Rugs Direct

Area Rug Maintenance is Easy

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No, you don't need a belt full of tools to properly maintain and care for your area rugs. In fact, keeping an area rug looking new is actually pretty easy. With a little bit of attention it can last a long, long time and withstand a great deal of use.

The single most important tool you'll need doesn't fit very well on a belt - your vacuum cleaner. Most of the dirt, sand, dust and debris that ends up on your area rug can be removed easily with a simple vacuuming. (Liquid spills are another matter completely and we've covered them in a separate article. Click here if you would like to read it.)

New rugs often have a certain amount of "fuzz" that frequently appears on top of the rug. This is normal and is not an indication that there is something wrong with your rug. It is simply loose fibers that are created during the weaving process that work their way to the surface over time. If they bother you, simply vacuum more frequently. In some cases it may take several months for all of the "fuzz" to disappear. Many people get frustrated and feel they have received a defective product when the "fuzz" continually reappears. Please don't be one of them!

After all the fuzzies are gone, a thorough vacuuming once ever two weeks is probably sufficient. If you can flip the rug over and vacuum the back as well, that is ideal. Ground-in dirt will actually be closer to the bottom than the top and it is easier for the vacuum to suck it out from there than the surface.

One important note of caution: if your rug has fringe, DO NOT run the vacuum over it. This should be obvious, but based upon how many ruined fringed rugs we see, it apparently is not. Nothing will damage the fringe on a rug more than spinning it around your vacuum's beater bar. Not only will you have to immediately stop the vacuum and carefully unwind the fibers, but there's a good chance you will literally tear them off the rug. Not good. Not easy to fix. Just don't do it.

For braided rugs and flatweaves, avoid using the vacuum's beater bar entirely. Use the hard-floor attachment instead. Rugs constructed in these ways are too easy to snag and pull with a spinning beater bar and suction alone will usually do a great job of pulling out all the dirt.

A few tips that will extend the life of your rug:

• At least once a year, rotate your rug 180 degrees. This will ensure the rug gets even exposure to light and wear and will therefore maintain a consistent look over time. Any fading will be spread evenly and no pile will be worn down more than any other.
• For braided and flatwoven rugs, also flip them in addition to rotating. They are made to be reversible, so reverse them to even out the wear. This will literally double the life of the rug.
• If you ever encounter a pull or loose thread on your rug, go to the drawer, get a pair of scissors and carefully trim the offending fiber close to the surface of the rug. DO NOT PULL! Remember, a rug is a very intricately woven product. Pulling out a tread can do more damage than you can imagine to the entire structure of the rug.
• Many people opt not to put a quality pad underneath their rug. We hear lots of excuses why, but none of them are valid. A rug pad does much more than simply keep the rug from slipping on a wooden floor, although this is an extremely important safety concern. It also cushions and protects the rug - and keeps it looking new much, much longer. Instead of crushing the rug into the floor with each step you take on it, the pad absorbs the weight - not the rug's fibers. Kind of makes sense, huh? So please put a pad under your rug - especially if it's going to be placed on a hardwood floor.

See how easy it is to care for your fine-quality area rugs? You don't need a lot of tools - just a good vacuum cleaner and a pair of scissors - nor do you need to invest a lot of time to keep your investment in rugs paying you back with many years of comfort and enjoyment.

If you would like to shop for area rugs at the nation's leading source, Rugs Direct, please click here.

Spills Are Inevitable - Stains Are Not

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It happens to everyone. You finally find the perfect area rug for your home (at Rugs Direct, of course); you carefully position it on the floor in just the right place; your rearrange the furniture so everyone can get a good look at your new treasure - and sure enough, someone spills something really nasty right in the middle of it. Don't panic. If you know what to do, it's possible - even probable - that you'll be able to prevent a permanent stain. But you must resist that temptation to grab a towel and start scrubbing the spot. Nothing could be worse for your beautiful rug.

Here are the proper "first-response" actions you should take to treat the most common household spills that have the greatest potential for damage.

One note of caution: These instructions are primarily intended for use on typical wool rugs. For any synthetic fiber, a Resolve® or Woolite® carpet spot remover spray will work on most stains. Follow product directions closely. Do not use either of these cleaners on a natural fiber rug, including wool, cotton and sisal.

