Vacuuming
One of the most important things that you can do when it comes to maintaining the look of your area rug is to vacuum it routinely. Use a canister vacuum that doesn’t have a beater bar and vacuum both frequently and thoroughly. This keeps permanent damage from occurring by keeping particles of soil from working their way down in to the rug. If the rug in question is in a high traffic area, vacuum it more often. Remember not to vacuum the fringes on a rug…especially one that is hand – knotted.
Cleaning and then Removing Stains
If you have a spill, act quickly to keep it from permanently staining your rug. It the spill is a liquid one, get a clean cloth and press down firmly over and around the spill so as to absorb as much of the liquid as possible. Never rub! Rubbing can make the stain set deeper into the weave of the rug and make it more difficult to remove while also increasing the possibility of it reappearing.
For stains, use a solution of a mild detergent, white vinegar and water. Mix this solution and then very gently apply only the foam at the top of the solution to the area that is stained. Finish by using a separate clean cloth to absorb the solution and any residue from the stain. For stains that are more difficult to remove, you might want to contact a professional rug cleaner.
Dealing with Shedding
If your natural fiber rug is made from wool, you may notice it shedding a bit. This happens naturally because of the way that they are made. That being said, the shedding will diminish over time. In the meantime, you can reduce it by doing this:
- Use a rug pad under it that is high quality. This will reduce the amount of surface friction that leads to excessive shedding.
- Vacuum a new rug at least twice a week for the first couple of weeks. Use a vacuum that is lacking in beater bars and has a low pressure.
- Vacuum with the pile as opposed to against it.
- Realize that his shedding is a natural occurrence. Even so, any excessive sort of shedding (even in high – quality rugs) should reduce within about 4 to 6 months.
- Never pull any loose ends you might see. This could lead to unraveling. Instead, clip them with a set of scissors.
- Sometimes wool rugs have been made with a weave that has large loops. These loops might come undone. If this happens, never pull on the stray loops. Instead, cut them back with a set of scissors.
For more tips and to see a great selection of natural fiber rugs, come to Natural Area Rugs now.
