We just purchased a new handmade area rug and in effort to keep it looking good we researched some of the best maintenance and cleaning tips. Here is what we found:
1. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum
You should vacuum your rug regularly. Some sources say you should do this daily (yikes!) to prevent dust from settling in the fibers, but don't worry, other sources say that vacuuming once a week or once every two weeks should be enough. They all suggest turning the rug over and vacuuming the underside too. Also, watch the fringe! They have a tendency to get caught in the vacuum and can pull and damage the rug. You can gently brush out the fringes by hand.
2. Rotate
To make sure your rug wears out evenly, you should rotate your rug at least once a year. This will ensure that wear from traffic and sun fading are distributed throughout your rug and are not concentrated in a specific area.
3. Spot clean, now!
If there is a spill, you should clean it immediately. Depending on the type of spill you facing, follow the appropriate steps:
Water:
Blot out the water with paper towels or a clean white cloth. You can place a paper towel or a cloth on the underside and blot out from the top to get the most water out. You can also dry it out with a fan or a hair dryer set on cold/warm (not hot).
Food/drinks:
With a paper towel, clean cloth, or a spoon if you need to, remove as much as you can. Rinse the stain with cold water. You can do this by sponging it with cold water, placing a cloth or paper towel on the underside, or you can place a plastic dish pan on the underside of your rug, make a hollow on your carpet over the dishpan so water doesn't run in every direction and an pour cold water through your rug. Make sure not to pour too much or your dishpan will overfill!
After the rinse, blot dry and sponge with rug shampoo or home made cleaning solution made of ¼ cup white vinegar, ¼ tsp dishwashing detergent, and 2 cups tepid water. Be careful not to use a stiff brush as this might pull the fibers. Sponge the area with cool water to finish. Let dry thoroughly. You can place something under you rug to help the air circulate.
Pet stains - urine, poop and throw-up:
Pet stains can be hard to deal with. Urine can cause the dyes to run, damage the structure of the rug, and attract moths. The smell is also very hard to remove. You can try to clean up a urine stain the same way you do a Food/Drink spill, just add a cup of white vinegar per gallon to the rinse water. As many rug dyes are acid-fast this will help to prevent the colors from running.
For poop and throw-up, you can scrape up all the foreign material, and sponge the area with a rug shampoo or the homemade cleaning solution listed above. There are also several specialized cleaning products in the market developed specifically for this problem that you can find at your local pet supply store. Just be sure to test the product in a small hidden area of the rug before your attempt to remove the stain.
4. Is it time for a professional?
If you have had your rug for a long time it might be time for a full professional cleaning. Here are a couple tips that can let you know if it's time.
a. After you vacuum, rub your rug with your finger vigorously in a short arc for 10 seconds. If your finger is dirty, your rug needs a deep cleaning.
b. Pull the pile apart and look at the foundation of your rug, if the warp and weft look dirty, the dirt has sunken in deep into your rug where the vacuum can't reach and you should deep clean your rug.
(Image: Natalie Espinosa)
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Hey everybody. I dropped a candle on my area rug - how do I wax out of a carpet?
I heard that if you have a nice pile rug, you should not vacuum it, but rather beat it outside. Any thoughts?
hi Leahrae, i dropped on my rug once...this is what I did and its compteley gone!
Put a think tissue paper on teh candle...iron over it..the candle melts and sticks on to the issue. Hope this helps!
Leahrae, you put a clean thick rag over the wax, then use an iron over the rag to melt the wax and get it to absorb into the rag.
One thing I have figured out with stain removal of all kinds is repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat -- and don't scrub too hard or you will damage the surface material.
Leahrae, be sure to pick off as much of the wax as possible before ironing - you don't want to melt more of it into the rug. Is there a dye stain in addition to the wax? That can be trickier to remove. I'm afraid I have no tips on dealing with that.
LeahRae; WARNING ON USING AN IRON TO REMOVE WAX:
Find out if your carpet/rug is made of nylon, polyester or anything 'meltable'.
I drop wax on a carpet and did the 'brown-bag' and iron method suggested by a friend to remove the wax. It removed the wax alright but also melted the nylon fibers and I was left with a huge melted spot in my rug. BEWARE!!
Best thing I've ever used on anything for pet stains is Oxy-Clean (I'm not trying to sound like Billy Mays, here). It was recommended to me by a pet therapist whose husband is a chemist, who says the potent ingredient in Oxy-Clean is more effective than what is in enzymatic cleaners. I've used it on rugs and upholstery and have never had any damage to either.
My cat throws up all the time and I have a pale green rug in the living room. The best thing I've ever used is a product called Incredible. You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond for $4.99. It removes all signs of the spot. Only caveat - I got the rug with my house and I don't know what it's made of. I think it is wool, but I'd definitely spot check before using.
I have an ink blotch on a cream colored dhurrie wool rug. I tried to get it out and now it is a huge ink splotch! Any suggestions? This is a super thick dhurrie--so its kinda hard to get down into the fibers..
How do you use the Oxy-clean?
I know this tip will not appeal to some, but I swear by it. When our dog had stomach troubles, he had diarrhea on our wool rug... a lot. It's much, much easier to just pick off the runny poop once it dries completely than to try to clean while its still wet and goopy. When I try to clean immediately, I just end up rubbing it into the fibers.
Thank God he's all better now. It wasn't fun waiting around for poop to dry out.
I would not recommend OxyClean on a light carpet or rug. I spilled candle wax on light beige berber carpet and my sister suggested I used OxyClean. Big mistake--I should've checked their warning first. The stuff ended up leaving a bright yellow-orange stain in the carpet instead, making the problem even worse.
When I spilled candle wax on a rug, I layed a thin towel over the wax and then used a hot iron over it to melt it for easier clean up. It did work for the most part but my brother was helping me, and he ended up leaving me with a burn mark instead of the wax from leaving the iron on too long or else going off the edge of towel that was protecting it. And there are no tricks to remove burns that i know of. :p It would have worked perfectly though had I done it myself carefully. Good Luck!
Solmstea: When I was purchasing a restored, hand-made rug in rural Turkey, the proprietor gave me instructions on cleaning it. He said to never, ever beat a wool rug. It breaks the fibers slowly over time in a way that can't be repaired. Rather, wash it with the solution described above or, he said, after a fresh snowfall, bring it outside and lay it out on the snow for a few hours.
With candle wax, it's safer to try freezing it off first. Hold ice against it, then it becomes brittle and you can break apart the wax and vacuum up the pieces. Unless you know for sure that the fibers won't burn, melt, etc., don't use an iron.