Genuine handmade rugs and carpets can last a very long time if taken care of in the right way. You can protect your area rug from premature wear and damage with few simple tips.
How to Keep Your Area Rugs Dust Free
Before telling you how to clean your area rug, let's discuss how can you avoid getting a dirty rug. Simple step can become a lifestyle and help having a clean rug for the longest time is leaving your shoes at the door. A healthy tradition started at the Japanese households spreading to the whole world, coming from the fact that walking around outside will definitely stick different sorts of dirt and debris to your shoes.
Vacuuming your area rug should be done only when it's necessary; you may damage the fibers of your rug, especially shag rugs by over vacuuming it. For a regular carpet cleaning you can use a vacuum, which can remove dust and crumbs of all kinds, or you can simply take your not too large rug outside and shake the dust out of it with a paddle. Vacuuming can be done either in both directions, or only in one direction; it depends on your rug's construction. For more details about vacuuming directions you should ask the rug's manufacturer for a better advice.
How to Deep Clean Area Rugs
If a regular rug cleaning wasn't satisfying enough for you; some left spills dried out on your area rug creating stains, then maybe it's time for a professional cleaning. There are things you need to do before you get to the point where you actually start cleaning your area rug; first of all you need to vacuum your rug several times to make sure it's free from dust; when mixed with water, dust turns to mud that can be a long lasting stain. That's why you need to be extra careful to vacuum your rug several times. Make sure you clean the fringes on the sides of both oriental rugs and persian area rugs; you may use a diluted non-sudsing ammonia on white fringes to get rid of the griming sides.
It's maybe easier for you to clean your rug in a garage of an empty room; being surrounded with furniture may hamper the carpet cleaning process. If you have enough room to move your furniture out, that can be an option too.
Rugs and Carpets Cleaning Products
When it comes to rug cleaners, each rug's manufacturer recommends a specific cleaning product to be used, otherwise you need to be careful about the shampoo you get from the market, try to avoid strong chemical cleaning products as they can cause losing the vibrant color of your rug.
After cleaning your rug, you need to dry it out either by spreading it in a sunny area, or using fans. Never step on a wet rug; you have to wait until it's completely dry before placing it back where it was.
It is recommended also that you rotate your rug and turn it around every once in awhile for an even and balanced wear.