Blood

1. Add cold water and blot.
2. First solution: Mix one teaspoon of Dawn® dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of warm water.
3. Blot stain.
4. Last solution: Mix 2 tablespoons white vinegar with above cleaning solution.
5. Blot.

Please notice nowhere were you told to "rub" the stain. Blot - and continue blotting until it comes out. Do not rub. I repeat - DO NOT RUB!

Ink

1. Mix one teaspoon of Dawn® dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of warm water.
2. Blot stain.
3. If stain does not disappear, blot with isopropyl alcohol.

There are commercial ink-removers on the market that can do an excellent job, but be sure to test an area of the rug first. They sometimes also remove color from the rug as well.

Drinks - wine, coffee, soda, juice, etc.

1. Add cold water and blot.
2. Mix one teaspoon of Dawn® dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of warm water.
3. Blot stain.
4. If stain does not disappear, mix one teaspoon of white vinegar with Dawn mixture and try again.

Nail Polish

1. Blot with a cloth containing either hairspray or isopropyl alcohol.
2. If stain does not disappear, mix water and nail polish remover on cloth and blot.

Make sure you test the nail polish remover/water mixture on a small corner of the rug. Of course the best recommendation here is don't have an open bottle of nail polish anywhere near your new rug - but I guess that's pretty obvious.

Food - ketchup, mustard, chocolate, sauces, etc.

1. Mix one teaspoon of Dawn® dishwashing liquid with 1 cup of warm water.
2. Blot stain.

Again, do not rub! That is only going to work the stain deeper into the rug and you will most likely never get it to be completely invisible.

Pet Stains

Rugs and animals typically do not mix. But when your cat or dog ultimately decides your area rug looks an awful lot like a public toilet, here's what you should do.

1. Soak up as much as possible, applying pressure with many, many paper towels.
2. Mix one teaspoon of Dawn® dishwashing liquid. one teaspoon of white vinegar and one cup of warm water.
3. Blot stain.
4. Blot stain.
5. Blot stain.
6. Repeat.

There are commercial pet odor eliminators that you should consider using once you are finally able to remove the stain. The main reason is that if Fido can still smell any trace of his handiwork with his incredibly sensitive nose, that will simply signal to him that it's OK to do it again. (I suspect he secretly enjoys watching you down on your hands and knees cleaning up after him, but that's another topic for a future blog.) More rugs are ruined by pets than any other single source, so do your best to prevent the problem from ever happening in the first place.

Of course if all else fails there's a good chance most of these stains can be removed professionally, but there are no guarantees. The longer a stain is allowed to set, the harder it is to remove it. That's why quick action while the spill is still wet is critical.

Your Area Rug's Best Friend

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Most people who purchase area rugs for their homes want them to last a long time. Yes they are a very economical way to decorate a room and certainly are a lot easier to change than wall color or furniture, but it's not unreasonable to expect them to provide many years or comfort and enjoyment. With proper care, this is more than possible.

A vacuum cleaner is by far your rug's best friend. This type of maintenance alone can add years of life to your rug and help maintain its new appearance for a long, long time. But it must be done regularly - and correctly - for best results.

First of all, keep in mind that your area rug is made of fibers. It is not a solid sheet of material, such as linoleum, nor is it an impervious material such as is used in tiles. Dirt and moisture can work themselves into - and under - the fabric of the rug and can even cause it to separate. This is why it is important to vacuum your rug regularly. How often? That completely depends upon where it is used and how much foot traffic it gets. Near a busy entry way or door, you may need to vacuum several times a week. In a spare guest bedroom, probably once a week is more than enough.

The point is, you don't want dirt to be ground into the fibers of the rug. Frequent once-overs with your vacuum cleaner will prevent this from happening.

On a side note, we've all seen photos or scenes in movies where someone hangs their area rug on a clothesline or over a fence and beats the dust and dirt out of it with a broom or tennis racket. There is absolutely nothing worse for your rug than this! (Well, there actually IS one thing worse, but it involves misbehaved animals who don't know the difference between your rug and the great outdoors - but that's a whole other issue.) Do NOT beat your rug to clean it! First of all, it's not very effective or efficient. You're not going to be able to get all of the dirt out this way. But more importantly, it could ruin the rug. It will most certainly shorten its life. You may cause the threads to loosen and damage the backing to the rug. It might be a great physical workout for you, but it is devastating to the structural integrity of your beautiful floor covering.

