Oriental and Area Rug Maintenance
Walk All Over That Rug - It ’ s important to understand that even though a handmade rug is valuable , it ’ s made to be used . Don ’ t keep it covered in plastic like Aunt Edna ’ s sitting room sofa . With usage , most hand-made rugs gain a certain patina that enhances their beauty and value . If you ’ re not going to enjoy it , why have it ?
Vacuuming Is Good - You should vacuum or sweep your area rug as you would wall-to-wall carpeting . Watch the fringes . You don ’ t want to have to pull them out of the vacuum cleaner . Handmade area rugs can benefit from being turned over and vacuumed . Lift the rug up carefully and you will see all the dirt that has filtered down . Yuck !
Turn , Turn , Turn - Rotating your rug occasionally ( annually ) will help even wear patterns and prevent uneven fading . When rugs are exposed to the sun evenly , the colors harmonize and the rug ages nicely . If parts of the rug receive too much or too little sun , one side might fade faster than the other .
See Spot ? Go ! - Spot clean your area rug immediately after a spill . A water spill should be blotted and then dried with a hairdryer set on a warm temperature . Try to dry both sides of the rug if possible . Anything else should first be blotted with paper or terry towels to absorb as much as possible , and then apply salt or baking soda to the spot for a few minutes to absorb the rest . Once it dries , vacuum off the salt or baking soda . We also have a WoolSafe ® approved spotter available free to our clients .
Professional Cleaning - It is recommended that your rugs be professionally cleaned on a regular basis . Take your rug to a trained , professional carpet and rug care company to clean general soil , pet related issues and old or persistent stains . Please do not try to clean it yourself . You might make it worse !
Padding - A quality pad used under your rug helps protect it from damage , wear and slippage . Every rug needs one . For a flat weave , use rubber waffle pad and for a thick hand knotted or tufted , use rubber backed synthetic felt . Always replace the pad if the rug has had pet contamination .
How to Get Folds out of Your Rug
Often times new rugs from the dealer or rugs that have been rolled or folded for storage may not return to their original intended shape when first laid ( even over a pad ). Many larger rugs have been barrel rolled - a method of folding and rolling to make them more compact for easier handling and delivery .
These folds are caused by the foundation yarns being stretched while folded or rolled . Although most will release over time , there are ways to accelerate this process . And wrinkles in an area rug are not only an eyesore , but can be a tripping hazard as well .
Here are 5 Suggestions to get the creases and fold marks out of a rug ! Use any single one , or a combination of several !
1 . Back-roll or reverse roll the carpet . This is the easiest way to deal with a rug that does not lay flat . Fold the rug in the opposite direction it curls or creases . Be careful ! If you hear cracking noises stop immediately . That means the backing is dry rotted !
2 . Place heavy furniture or weight on the rug . This should accelerate the settling time at least two fold .
3 . Wait for the rug to settle on its own : allow the rug to sit open for several weeks and it should naturally release tension from a hard roll or fold especially in higher humidity environments .
4 . Place the rug up-side-down outdoors under the sun on a clean , dry surface in temperatures between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit . Direct sunlight for several hours should help the rug release tension naturally and at the very least make it more supple for reverse-rolling as noted in suggestion 1 .
As a last resort . . .
5 . Hire a professional rug cleaning company , such as Clean as a Whistle , to “ steam ” the rug with a steamer or truck mount and dry it on an air table . Be sure they check for color fastness first !
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