Area rugs are a great investment to make for your home. They're beautiful, complement your home's décor, and can protect wooden or delicate tile floors. With the investment of money you put into your area rug comes an investment of care, however. It's essential to properly care for your area rug in order to keep it clean, looking nice and aesthetically pleasing for many years.
First Things First
Vacuuming is one of the fastest and easiest ways to care for your home area rugs. Vacuuming the top of the rug on a regular basis, as well as vacuuming underneath every 3-6 months keeps your rug looking bright and clean quickly and conveniently. Often times, simply vacuuming your rug is all you need to do to revitalize it. Your rug should be vacuumed every time you vacuum your other carpets or flooring, or at least once a week.
When vacuuming underneath, use the beater bar attachment on your vacuum cleaner to loosen any dirt, dust or grit and remove from the pile. If you don't have a beater bar attachment, you can just hang your rug outside and beat the rug with a stick or broom until no more dust or debris appears. After beating or vacuuming the underside, replace the rug as normal and vacuum the top.
Washing Your Area Rug
Washing your area rug replenishes the moisture back to the fibers, which will revive the beauty, vibrancy and color, but you must do so with care - you don't want to ruin your 100 year old antique rug by running it through the washer and dryer. Always check with a professional before washing your rug. They can advise whether it is safe to put it in the washer, or suggest other methods for washing it. Before doing any sort of washing, always spot test your rug to determine if it is colorfast. Cut off a small piece of the rug's fiber and apply a small dab of your rug shampoo. Let the shampoo set for ten minutes then wash it out to make sure the shampoo is safe for cleaning your rug.
Hand washing is always the preferred method, and should be done on a clean, flat surface such as in the bathtub (if your area rug is small), on a porch, driveway or patio. Get your rug completely wet, then scrub the entire rug using a soft scrub brush. After cleaning, rinse your rug with cool water (you may have to do this a few times to completely remove shampoo), then remove the excess water with a squeegee or chamois.
Never wash your rug more than once a year, and always dry it thoroughly before putting it back into use. After washing, let your rug dry in the sun. Never put an area rug in the dryer - even if the rug's fibers can tolerate the heat, the backing cannot, and will be weakened or totally ruined. If your dryer seems a little stiff after air drying it, just run the vacuum over it a few times after putting it back in place.
Spot Cleaning
It's happened to everyone. You have a messy dinner guest, the dog tracks through the mud and gets into the house, you have children or maybe you did it yourself. The question really isn't if you will get a stain in your area rug, it's when you will get a stain in it. When you get a stain in your area rug, remember to never attempt to rub the stain. Always blot a stain - rubbing it could just spread the stain around and ultimately ruin your rug.
Red wine stains can usually be removed with club soda - but always spot test a small area first. Apply club soda, wait 30 minutes, the rinse. If you're having a romantic dinner and wax from your candles drips on your area rug, try applying ice to the wax to get it as cold as possible, then chip it off.
If all else fails, call a professional rug cleaner or contact the store where you bought your area rug. These people are experts and have seen everything, so they will know the best methods to clean your rug or remove stains.