There is debate in the world of area-rug care as to whether you should use the beater bar on your vacuum or not when cleaning a rug. At Rugs Direct we are of the strong opinion that sometimes you should and sometimes you shouldn't. If the rug is tightly woven and of heavy materials, then the beater bar is probably necessary to get it clean. Set it for as short a pile height as you can so you don't run the risk of tearing any of the fibers loose. Otherwise, use the standard hard-floor attachment and be sure to anchor the rug (or stand on it) so that it doesn't get pulled up into the vacuum.

If your rug has fringe, make sure you don't inadvertently run the vacuum over the edge. Don't be lazy and think this is OK - especially if you simply push the vacuum away from the center out past the fringe. Some of it is going to get caught and torn eventually. You will ruin your rug. You are also going to have to unwind a bunch of fabric that is wrapped around your vacuum's beater bar. Harder to remove than hair. Don't do it!

It's also a good idea to vacuum the underside of the rug. Yes, I know this is a lot of work, but not all of the dirt is going to be removable from the top surface of the rug. Also dirt that gets underneath the rug can actually cause it to wear unevenly from the bottom up. So maybe not every time you vacuum, but at least once a month, turn the rug over and vacuum the bottom too. Again, this will add years to the life of your area rug.

Lastly, always use a good quality pad in between your rug and the floor. There are some serious safety concerns for doing this, but it will also make caring for the rug much easier. It's almost impossible to completely vacuum a rug that slips and slides as you try to clean it. A pad will keep it in place and insure that your vacuuming does the greatest good. If by some chance the pad gets soiled, many of them can be cleaned by simply tossing them into the washing machine - something you'd never want to do with the actual rug. Rugs Direct sells high quality rug pads in sizes that match all popular area rug sizes. If you didn't buy a pad with your rug, consider adding one now.

So make sure your area rugs and your vacuum cleaner are well acquainted. They will learn to love one another for a lifetime! Good luck.

Southwestern Rugs Require Special Care

Copyright © 2008 Rugs Direct^®

All fine-quality area rugs require a certain amount of care and maintenance. Some more than others. Southwestern or Navajo rugs, because of the special intricate patterns and colors they may feature require a bit more attention than most.

There is a company in Tucson, Arizona that specializes in the cleaning and repair of high-quality southwestern rugs. The Navajo Rug Repair Company has prepared a list of 10 rules your should follow for maintaining your special Native American rug:

1. If your rug is placed on a hard-surface floor, use a high-quality area rug pad. It will not only prolong the life of the rug tremendously, it will also prevent it from slipping and provide a high measure of safety. Do not use a net-style (or waffle) pad, or one made of rubber or jute. The type of pad sold by Rugs Direct goes by the name Miracle Hold.
2. Many southwestern rugs are reversible. If yours is, periodically flip it to even out the distribution of wear and fading.
3. Inspect the rug for insect damage or infestation. If you don't know what the signs are, hire a professional to check the rug for you. At the first sign of anything unusual, treat it for moths and carpet beetles (Dermestidae).
4. Vacuum your rug regularly, but do not use motor-driven rotating brushes.
5. Clean up spill immediately. Never let anything liquid or greasy sit on the rug because it is likely the resulting stain could be permanent.
6. Keep pets away from the rug. Pet urine is just about the worst thing to which you can subject a beautiful southwestern rug. It stains, it stinks and it is impossible to completely remove. Of course it is also highly undesirable to have your pet chew of claw the rug as well.
7. Keep the rug dry. If it does get wet, dry it in as short a time as possible. Use clean towels and dab the liquid - don't rub. If you have a wet-dry vacuum (Shop-Vac), use it to pull as much of the liquid out of the rug as possible.
8. Likewise, don't allow moisture to penetrate the rug. For example, don't place a live plant on the rug because the resulting moisture can lead to mildew or rot. Wet shoes should also go someplace other than on top of your southwestern rug.
9. When the rug gets dirty - and ultimately not matter how careful you are, it will - have it cleaned by a specialist who knows the proper way to care for a Native American rug. Do not have it dry-cleaned, and under no circumstance try to steam-clean or use an automatic cleaner on your beautiful rug.
10. If you notice any tears or fraying on the rug, have it repaired immediately. Again, your best bet is to hire a professional who knows how to minimize the appearance of the damage and prevent it from getting any worse. Contact the Navajo Rug Repair Company via e-mail, by clicking here.

