Rug Care Guide

The Ultimate Guide to Rug Care: How To Clean and Maintain Your Beautiful Rugs

Your rug is the one thing that ties your entire room together, so it's important to maintain it. Follow our top tips to ensure you get the most out of your rug for years to come.

Protecting Your Rug from Damage

Placing a rug on top of a carpet will decrease rug wear and tear because carpeting naturally protects the bottom of the rug from stains and bleaches. If you have hardwood floors, you need to make sure your rug is placed on top of a nonslip pad or felt as well as a rubberized backing for protection against scratches. The extra cushioning will also help reduce wear and tear.

Try to avoid placing rugs in direct sunlight, the UV light from the sun’s rays can cause fading and discolouration over time. If your rug will be in direct sunlight try rotating it or moving it from time to time.

Regularly clean your rugs. Rugs are made of fabric, just like clothes, and need to be cleaned just like clothes. The right rug care routine can help extend its life, improve its appearance, and keep your home looking clean and fresh.

Cleaning Your Rugs

There are three essential steps to caring for rugs: vacuuming regularly to catch dust and dirt; removing stains and spills immediately; and spot cleaning. If you follow these simple steps, your rug will look great for years to come!

Vacuuming and Brushing Rugs

It's important to vacuum or brush your rug on a regular basis. This will help remove dust and dirt that may accumulate which will prolong the life of your rug and also reduce the chance of allergens. Delicate rugs should be gently brushed rather than vacuumed.

Top Tips for Vacuuming Rugs:

• When you're vacuuming, always move the vacuum in the direction of carpet pile to get rid of any embedded dirt.
• Use your vacuum cleaner with a beater bar and brush on the floor head to get deep into the pile and remove dirt and debris.
• For shaggy carpets use a brush or vacuum on a low setting using a nozzle hose attachment to prevent the threads from becoming trapped.
• Be careful not to stretch out your carpet by using an area-wide vacuum cleaner or by cleaning too aggressively with a powerful brush attachment.

Mopping Up Spills from Rugs

It's inevitable that you're going to spill something on your rug at some point. You should also always dry up spills as soon as possible. Spills such as oil-based substances can cause permanent stains if they're not cleaned up fast enough.

If you catch the spill while it's still wet, take a clean cloth and soak up as much of the liquid as possible. Dabbing it will allow you to get any deep-down stains out before they dry. Next, use another clean cloth or paper towel to blot up any remaining moisture. As long as the spill isn't sticky, this should do the trick!

If you can't get all of the moisture out before it dries, check the label to see if it can be spot-cleaned at home or whether it needs professional cleaning.

Spot-cleaning Rugs

Spot-cleaning won’t be suitable for all rugs but where you can spot-clean a rug, you should be able to easily remove most dirt stains with a non-abrasive, lukewarm soapy solution. Just make sure you blot any excess water up afterwards.

Caring for Different types of Rugs

Before we get into the step-by-step guide for rug care, it's important to understand what your rug is made from, different materials require different care and cleaning. Below is a handy guide to caring for different materials but always read the care instructions provided with your rug and test any cleaning products on an unseen part of the rug before applying to the top.

Conclusion

Regular cleaning and care will keep your rug looking its best and extend the life of your rug. Be sure to follow the steps in this guide to clean and maintain your beautiful rug!