Clean and Maintain Area Rugs

This article provides detailed explanation about area rugs cleaning and maintenance.

Steps

  1. Vacuum your area rug regularly. This prevents dirt from building up. Vacuuming your area rug regularly helps to keep your home clean and allergy free. To get the maximum amount of dirt out turn your rug upside down first and vacuum the back of the rug. This looses deep down dirt to the top of the fibers. To avoid getting frayed edges and worn fringes do not vacuum over the edges of your area rug. It is best to use suction only on Wool area rugs, using a rotating brush/beater bar sucks up the little fibers of wool.
  2. Blot any spills with a 100% white cotton towel. For wet spills, lay towel on the spill and stand on the towel, as the towel gets wet move it to always have a dry area over spill. When blotting up a spot rub in straight lines, NEVER go in circles, this causes damage to the rug.
  3. Use a simple cleaning solution. For most spills a damp white towel works best, for fresh pet urine a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water and blotting is best, for red wine an equal mixture of Dawn dish soap and 10% hydrogen peroxide and blotting is effective. Always do a test spot first to make sure the colors of your rug do not bleed/run.
  4. Get your rugs professionally cleaned. Vacuuming regularly and wiping up spills and spots keeps your rug looking clean, but getting it professionally cleaned once every year or two keeps your rug and home air healthy. When looking for a professional area rug cleaner make sure that they are a Wool Safe Approved company even if your rug isn't wool. To find a Wool Safe Approved company got o their website, www.woolsafe.org. This ensures that they have the right training to clean area rugs. To get the best and proper cleaning area rugs should never be cleaned in your home.

Tips

  • Be sure to put your area rug pad back in place to help protect it from wear and tear. The rug pad assists with keeping furniture in place and prevents anyone from slipping on it. Every few months rotate your area rug to prevent any further deterioration that foot traffic can cause.
  • When the professional area rug cleaner decides what type of cleaning you need for your area rug, make sure you get a written work order before the job begins. The cost will depend on the square footage of the area rug. Make sure you get a quote before you call for the professional. Find out if there are any hidden or additional mandatory fees involved. A professional and dependable rug cleaning company will give you all the specifics up front.
  • Be sure to rinse any excess detergent when cleaning and don’t use a strong solution. This will only cause more soiling. Move the furniture out of the way before cleaning your area rug. Putting too much water on the area rug might damage the seams, cause discoloration, stinky odors and may shrink your area rug. To dry your area rug quickly during a wet cleaning, you can use a fan for fast drying and to get rid of any odor. Make sure your area rug is completely dry before you let anyone walk on it or before you put the furniture back in place. Before you apply any cleaning solutions, be sure to vacuum the area rug first and administer any spot cleaning that is necessary.
  • You should consider hiring a professional area rug cleaner to consult with you to find out what is the best cleaning treatment. Don’t wait until the area rug collects dirt. A professional rug cleaner will be able to determine what type of cleaning service you need. A visual examination will usually help to make that decision.

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