Rugs Direct has over 225 styles of southwestern rugs available on its website, in a variety of sizes and colors. If you would like to browse the selections, please click here.

If you properly maintain your southwestern area rug and give it the care it deserves, it will provide you with many, many years of enjoyment and beauty.

Rugs Can Survive Children & Pets

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Children and pets - two of the greatest joys in life, right? Yes, we agree! But they also represent the greatest danger to the wellbeing of your home's beautiful area rugs. More than sunlight, more than water damage, more than years of foot traffic. Kids and pets are the sworn enemies of expensive area rugs!

OK, maybe it's not that bad. But animals and children are prone to accidents and usually don't have much conception of the ramifications of their actions on your home's furnishings, especially those placed on the floor. Mud on my shoes? Need to run through the living room to get to the back door? No problem here.

As gross as it may sound, there is no single substance on the face of the Earth that is worse for an area rug than - yuck - pet urine. It stains. It's highly acidic and corrosive. And it smells horrible. It's almost impossible to get out of a rug completely, and as a result, the pet assumes this is now an OK place to relieve itself if there are no better alternatives. It's a vicious cycle and your area rug is the ultimate victim, not to mention the potential damage to the wood floor underneath.

Quite bluntly, the best way to deal with pet urine on an area rug is to carefully avoid it in the first place. There are products available at pet stores that supposedly will keep a pet from using your furniture and rugs as a personal lavatory. These are considered "training aids" and are not a permanent solution. Most have to be reapplied every 12 to 24 hours to remain effective. Simple Solution, available from Petco for about $10 a can, is one product that seems to work for some people. Of course stories abound of pets who assumed their owners were spraying these types of products to help them FIND suitable places to go instead of the other way around!

Sometimes it works to sprinkle an ounce or so of moth flakes under the rug along the edge to deter a dog from showing too much interest in your floor covering. However, please be certain you use something that is non-toxic and will not harm the animal if it ingests a small amount. Dogs will eat anything. Don't run the risk of poisoning yours just to protect an area rug.

As for cats, one of the best ways to help them lose interest in your rug is pretty low-tech. Get a spray water bottle or squirt gun and zap them every time they get too close to your nice rug!

If despite your best efforts your pet manages to soil your rug, you should clean it as quickly as possible with a mild detergent and water. If the stain is allowed to set and penetrate the rug's fibers, you've got a much more difficult cleaning problem on your hands. You'll probably need a product such as Tomlyn's See Spot Go (yes, that's what it's called), again available at most pet stores for around $10.

But let's back up a bit. What can you do before you buy your rug that will take into account the fact that there are pets and/or children living in your home? Surprisingly, there are many!

First of all, you should only consider wool or it's synthetic counterpart, olefin. You'll want the increased "wearability" of these materials and you'll find they are much easier to clean than most other fibers. In fact, wool is naturally stain-resistant and the fibers hold dirt high, making it much easer to vacuum. If you have children or pets, buy a wool rug.

Color is something else you should consider. A multi-colored wool rug will hide dirt and stains much better than a light, solid-colored one. If you must go with a solid color, remember that dark colors will show lint, dust and pet hair more than light ones; but a light color displays dirt better. One strategy is to buy a rug that closely matches the color of your pet's coat if, in fact, you have a shedding breed. Don't use this as a substitute for regular vacuuming! But it certainly will help turn it from a daily to a weekly task - especially during shedding season.

Another thing about households with pets and children is that they often tend to be somewhat noisy. There is a direct correlation between the ambient noise in the home and the square of the sum of the number of children under the age of 10 multiplied by the combined weight of all of the dogs and cats in your domicile. It's a scientific fact. You can look it up. The best way to cut down on this noise? A nice, plush, thick area rug placed on top of a super-absorbent rug pad. Get them both at Rugs Direct.

A little careful planning prior to purchase, combined with regular care and maintenance, sprinkled with emergency intervention when necessary, can result in your beautiful area rugs surviving childhood and pet ownership for many, many years. Good luck!

