Rug Care Guide: How to Keep Your New Luxury Rug Looking Flawless
A beautiful designer rug has the power to transform the look and feel of your room from dull and drab to spectacularly fab. What most people don’t realise, though, is that you’re going to have to look after your new rug to make sure it stays looking as stunning as the day you bought it. That’s why we’ve written this handy blog that brings together all the expert rug maintenance and cleaning tips from the manufacturers themselves, so you can help make your glam rug look its best for years to come! If you’ve already bought a gorgeous rug, or if you’re still considering it, this is the rug care guide for you.
General Rug Care
To keep your rug looking fab, we recommend using a suction type vacuum cleaner as rotating brush cleaners can damage the pile surface.
If you have a gorgeous shaggy rug, we’d recommend you shake your rug or vacuum it using a nozzle attachment, due to the longer pile of these rugs. Most light dirt and marks can be cleaned with a damp cloth. Don’t machine wash or dry clean your rug (unless the label on the back of the rug says that’s okay to do).
Stains
You should try to clean up any spills immediately after they happen, but never rub a spill! Blot liquids with a dry absorbent cloth or white paper towel. Some stains can be cleaned with a very mild clear detergent and lukewarm water, or a good carpet shampoo. Avoid excessive moisture or wetting when cleaning the stain. Dry the rug on a flat surface. If you can’t remove a stain yourself, you should seek specialist cleaning advice. Avoid harsh chemicals as they may damage the rug. Don’t machine wash or dry clean your rug (unless the label on the back of the rug says that’s okay to do).
Pile Shedding AKA Rug Fluff
It’s totally normal for wool rugs to shed some fibres, this is a natural characteristic of wool as a material. Pile shedding is also normal in our acrylic, viscose and polyester fibre styles. Pile shedding is usually most noticeable in the first few months and generally lessens over time, but won’t stop completely. Pile shedding doesn’t affect the life of a rug. We recommend regular vacuuming to remove any excess fluff/fibres.
Sprouting (Long Threads)
Some rugs are also prone to what is known in the rug industry as sprouting, or pilling. This is where some strands/threads of the pile will appear longer than the rest of the pile. When this happens, all you need to do is trim any longer strands with a pair of sharp scissors. It’s important that you don’t try to pull these long threads, as this can damage the rug.
Marks and Creases
Because of the way rugs are packaged and stored, you might notice that when you unroll your rug there are lines or crease marks running across the width of it. On some rugs there may only be one of these marks a few inches from one edge of the rug, whereas on some other rugs there may be several creases. These lines/creases aren’t permanent and will gradually fade with normal use and regular vacuuming.
Pile Shading
Some of our rugs are also susceptible to ‘Pile Shading’, especially those that have a shiny or velvety pile. Pile Shading refers to marks caused by certain areas of the pile running in a different direction, meaning that it reflects light differently. These marks will look either a bit lighter or a bit darker than the rest of the pile in the rug. If you brush your hand over the pile of some rugs and see the colour get slightly lighter or darker. The pile of the rug needs chance to settle over a period of a few weeks so it all runs in the same direction. Frequent vacuuming or brushing of the pile can help to speed this process up.
Getting Your Rug to Lay Flat
Our rugs are stored rolled up in their plastic wrapping to ensure they stay in brand new condition. Because they’re stored stacked on top of each other, they can sometimes get a bit flattened when they are rolled up. This means that they won’t lay completely flat in the first few weeks of unrolling them. This is just like when you by a new shirt, or even a pair of curtains, which will be creased when you first take it out of the wrapping. While those items can be ironed flat very quickly, rugs need a little longer. Larger rugs are usually more affected than smaller sizes because they weigh more when they’re stacked on top of each other. This isn’t a fault with the rug, and it’s only temporary until the rug gets used to being rolled out. Some rugs have a stiff backing which needs time to soften in a warm environment and take to its new shape. You can speed this process up by rolling the rug in the opposite direction to the way it was rolled in its packaging (pile outwards). Roll it as tight as you can and leave it somewhere warm (such as near a radiator) for a couple of days. You should find that the rug will gradually flatten until it does lay flat. This can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on the type of rug you’ve purchased.
The perfect rug can add instant glamour to your room. From sumptuous deep pile shag rugs to lustrous marble look rugs, create that interior-designed look with our luxury rug range.