Area Rugs Care & Maintenance

As with carpet, you'll need to establish a care and maintenance routine for your area rug if you want to keep it looking great and feeling plush for many years to come. Follow the simple care tips below!

Start by having guests and family members remove shoes before walking across your rug. This will minimize the amount of dirt brought in and dragged across your flooring. Dirt particles damage rug fibers over time! Place carpet protectors under all furniture legs, limit exposure to direct sunlight, and take caution when relocating furniture. Vacuum your rug a couple of times a week with a manufacturer-approved appliance. Twice a week should be sufficient, especially if your rug is in an area with light to medium traffic.

Cleaning shag rugs

For shag area rugs, it’s very important to protect the cable yarn when vacuuming. Not only can long yarns on from the area rug wrap around your vacuum’s beater bar (also known as a rotator brush) but the brush itself can damage your rug’s fibers. To prevent such damage, consult your vacuum manual to see about disconnecting the beater bar before vacuuming. Once it’s disconnected, set your vacuum to the lowest height setting, which provides the best suction.

If you spill something on a rug, treat it as you would carpet: clean it up right away. Use a dry, clean cloth to pick up any solids. Then, rinse the area with warm water and then soak up as much as possible. Never bleach your rug.

After the area has dried, you can pass a vacuum over it to help restore it to its original appearance. If you have questions or concerns about stains, contact us at Carpets by Direct and we can provide recommendations on cleaning products and professionals.