Proper Storage of Area Rugs

Copyright © 2007 Rugs Direct^®

One of the greatest benefits of using area rugs to decorate your home is the fact that they can periodically be changed to reflect your mood, tastes or even the season of the year. However, when you invest in good-quality area rugs, it is extremely important to properly store them during the times when you will not be displaying them. If you take the necessary time and precautions, your beautiful floor coverings will last for generations.

Here are some important tips and guidelines from the country's foremost authority on the care and storage of valuable area rugs, The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

Finding the Best Storage Location
The best location for the storage of your area rugs would be in a room that is cool, dry and where blinds or curtains can be used to block natural light. Since few of us have the luxury of a spare room that we can devote to storage, and have to make due with closets, cupboards and under beds. While it is possible to adapt many spaces in the house for storage, try to avoid using attics and basements, which are usually without climate control and suffer the largest swings of temperature and relative humidity.

Once you have decided on a location, you should think about the following:
if you live in a climate where humidity is high during some part of the year, make sure that there is some way to circulate the air to avoid mildew problems (even a fan will help); consider using a dehumidifier to bring humidity down to a more moderate level

• If you live in a climate where humidity is low during some part of the year, consider raising the level of humidity slightly with a humidifier.
• Block sunlight from coming in windows with shades or blinds.
• Keep your storage area/room clean because dust and dirt attract rug-eating insects.
• Avoid storing items directly on the floor; carpet beetles like to take up residence between the floor and the back of your rug.

Storage Hardware
If you have the space, metal shelving is ideal to store your rugs. Pad the shelving with a cushioning material like bubble-wrap so that the edges of the shelves do not make indentations on the rugs.

If you are storing your area rugs on wooden shelves, it is important to provide a buffer between the wood acids and your rugs. There are at least two options:

• Line the drawers or shelves with acid-free tissue or acid-free barrier paper; the paper should be adequate to absorb excess acids for two or three years before it needs to be changed
• Coat the wood with polyurethane varnish and allow it to dry thoroughly; use an additional physical barrier such as bubble-wrap or a layer of cotton sheeting or muslin.

Storage Materials
The best way to store rugs is to keep them rolled. If you fold a rug for even a short period of time, creases will form. Additionally, the foundation of the rug will weaken from the pressure being exerted on the folded area. If it is brittle, the foundation can break.

It is best to roll a rug around a support tube. Avoid using polyvinyl chloride tubing – PVC pipe – which can give off damaging chemicals. Again, there are two options:

• Acid-free, archival tubes are the best choice, although expensive; 3" diameter rug tubes are usually the best choice as they are very sturdy.
• A regular cardboard rug tube can be adapted by wrapping the tube with a layer of acid-free tissue; generally it takes several sheets lined up together to cover the length of the tube, so to hold all of the pieces in place and to insure that they last as you roll and unroll your rugs, cover the tissue with a layer of washed cotton sheeting or muslin before rolling the rug around the tube.

Rolling Techniques
Pile in or pile out? The debate goes on. Here are some things to consider:

• What is the condition of the pile? Is it fragile, with loss of knots? Is the pile silk?
• What is the condition of the foundation? Are there numerous splits and breaks? Is it brittle?

The overall condition of the piece should determine the method of rolling. In general, the pile is more vulnerable than the foundation, so it is better to roll with the pile in. If the foundation is weaker than the pile, or if a lining has been sewn on the rug, roll with the foundation in. If a rug is lined, wrinkling will always occur during rolling; it is therefore better to roll with the lining in, thus allowing the lining rather than the rug to wrinkle. In addition, roll in the direction of the pile rather than against the pile to avoid abrading the pile or placing stress on the knots.

It is often difficult to get started rolling and to keep the rug straight on the roller. To assist in getting started, use a leader of washed cotton sheeting or muslin. This can be the same piece rolled around to secure the acid-free tissue. The piece should be the width of the rug you are rolling, and long enough to go completely around the tube once plus about two feet. Roll the fabric onto the roller and lay the rug (face or pile up and with the pile direction moving away from you) on the 2 foot extension. As you roll, the excess fabric will catch the rug and allow you to roll the rug smoothly. Try to keep the roll as straight as possible (with the warps perpendicular to the roller) while rolling. If a rug is especially crooked it may be necessary to add a little "ease" into the roll to keep the warps straight to avoid rolling the rug in a spiral. To add this "ease", move one edge of the roller forward slightly with each turn around the tube, continuing to line up the warps perpendicular to the tube. This will make the roll slightly looser than it would be if you were able to roll the rug straight from top to bottom.

