Copyright © 2007 Rugs Direct®
Accidents Happen
No matter how carefully you care for your area rug there are going to be times when it will be necessary to apply a little judicious first aid. Spills are a natural part of life, but they needn't be something to fear if you respond to them correctly.
The most important rule to remember is:
Don't do anything to increase the area of the spill!
Food Spills
Obviously most dry foods don't present a problem to a well-made rug. Pick up what you can and vacuum up what you can't. If the food is moist or greasy, react quickly before the liquid component has a chance to soak into the rug's fibers. Often a dry rag or paper towel will lift any residue. Be sure to blot and not rub.
A liquid food spill can be a bit more of a problem. Again, blot the spill with a dry white cloth or paper towel. Keep blotting until absolutely no more liquid is picked up. Then, if necessary, wet the area slightly with warm water and start the blotting process all over again. Don't be impatient. It could take a while - and several rags or towels.
Of course the problem can be minimized tremendously if you treat your new rug with a stain protector such as Scotchgard from 3M. A special formulation made for rugs, carpets and automobile mats is available from Rugs Direct.
Pet Stains
The greatest enemy of any area rug is dog or cat urine. First of all, it can easily discolor the rug unlike almost any other "liquid" with which your rug may come into contact. It can actually cause chemical damage to the rug by changing the structure of the foundation. The area that came into contact with the pet urine can become more stiff and hard than the rest of the rug. It's not uncommon for a rug that is subjected to repeated urine stains to crack or break! Then there's the odor. Other animals may find it interesting - or even pleasant - but you and guests in your home will not. Even is you're successful in ridding the rug of any visible traces of the urine, the odor can linger for weeks. Unfortunately this sends a signal to the offending animal that it's OK to come back and leave a little more! And, as if this wasn't enough, the urine odor attracts moths, which will most certainly cause irreparable harm to your expensive floor covering.
Obviously anything you can do to prevent your pet from urinating on your rug should be strongly encouraged!
As referenced earlier, pre-treating your rug with Scotchgard or equivalent can help reduce the permanent damage pet urine can potentially cause. If you must remove a pet-urine stain that has soaked into the rug's fibers, try this spot-cleaning solution - but be careful and go slow. You do NOT want to saturate the rug at any time.
- 2 cups of warm water
- 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent
- 1/4 cup of white vinegar
If you'd rather use a less dangerous, dry-method of cleaning the rug, try Capture Carpet Cleaner. It is a powder that is safe on virtually all rug fibers and lifts dirt and stains with use of your vacuum cleaner instead of steam or liquids. It won't clean everything that might drop on your rug, but it certainly won't cause any damage. It's a relatively inexpensive alternative to more drastic cleaning steps.
In case you're thoroughly disgusted at this point, we'll deal with how to clean pet stool and regurgitation in a future posting. For now, just keep Fido and Kitty away from that expensive Oriental rug!
Comments