How to Care for Your Area Rugs

Area rugs are used on the floor and most of them are walked on and can have furniture placed on them. It is this type of use that requires extra care to prevent premature wear and damage. One of the first things to consider with the care of your rugs is to determine the amount and type of traffic they will receive. If rugs are actually walked on, then a rug pad is necessary to preserve the rug’s condition and appearance. The rug pad acts in two ways. First, it prevents slipping under those rugs that could slip. Next, the rug pad can prevent wear and damage to the rug. Choose a substantial rug pad, such as dense felt, for most effective protection under any rug. This will absorb much of the stress and pressure that the rug is exposed to, making for a longer lasting rug.

How to Care for Your Area Rugs with Vacuuming

Whether the rug is walked on a lot or very little, there is always dust that settles into the foundation of the rug. For this reason, it is important to vacuum your area rugs regularly to prevent any dust settling into the base of the rug. Since handmade rugs contain a foundation on which the knots are tied, we must not compromise the foundation. If too much dust settles, it can actually work to rub against the foundation cords to start wearing them. Since the foundation is what keeps every handmade rug intact, it must be shielded against unnecessary wear.

Rotate Your Rugs to Maintain Even Wear

Most often, there is a specific traffic pattern that can affect any area rug. While we can walk all over the rug, most rugs experience a pattern of traffic. This can wear that part of the rug sooner than other parts. Uneven wear is a negative element for any area rug. Fading due to sunlight can also occur and we need to avoid fading of only one part of the rug. To prevent such wear, it is important to rotate the rug at least once a year and more often if possible. By rotating your rugs, you are preventing a specific wear pattern on one part of the rug. A wear pattern not only looks bad, it also takes away from the value and life of the rug. So, try to rotate your rug and rug / carpet pad at least once a year and for larger rugs, use the help of someone else to make the task easier and more effective.

Professionally Clean Your Rugs on a Regular Basis

Rugs can become soiled from regular use. For spot cleaning, you can use a damp sponge and some mild soap and water. Most area rugs clean easily with right cleaning agents and process. You should have your rug professionally cleaned when necessary. The frequency of cleaning depends on the type of rug and the materials within the rug. Most handmade wool or silk rugs should be cleaned every 3 to 5 years. Most synthetic machine made rugs should be cleaned every year. Be careful to use a reliable cleaning company with experience with cleaning your type of area rug. A traditional carpet cleaning company is not the same as one that specializes in area rugs. One of the benefits of using an experienced area rug cleaner is that the company will actually beat the back of your rug first to remove any settled in dust or dirt.

Area Rugs are an investment and should be properly cared for. Some simply, yet very effective practices will maintain the look and condition of your rugs so that they may last a lifetime.