A length of muslin is also a good finish for your rolled rug. Muslin acts as a good dust and light barrier. The fabric should be wide enough to extend beyond the edges of the roll, sufficient either to be tucked into the ends of the tube, or tied down onto the tube to protect the edges of the rolled rug from dust.

If you need to mark the muslin cover to indicate the contents, mark the fabric with a permanent ink marking pen prior to rolling the fabric around the rug. You should plan on washing the covering every few years to remove accumulated dust and dirt.

Many museums wrap rolled textiles in a sheet of clear polyethylene rather than muslin. The advantage of using polyethylene is that it can help protect your rugs from insect infestation if the wrapping is secured with ties and the edges of the polyethylene are securely tucked into the ends of the rolling tube. Polyethylene can also protect rugs from water damage in the event of a leak. In general, mildew should not be a problem for rugs rolled in polyethylene unless a rug gets wet and stays in that condition for any length of time. Polyethylene is also good as a general dust cover draped over a group of rolled pieces since it is inexpensive and could readily be discarded once it is dirty.

Maintenance of Storage Areas
Most moth and carpet beetle infestations appear in stored rugs. The source of the infestation may have occurred earlier when the piece was being used or was hung on the wall, but in the quiet, dark surroundings of storage, the infestation may quickly grow. It is therefore important to have a good housekeeping plan for your storage areas. Wipe off shelving and shelf padding and if necessary clean or replace covers and padding. Vacuum the room thoroughly to eliminate insect-attracting dust. Check baseboards and window sills for dust as well.

Yes, it can be a lot of work to properly store an area rug. But if you have made an investment in the fine art of high-quality area rugs, it is certainly worth it to preserve their beauty and longevity.

If you are in the market for high-quality, handmade area rugs, please begin your search at the nation's leading source for area rugs, Rugs Direct.

Your Rug's Hidden Enemy

Copyright © 2007 Rugs Direct^®

It's almost a cliche, but there is an unseen enemy just waiting to destroy your precious area rug - the every-hungry moth - enemy to all things woven!

Moths can cause extensive damage to rugs by attacking the pile, fringes and knots on the back of the rug. However, it's not the flying adult moths - like the unique Polyphemus Moth (antheraea polyphemus) shown above - that do the damage. Instead it is the larvae that hatch from their eggs that will consume almost anything, including wool, fur, feathers and silk.

Moths and their larvae thrive in dark, undisturbed areas such as the underside of a rug that doesn't see much traffic or is rarely vacuumed. A large infestation can leave a cobweb-like blanket in the area of the damage, along with fine, sand-like debris. It is pretty much impossible to repair the damage to a fine rug once moth larvae have decided to make a meal of it.

It's fairly easy to avoid letting moths feast on your fine Oriental rug. Simply rotate the rug periodically and be sure to vacuum it at least once a week. It can help to expose the rug to light and air, which will aid in deterring the moths to lay their eggs. If your rug is not used very often, you can guard against moths by spraying the front and back of it with a readily available insecticide for this purpose. Do so every six to eight months. Check with your local hardware or home-improvement store for what it best to use in your climate. And be sure to dispose of any unused chemical safely and properly.

If you must store your rug, wrap it in a breathable fabric, not plastic. The lack of air can lead to rot or mildew. If possible, place the wrapped rug in a chest with a moth deterrent. This is the ideal storage solution. And be aware of the ambient temperature of the room in which you store the rug. If it is damp and humid, you may still find mold growing on the rug even if it is wrapped in a porous fabric. This will weaken and discolor the fibers. Conversely, in a hot and poorly ventilated storage area the base of the rug will dry out and will become brittle. Ultimately this could destroy the rug's strength and durability.

Moths can be beautiful, fascinating creatures - outside, fluttering around your backyard or garden. Plus they can find much better things to eat there than your valuable area rug. So take steps before the moths attack and deposit their eggs under you rug. Because by then, it will be too late to prevent the inevitable damage.