What makes a woolsafe product a woolsafe product is testing and a certificate. There are many products out there which if tested would also be woolsafe. The only reason they are not is because it costs lots of money to test a product. The woolsafe organization is a business which makes money from giving certificates to manufactures then training people to use those products. That doesn't mean those products are no good, and it doesn't mean the woolsafe organizations training is wrong. What it does mean though is there are loads of products our there which are fine to use on wool, but don't have the "mark" .
So what makes a woolsafe product woolsafe? Most training courses teach what is safe to use on wool and why. So training whether from woolsafe or not is an essential. However if you look at what is common about woolsafe products you can work it out. (these are very general points)Presprays Ph are generally under 9.5, extraction solutions are generally under ph 8.5, Most guidance is to leave the fabric or carpet neutral or slightly acidic by rinsing with an acid rinse unless products self neutralize. Sodium percarbonate is not in woolsafe products. From that you can see there is quite a wide variety of products out there which could be safe to use on wool, but are not "woolsafe"
Apart from all of that you can use quite a wide range of products which are out of the "woolsafe", or safe to use on wool definition, if you need to solve a problem. Sometimes a carpet can be so heavily soiled a woolsafe product just wont get it clean. Using a higher ph product can often salvage that carpet. The key to all of this is learning what products contain, what those products do to certain surfaces, and why. Then you can make your own mind up about what is appropriate at the time.
