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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.