed the most
Natural wool sheds more than synthetics because its staple fibres are shorter. Wool rich blends sit in between. Long, soft saxony piles shed more visibly than tight twists, and loop pile carpets, where the yarn is not cut, shed very little. Many polypropylene and nylon carpets are made from continuous filament yarn and hardly shed at all.
- More shedding: wool, wool rich blends, deep cut pile
- Some shedding: twists and shorter cut piles
- Little shedding: loop pile and continuous filament synthetics
How to deal with it
Vacuum regularly, a couple of times a week to begin with, using suction rather than an aggressive beater bar on deep wool piles. Empty the bin or change the bag more often than usual, because a full vacuum loses suction and leaves fibre behind. Do not pull at loose fluff by hand, and if a single tuft stands proud of the rest, trim it level with scissors rather than pulling it out.
When it is not normal
Contact the supplier if shedding is still heavy after several months, if the backing is showing through, or if whole tufts come away when you run your hand over the carpet. Those can be signs of a manufacturing fault. Heavy wear in one walkway after a short time is more often the wrong carpet for the traffic, or underlay that is too thin.
Choosing a carpet that suits you
If shedding would genuinely bother you, ask to see loop piles and synthetic ranges when you visit. With thousands of rolls in stock at our Maidstone and Gillingham warehouses, you can feel the difference between a soft wool saxony and a tight synthetic side by side before you buy.
Still wondering?
- How long does new carpet shed for?
- Most shedding slows noticeably within the first few weeks and settles within a few months of regular vacuuming. Wool can take longer than synthetics.
- Does vacuuming make shedding worse?
- No. It removes loose fibre that would come up anyway. Use good suction and avoid harsh beater bars on deep wool piles.
- Is shedding a sign of a cheap carpet?
- Not by itself. Good wool carpets shed. What matters is whether the tufts stay anchored in the backing.
- Do loop pile carpets shed?
- Very little, because the yarn is not cut. That is one reason loop piles are chosen by people who dislike shedding.
- Can I see low shedding carpets before buying?
- Yes. Both warehouses are open to the public, so you can compare pile types from the rolls in stock.