Area Rug Maintenance

Follow these guidelines for maintaining your area rugs.

There’s little that is self-cleaning about the home. It’s an ongoing project to maintain any residence. To some, upkeep is only necessary to protect their investment, but for many others it’s also the means to other ends: pride of ownership and the satisfaction that comes with a beautiful, charming home.

Floor coverings, including area rugs, are a major part of a home. So it stands to reason that they be included on your home maintenance “to do” list.

So read on and learn the many ways you can maintain your area rug investment, both today and tomorrow.

Our first advice, don’t pamper your new baby.

It’s important you understand that even though a handmade rug is a work of art, it’s made to be used and walked on. So are all machine made rugs.

Avoiding walking on your new area rug is like keeping a new car locked up in the garage undriven.

With usage, as the top layers of pile (in most cases wool) break, the pile looks shinier and smoother, and with light exposure the colors look more harmonious.

In fact, with proper use, handmade rugs generally become more valuable.

And what’s wrong with that?

Remember also that handmade rugs are not easily damaged, so enjoy your handmade rug without any worries.

Meanwhile, take the following few easy steps to make sure that your rug ages gracefully, naturally and beautifully.

Vacuuming is politically correct but watch-out for fringe elements.

You should vacuum or sweep your rug as you would wall-to-wall carpeting.

But be careful that the fringes don’t get pulled or sucked in by the vacuum cleaner.

For consistent wear, turn, turn to this tip.

Rotate your rug 180 degrees every few months, or every year, depending on traffic patterns.

Rotation is necessary for two reasons. First, all parts of your rug should be exposed to light equally so that the colors fade evenly.

When colors are exposed to the sun evenly, they become harmonious and the rug ages nicely, but if different parts of the rug receive unequal amounts of sun exposure, over time, one side might look over faded and one side too bright.

Second, is traffic. All parts of the rug should be exposed to an equal amount of traffic so that the pile wears evenly.

Now let’s spotlight spot cleaning.

A water spill should be dried immediately with a hairdryer set on a warm temperature. Try to dry both sides of your rug if possible.

In case of a soft drink or alcohol spill, apply salt or baking soda to the spot for a few minutes to absorb the color of the drink.

Then vacuum off the salt or baking soda.

After vacuuming, use a wet towel to gently wipe the stain in the direction of the nap (the direction the pile faces).

You can wet the towel with regular or carbonated water. Be gentle; do not scrub your rug.

For old stains, call us. Do not try to clean old stains yourself.

Avoid cleaning anxiety, seek professional help.

Have your rug washed by a professional every 2 to 5 years depending on the amount of traffic on the rug.

It is important to have it washed professionally because, as the rug is used, dust, dirt and broken fiber get into the foundation.

Do not take your area rug to general carpet-cleaning companies because the techniques and chemicals they use for wall-to-wall carpets may not be appropriate for area rugs.

Buying an area rug requires undercover work.

Consult with us about the proper padding to be placed under your rug.

Padding is an important element and will both stabilize and protect your rug. Good padding also makes it safer to walk on your rug and will protect its value and appearance.

Here’s the story on storing rugs.

If the rug is to be stored for a long time in a place without exposure to light or air, first vacuum or broom it.

Then use mothballs (sometimes tobacco is also used) in order to protect it against insect damage.

It is best to put the mothballs in the middle of the rug and roll the rug reasonably tight against its nap (against the direction the pile faces) so that it looks like a cylinder.

Then store the rug in a dry location.

To repair your rug, fix your attention here.

Repairing a handmade rug, similar to weaving, is very time consuming and labor intensive; as a result, repair can sometimes be costly.

Therefore, when considering repairing a rug, factor in the cost of repair in comparison to the value of the rug.

Sometimes, it is better if collectible items remain in their original state and not be repaired because their value might actually decrease by any change, even if the change appears good.

Getting the opinion of a professional is always a good idea. Please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Consistent cleaning and maintenance will keep your area rugs beautiful for years to come.

Depend on us to deliver complete, dedicated customer service during your area rug shopping experience and professional advice on upkeep later.

We hope that the information we’ve provided here leads you to a clearer understanding of how to maintain area rugs.