Smart Strategies to Follow to Clean Your Area Rug and Get it Looking New
As a homeowner, you should pay special attention towards keeping all the area rugs clean. This is where you need to focus on basic cleaning, deep cleaning, and stain removal. Area rugs establish zones in the living areas of your house, warm up flooring, and add colour and pattern to a room. However, dirt and stains are often found on area rugs, therefore it’s critical to understand how to clean an area rug.
Learn more about area rugs before you clean them.
Determining the material of your area rug is the first step in cleaning it. Because the material of an area rug will determine how to clean it, this is crucial to extending its lifespan. You will learn about the many kinds of rugs in this helpful tutorial, which also provides advice on how to remove stains and clean area rugs.
Basic Care for Area Rugs
The best way to clean an area rug depends on its size, structure, and material. Large area rugs should be maintained similarly to wall-to-wall carpet. Thus, most carpets will gain from the following maintenance regimen:
- Vacuum big area rugs to get rid of dirt.
The most crucial area rug cleaning action you can do is the same as with carpets: regular vacuuming. A reversible rug should be vacuumed on both sides. This gets rid of dirt and debris that might cause your rug to rip more quickly. Ensure that no fringe is vacuumed. (When vacuuming a shag rug, turn off the beater bar to prevent tangling long fibres.)
- Get rid of pet hair.
It is possible for pet hair to become trapped in a hoover. To get rid of the hair, brush in the direction of the rug’s nap with a firm brush.
- Replace carpets annually.
Sunlight and foot activity add additional wear and tear on area rugs. To level out the wear, turn them once or twice a year.
- Shake the area rugs.
Small area rugs may be shaken or aggressively beaten to get rid of dirt and grime if they are small enough to be taken outdoors. It is forbidden in certain places to shake carpets outside, so be sure to check your local rules beforehand.
How to Clean an Area Rug: A Guide Sorted by Material
Certain rug types need different cleaning techniques. Put care tags on the rug so you can easily find them. When it comes to thorough cleaning and utilising a rug shampooer or cleaning equipment on the rug, closely follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Observe these guidelines while caring for specialised carpets.
How to Maintain Braided or Woven Rugs
Prior to and during cleaning, look for stitch breaks in the rugs. To find out whether tiny, braided carpets are machine washable, look at the labels. If so, put them in a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase with a zipper. Rinse well after washing in cold water on a soft cycle. Put it on a low tumble dry mode.
Large, braided rugs may be cleaned by laying them on a concrete or vinyl floor, or by placing an old blanket underneath them. As directed by the manufacturer, apply industrial carpet cleaning foam to the surface and massage it in. Vacuum or rinse to finish. Before putting the new rug on the floor, let it completely dry.
How to Care for Antique, Oriental, and Hand-Knotted Rugs
Since kitchens and other high-traffic areas are common places for antique and Persian carpets, they may need more care than other types of rugs.
As with carpets and wool area rugs, hoover a new Oriental rug. With fragile vintage or antique carpets, use extra caution. Cover the rug with a piece of nylon screen and weigh it down with bricks or books to shield them from the hoover. swoop across the screen. Alternatively, cover the hoover attachment with a piece of nylon mesh and replace it periodically as dirt builds up. Once a year, get these rugs professionally cleaned. Rugs should be rotated to provide even wear; sun exposure will fade them.