Area Rug Care & Maintenance

Vacuuming is the basic and primary step for caring for your rug. Rugs are exposed to endless mistreatment, such as treading feet, dirt, dust, oil and spills of all sorts. By frequently vacuuming, you can prevent soils from building up. Vacuums with good suction are recommended to lift surface dirt.

Frequently rotate your rugs to equalize the damaging effects of the sun. Because continual direct exposure to sunlight will damage a rug over time, use window shades, shutters, or heavy curtains to safeguard your investment.

Also protect your rugs from fumes and dampness. Fumes from furnaces, stoves, chimneys and auto exhaust can mix with humidity in the atmosphere to form an acid that fades and deteriorates the appearance of wool. Over time, dampness will rot the threads and destroy the fibers of a rug. Keep them in a dry environment.

• Unwrapping The Rug - Carefully cut the wrapping tape only, with scissors. Unwrap plastic layers, and unroll.If there is a chemical odor, allow to stay for a day or so in a well-vented location, until odor disappears.
• Abrash - Many Persian area rugs have slight differences of color and tone in large color fields. These striations, sometimes even of a totally different color, are the definite proof of one thing: this rug was made by hand. This ‘abrash’ can be caused by nomadic changes-of-residence, and the weaver’s decision to complete the rug at his new location. Waiting for another ‘crop’ of wool from his sheep can take the longest. Then finding local flora to make more dye is the always-uncertain element. Inevitably there is a minor or major difference, but this is the inherent charm that these rugs display, by bringing us closer to the daily struggles of these primitive nomads. Of course, some slightly more sophisticated weavers sometimes add ‘a touch of abrash’ to increase the apparent age of a tribal or city rug. This adds to the charm and authenticity of your hand-made work of art.
• Fold Creases - These will flatten and disappear with regular walking, and a corner of the rug that does not lay flat should be kept under a pile of books, or similar, for a few days.
• Coasters - Try to use coasters under all furniture legs, to spread the weight of specially thin legs or casters over a larger area. Old glass coasters are best, still available from some fine antique dealers, or estate and rummage sales.
• Positioning The Rug - Please be aware that your entire rug may seem many shades darker or lighter, depending on the direction of its pile to the main source of light! This is mainly because of the high lanolin content in fine wool. Try it in each direction to determine which suits your room better, or the particular season of the year. Rotating it by season, or when you set the clocks back or forward, will allow traffic patterns to fall on new areas, thus extending the life of your area rug. The subtle changes of color from dark to light, or vice versa, can later be a welcome design boost in any interior.
• Pets - Small domestic friends that have not yet been house-broken should be kept far, far away from your new heirloom…
• Under-padding - Under-padding is used to provide airflow between your floor and the rug, in addition to stabilizing the rug. Airflow allows the rug to breath, which in turn will extend the life of the rug. Under-padding also prevents the crushing and wearing of the pile from heavy use, another way of greatly extending the life of your rug. We offer several different sizes of under-padding at excellent prices.

General Maintenance
To maintain their original colors, handmade area rugs should be cleaned on a regular basis. Every five to ten years they should be hand-washed by a professional whose references have been thoroughly checked. Never steam-clean or chemically-clean your area rugs. Do not ever put into a washing machine or otherwise immerse in water.

• Vacuuming - Use a suction extension only. Do not use a rotor vacuum or a beater bar. Vacuuming should be done in the direction of the pile only, as one would stroke a cat.
• Beating - Handmade area rugs can be beaten on the rear, with a broomstick or similar instrument.Old North-Europeans did this on a snowbank.
• Sweeping - Sweeping is effective in removing dry surface spills.
• Wet Spills - The most important thing to do in a spill/stain situation is to act quickly. The longer liquid remains on an area rug the more likely it is to seep into the pile and cause a stain. So blot quickly with paper towels. Dilute the remainder with cold water and blot. Repeat as required until no longer visible. If some traces do remain, use a small amount of a mild wool detergent, like ‘Woolite’ or similar, in cold water. Blot well, applying firm pressure. Do not rub. Keep in a well-vented area until dry.
• Rug Repair - Handmade area rugs can easily be repaired in case of tears or cuts of any size. The process consists of joining the knots together from the back of the carpet with the same material as the foundation of the carpet. Repairing a carpet with silk thread is better, as silk is finer and stronger than wool or cotton. A carpet that has been professionally repaired should look as good as new.
• Storing - When storing a rug (especially a heavy winter one), have it professionally cleaned and wrapped before storing in a climate-controlled area to avoid damage.
• Care Tags - When you purchase a new rug, keep the care tag intact, or file it with your household maintenance and furnishings file for later reference.
• Large Rugs - Care for large size room rugs as you would wall-to-wall carpet. Fine Oriental rugs and other unusual materials, however, require special care.
• Small Rugs - Small rugs, such as those used at entrances, are difficult to vacuum. Take them outside and shake them vigorously until dust and dirt are no longer evident. (Some cities have ordinances against this once common practice.) You can also hang rugs over a clothesline or sturdy outdoor furniture and beat them with a broom to remove dust and dirt.
• Dry Cleaning - Always consult care labels for small rugs, determining whether they should be dry-cleaned, spot-cleaned, or laundered. If a rug, even a cotton one that appears washable, is labeled dry-clean only, it may not be colorfast. Imported rugs tend to require dry cleaning; colors may bleed otherwise. Test before spot cleaning.
• Washing - When you determine a rug is washable, machine wash on delicate. To lessen the problem of long rug fringe becoming tangled and knotted in the washer, divide the fringe into several hanks, wrapping each hank with white string. Place the rug in a mesh laundry bag or zippered pillowcase and wash in cold water cold water.
• Drying Wet Rugs - Hang wet rugs over a clothes-drying rack, a slatted picnic table, or several bricks stacked on a porch, patio, or breezeway. Hanging a wet rug over a single clothesline will distort the shape of the rug as it dries. Small rugs that are made from synthetic fibers similar to carpeting can be laid to dry on a small worktable or counter that is protected by a drop cloth, old sheets, or towels.
• Pet Concerns - When pet hair accumulates in a rug, brush the rug vigorously with a stiff clothes brush or utility brush. Brush with the nap until dirt and hair cease to come out. Attack pet stains with a commercial enzymatic cleaner to help break down stain and odor.