Knowing the material and weave of your rug is the first step to making sure you get the most out of your new purchase. Look at the label on the back side of your rug and be familiar with the cleaning instructions issued if applicable.
Preventing and Lifting Dents From Furniture
Here are some simple ways to minimize indentations caused by furniture and protect your investment in your new area rug:
Furniture Coasters: This is the easiest and most cost effective way to prevent dents in your rug if you know that furniture will be placed on top for long periods of time
Moving Your Furniture: Regularly rotating or moving your furniture will also prevent damage and dents, even if it’s just a few inches to the side.
Steam Cleaning: A more expensive solution and not recommended for all rug types, but for rugs that already have indentations, steaming the fibers will rejuvenate your rug and lift the imprints while also giving it an extra sheen.
Ice Cubes: Spreading out some ice cubes to affected areas and allowing cold water to penetrate into your rug will help alleviate the indentations. After about 20 minutes or so, use a moderately sized comb to spread apart the fibers and place a fan blowing towards your rug until dry.
Combing: You may be able to get the fibers loosened and standing up by using a comb or edge of a coin. After loosening, vacuum the entire rug.
Bunching, Creases and Folded Corners
You may see some creases and bunching in the pile and around the corners when you unroll your new rug. These waves will flatten within 2 -3 weeks as you begin to use your new rug. Use these tricks to help flatten your rug:
Back Rolling: Roll the carpet out, then roll it back up reversely with the backside up. Let it sit rolled up reversely for a day or 2, or until it flattens out.
Heavy Objects: Lay a piece of heavy furniture or objects on affected areas for a day or 2, or until it flattens out. If the corners are sticking up, curl them back and place heavy objects on affected areas going the opposite way.
Heat: Use this technique as a last resort only. Place the rug over a cleared concrete or area like a driveway or sidewalk setting during dry sunny conditions. Allow the rug to be positioned for optimal sunlight as long as possible to give the rug time to absorb the sun's heat for up to 2 hours, but use more time if needed.
Blow Dryer: If a large concrete patch with optimal sunlight is not accessible, flip the rug over and use a hair dryer to affected areas to heat up the creases. Always hold the hair dryer 7 to 12 inches away from the rug going side to side on a medium setting, as heat can sometimes cause backing to melt.
Shedding and Sprouting
Wool rugs will shed temporarily after the initial unwrapping. This is a natural occurrence due to the use of pure wool fibers in the construction of your rug. Shedding will go down over time. Here are some tips to get the most out of your shag rug:
Use a rug pad to reduce friction
Vacuum a new wool rug 1-2 times per week for the first month
Always vacuum in the direction of the pile, not against it
Always clip loose ends with scissors and never pull threads
Sprouts that appear on the surface of the rug should be snipped at level. Do not pull the fiber out.
Vacuuming
Routine vacuuming is the most important step in maintaining the life and beauty of your rug. It is recommended that you have area rugs professionally cleaned every 1-2 years to remove deep set dirt in high traffic areas. Otherwise, attentive vacuuming will significantly extend the life of area rugs.
- Vacuum regularly. Do not use a beater bar attachment. If you cannot remove the beater bar, raise it as high as possible and vacuum carefully.
- Use the lowest available setting to prevent loose ends from sticking out. If this happens, do not pull strings and clip the edges with scissors.
- If you own a natural fiber rug, be sure to vacuum the area underneath the rug periodically.
Spills, Stains, Spot Cleaning and Pet Stains
There’s nothing worse than coming home and seeing what surprises your pet left on your rug after a long day at work. Fear not! There are some simple solutions to bringing your rug back to life that we've outlined in this FAQ.
Spills: Use a clean cloth and hold firmly immediately after the spill to absorb as much of the liquid as you can. Make sure to not rub the stain deeper into the material as this will cause the spill to spread out even more and make it more difficult to remove the stain.
Stains: If time has passed since the stain appeared, make a mixture of room temperature water, a mild detergent and white vinegar and apply the foam at the top of the mixture with a clean rag. Let it sit for 20 minutes and remove with a wet rag.
Pet Stains: Absorb as much of the affected are as you can with a paper towel, then apply a light coat of baking soda over the stain. Wait 10 minutes then apply a layer of pet stain remover (read directions on the pet solution before applying) and lightly scrub until you see the stain begin to disappear. Let it sit another 10-20 minutes and finish by vacuuming up remaining substance.
Dusting, Sweeping and Brushing
For short to medium pile area rugs, use a bristled carpet brush or sweeper. Sweeping is the best solution for outdoor rugs.
The best way to get rid of debris for rugs that are easy to handle is to take them outdoors and shake them until you stop seeing debris fall from your rug. Hang over an outdoor railing and swat the back of your rug with a broom or rug beater.
Rotation
High traffic areas in your home will cause wear faster on your rug than those in lesser tread-upon locations. Rotating a rug every few months will distribute normal wear from foot traffic significantly. We also recommend using a rug pad on both hard and soft flooring surfaces.