Area rug cleaning

Area rugs can represent a beautiful addition to any room or any home. But rugs are expensive, delicate, and need to be treated for carefully. In particular, you should pay close attention to area rug cleaning.

In order to protect your area rugs and make them last longer and look better, it is important to follow a few simple steps when cleaning your rugs.

Your options for cleaning area rugs depend a lot on the size of the rug. If it´s a small to medium sized rug then you can do the cleaning yourself. Here are a few tips for better cleaning results:

• The rug should be removed from its location to a clean flat surface.
• Before vacuuming the rug, make sure you sweep it first. This will loosen some of the embedded dirt.
  
• You should vacuum both sides of the rug well.
• Wash the rug with water and a mild liquid soap, but be sure to test this first on a small corner of the rug to check for any running or discoloration. Use a special cloth or sponge and don´t rub too intensely.
• After washing the rug rinse it thoroughly with running water.
• Remove excess water from the rugs. A regular window washing squeegee should do the job.
• Leave the rug laying flat to dry. After the front is done repeat the process for the back.
• Once the rug dries vacuum it gently.
  

In case you have to clean a spill on your rug you should follow these steps:

• Act quickly on the spill to keep it from spreading
• Do not allow the spill to dry
• Try to rinse as much of the spill as possible with a cloth drenched in water. Repeat this process several times.
• For smaller rugs you might consider bringing it outside and rinsing the affected area with water using a hose.
• Adding about 1 cup of vinegar per gallon to the water can help eliminate odors and prevent colors from running.
• Clean the area with a cloth and liquid soap as described in the section above.
  

As important as what you do, are the things that you should not do when cleaning your area rug.

• Do not beat or hit the area rug in order to remove dust and dirt. Doing this may cause damage to the woven threads or the back of the rug.
• Do not vacuum the fringe of the rug, doing so may also damage the rug
  

Along with the special rug cleaning tips I outlined above, there are other things you should keep in mind to help keep your area rugs looking great for a long number of years:

• Make sure you vacuum your rugs regularly. Once or twice a week is ideal. Vacuum both the top and bottom part of the rug.
• In order for your area rugs to wear out in more evenly, make sure you rotate your rugs 180 degrees at least once a year.
• If you have the financial means, consider calling a professional rug cleaning company to come to your home and clean your rug. Doing something like this every couple of years would be ideal.
• If you have many area rugs and carpets in your home, consider buying a rug cleaner.
  
• When moving or storing your rugs make sure they are rolled and not folded.

Here are a few link if you would like to read more about home decoration and area rugs in particular:

• The benefits of using rug pads
• Ashley rugs
• Nourison area rugs