Properly maintained carpets enhance the appearance and atmosphere of interiors. To protect the investment you made in your carpet and to extend its life, it is important to clean it at regular intervals, rather than waiting until the carpet is heavily soiled.
Maintaining the beauty of wool carpet is exceptionally easy - in fact, a lot easier than most people think. Wool’s unique and complex fiber structure releases soil up to 25% more readily than synthetic fiber carpet. Furthermore, the natural resistance of wool fibers provides you with time to act as liquid spills stay on top of the pile longer, rather than seeping into the base of the pile and backing.
There are three basic steps to protect your investment:
- Vacuum regularly.
- Remove spills immediately.
- Professionally clean by hot water extraction (for residential use, every year or two).
Some major problems that are present in hand made carpet are as follow -
- Shedding All hand knotted, hand tufted, loom knotted rugs have a good knotting strength but over the years they tend to shed, the shedding of rugs depends on various factors including quality of wool, weaving style and sometimes the pile height. To avoid shedding it is advised to take regular care of your carpet by regularly vacuuming the rugs.
- Sprouting Sprouting tends to be a major drawback for the handmade rugs till date since it is difficult to take out all the sprouts in a rug during and after the weaving process.
- Creasing Creasing is majorly there in a rug because of how a rug is rolled, it should disappear after a few weeks of usage an advisable situation is to try reverse rolling.
- Fading Rugs that have been placed under direct sunlight starts to fade away eventually an advisable situation is to try not to place it under direct sunlight or to keep turning the rug after every few weeks.
- Binding Sometimes after a few weeks of usage the binding of a rug starts coming out this majorly happens because of bad handling of rugs during transportation or sometimes due to manufacturing.
General Tips
- Clean spills immediately so that they do not become set in the rug.
- Don’t rub stains as it can cause them to become set in the fibers, rather blot them with a cloth.
- Ensure that any cleaning products are completely removed after cleaning.
- After cleaning, use dry towels to absorb remaining moisture.
- When having rugs cleaned professionally (especially hand-made rugs), always make use of reputable rug experts.
- Before professional cleaning, ensure that the rug is inspected with the cleaner to confirm its condition and obtain a signed receipt and guarantee of work.
Indoor Area Rug Care
I.Vacuuming:
- Routine vacuuming with a high-quality vacuum cleaner is the most important thing you can do to maintain the beauty of your rug.
- Vacuum thoroughly and frequently with a vacuum. This prevents permanent damage by keeping soil particles from working their way deep into your rug.
- Rugs placed in high traffic areas of your home or office should be vacuumed more frequently.
- Never vacuum the fringes of your rug, especially for a hand-knotted rug.
II.Cleaning& Removing Stains
- Act quickly following a spill to keep a permanent stain from setting into your rug.
- For liquid spills, use a clean cloth and press firmly around the spill to absorb as much as possible. Do not rub! This can set the stain deeper into the rug, making it harder to remove and increasing the likelihood that it will re-appear.
- For removing stains make a solution of water, white vinegar and mild detergent. Mix and gently apply just the foam that rises to the top of the solution to the stained area. Finish using a clean cloth to absorb/remove any residue. For harder to remove stains, professional rug cleaning is recommended.
III.Special Note on Viscose Rugs
- Viscose is a one of the oldest man-made fibers, though it is not entirely “synthetic” since it is derived from cellulose. Often referred to as artificial silk, or art silk, viscose has the same soft, luxurious look and feel as silk, but at a much more affordable price. It is a popular choice for many area rug styles because it blends easily with other fibers and it takes well to dyes, especially in displaying and retaining vivid colors. For this reason, special attention is necessary in cleaning and maintaining a viscose rug, or any rug made with viscose highlights.
- Regular cleaning using a carpet sweeper is recommended for 100 percent viscose rugs. High power vacuums can be too rough on viscose, but if you do use a vacuum, be sure to set it on a low power setting and disengage the beater bars or set them on a high level.
- Viscose is extremely absorbent so remove stains using only a clean, damp cloth and a mild cleanser when necessary. For especially tough stains make a solution of water, white vinegar and mild detergent. Mix and gently apply just the foam that rises to the top of the solution to the stained area. Finish using a clean damp cloth to remove any residue. A small amount of fabric softener sprayed onto to the stained area will help to preserve the softness of the viscose fibers.
IV.Shedding
- All Wool rugs shed as a natural consequence of how they are made; this is especially true of new wool rugs. However, this shedding will gradually diminish and can be reduced by following these simple instructions:
- Use a high-quality rug pad under your carpet to reduce surface friction that can cause excessive shedding.
- Vacuum a new wool rug 5-6 times a week for the first few weeks using a low pressure vacuum cleaner without beater bars.
- Vacuum in the direction of the pile, not against it.
- Shedding is natural and to be expected of wool rugs, however excessive shedding in high-quality wool rugs will diminish within 4 – 6 months (or less).
- Do not pull loose ends; clip them with scissors to remove.
- Some wool rugs are made using a large loop weave and these loops can come undone. Do not pull “stray” loops, always cut them back with scissors.
V.Flattening and Removing Creases
- Packing and shipping of your rug may cause temporary creases or kinks in your new area rug or runner. These surface waves are not imperfections or damage and will gradually recede. You can assist in the process of flattening and removing creases by:
- Back-rolling or reverse rolling is the fastest and easiest way to remove creases in your area rug or hallway runner.
- These creases and waves will normally flatten-out on their own so in most cases you can simply allow ample time for your rug or runner to settle.
- Use rug protectors under the legs of heavy furniture to avoid flattening piles.
VI.Avoid Direct Sunlight
- Direct sunlight will cause the colors in your area rug to fade over time.
- Place your area rug away from direct sunlight whenever possible. The center of a room is a preferable location to reduce the risk of fading.
- Draw your curtains or lower blinds to shade your rug.
- Use protective window treatments or window coatings to block UV rays.
