Rug Care Overview
Area rugs can be a great way to add depth and liven up a room – however, some rugs can be quite expensive. And that’s exactly why, in order to ensure the lifespan and beauty of your rugs, you need to take proper care of them. With proper preventative maintenance and rug care, you can keep your rugs looking as beautiful and every bit as clean as the very first day you bought them; but there are different methods of caring for different types of rugs.
General Rug Care
The first thing you’ll want to do when it comes to rug care is check the rug for any manufacturer supplied tags – and this holds true no matter what type of rug you are concerned with. Oftentimes proper washing and rug care instructions can be found here. You may also want to consider adopting a “no shoes” policy in your home, as footwear will not only dirty up your rugs, but cause unnecessary wear and tear, as well.
Shaggy Rug Care
Shaggy rugs are known to lose a lot of the fibres, and can be quite messy – especially when you are trying to clean or vacuum them. Before starting your normal rug cleaning routine, its best to take the shaggy rug outside to shake the dirt and loose fibres from it.
Machine Made Rug Care
Ideally, you’ll want to clean these types of rugs with a vacuum that utilizes a beater bar. This makes sure the rug retains its fluffiness and original look, while still cleaning deep down into the cut piles and fabric.
Natural Fibre, Sisal, and Loop Pile Rug Care
These types of rugs are usually quite fragile, so caution should be taken with rug care on any of these rugs. The ideal method to clean these rugs is to gently comb or brush from the inside to the outside using the vacuum’s tools. Remember though, any tools you use here should be “suction only”.
Cleaning Spills
Spills happen to the best of us; and more importantly, they happen to the best of our carpets and rugs, too. If you need to take care of a spill on your carpet or rug, remember never to rub the stain; this just drives it deeper into the rug. Instead, you’ll want to gently blot the area around the spill with a washcloth. Any excess spillage can be scraped with a spatula or blunt knife.