Rug Consumers Blog

To ensure that your Area Rug experience is one of absolute joy and bliss, consider these 5 tips.

1. Buy a Decent Area Rug

Area Rugs are often bought as an impulse item. When you need a rug to accent your décor or to cover an ugly spot, don’t give in to the temptation of buying a chain store special, based on color and price only. An area rug should be a well thought décor item, not a cheap after-thought. You don’t have to break the bank. Most good quality wool fiber rugs are available in style and qualities that will fit most any budget. Fine quality wool fiber area rugs can be purchased Online and shipped right to your front door for about the same price as those chain store pretenders.

2. Buy a New Zealand Wool Fiber Area Rug

Wool Fiber that has been shorn from New Zealand sheep is the best fiber for an area rug. Why a New Zealand sheep? Because they have been bred to produce “carpet quality” wool fiber. An area rug of New Zealand wool fiber will be soft on the feet and extremely durable. Most stains are not a problem; simply blot gently with clear warm water for best results.

3. Make sure it is at least 12mm to 14mm pile density

An area rugs density will play an important role in its life and performance. A flimsy cotton or olefin (polypropylene) rug or a runner without a secondary backing is nothing but trouble. A rug without sufficient density will wrinkle, warp, buckle and bunch. Not to mention the battle for possession that takes place when you try to vacuum it. The vacuum almost always wins this battle as you try using your feet to keep it under submission and out of the suction tube. I don’t know anyone who enjoys constantly adjusting and straightening their rugs. If you buy a rug with sufficient pile density (or weight) it will remain where you place it and behave when you vacuum. I prefer rugs of at least 12mm. Especially if they are to be placed over wall-to-wall carpet. Buy a dense rug and let gravity keep it in position and under control.

4. Cotton or Jute Backing is preferred

Although cotton or jute backing is preferred, many rugs are manufactured with a secondary backing. I prefer rugs that are woven without the secondary backing. Because you can tell if it’s a good quality rug when you can detect the pattern of the rug while looking at it from the back. Whether a rug is machine-made or hand-knotted it has to be woven into something. Cotton or jute is preferred, but polypropylene mesh is fine when used in the backing of a rug (but never the face fiber). However; some rugs need that secondary backing to add density and weight. Also consider how the are rug is bonded. Single backed area rugs only need a small amount of latex to keep them bonded while secondary backing rugs need more latex to secure the backing material. If the rug maker uses synthetic latex for bonding, your nose will be happy. It will only have a new rug smell for a short period of time. If your rug maker uses a lot of real latex to secure a secondary backing, it will most likely stink of burnt rubber for years to come. Especially when the weather gets hot. Most noses and eyes are sensitive to real latex in larger doses. If you have chemical sensitivities, stick to single backed area rugs that don’t use heavy applications of synthetic latex.

5. Don’t place Heavy Furniture on your Area Rugs

Area rugs are often intended to define and delineate space. If your rug is too big for the area you are decorating you will be tempted to tuck the edges of the rug under your heavier pieces of furniture. When heavy furnishings are placed on an area rug they can often cause bunching and wrinkling where the furniture legs are indenting their selves into your rug. This can cause the most beautiful and expensive rugs to look cheesy and warped. Indents, wrinkles and warping of rugs from heavy furnishings can also become more permanent. To avoid costly rug repairs down the road, keep four to six inches of distance from heavy furniture. (Coffee tables are fine; sofas, hutches and entertainment systems are a definite no-no). Although not often. Some rug applications may result in the need for a dense and firm rug pad (or cushion). I always suggest the use of all-felt or synthetic all-felt rug pads.

Avoiding the hassles of wrinkles, buckles and bunching in your area rug is as easy as pie when you consider applying these 5 tips. Your new area rug can be a joy or a nightmare. Always buy good quality (not museum quality) New Zealand wool fiber area rugs with a single woven and bonded cotton or jute backing, and never place it under any heavy furniture. Follow these rules and your new area rug will be a joy for many years to come. Visit our web site for more about area rugs, home decor items and information.

Area rugs have today evolved into a treasure valued greatly by collectors. To become an antique area rug collector therefore, you must be prepared for a treasure hunt that is both thrilling and tough. Any type of collecting usually takes a lot of time and meticulous organization. An area rug collector must be an auction savvy individual with a magnifying glass on the ready to spot the stains and the tears, a measuring tape to check on the dimensions, a coin purse packed with spare change for the bargains, a calculator to make quick and accurate appraisal sums and a small screw driver to mark out the level of wear in each area rug.

Most collectors who specialize in area rugs have at hand an antique stores guide, descriptive essays on all types and designs of area rugs, a handy notebook and accompanying pen, a collapsible carrying bag to carry the antiques in and more importantly the cash. A collector who passes by an auction and spots a perfect ancient treasure is likely to spring into action with all information and money at hand. These usually make great personal gifts for all who like to go antiquing.

Area rug collectors hover over numerous home decoration and interior design magazines and even newspaper sections looking for any information detailing anything about area rugs. This information is stored up as treasures of anticipated acquisitions. The next important thing that such collectors do is to make a detailed collectibles list for all available types of rugs and those in market demand, their manufacturers and design specifications.

This information is stored in little business cards that are easily tucked in a trousers or skirt pocket when the collector is going to an auction. The key notes are the description, size, available colors and current market value. Information about rugs should be summarized in details that are focused on identity, demand and value. An amateur antique rug collector must also make adequate room for these antiques and or collectibles in advance of acquisition. If the antiques rugs are large, he or she should make sure that he or she has a place to store them without causing damage to them.

Then the collector must ensure value for his or her money during acquisition. A collection isn’t always judged based on the number of items acquired but on its total value. Collectors must always insist on getting the best value because the essence is to establish a collection of few but the best area rugs. If the antique rugs are being bought for personalized gifts, the items should be accompanied by a card that explains where the item was found it and why it is special for the recipient.

Finally, a collector of antique rugs must insist in collecting only those pieces that they personally like. This is the single most important advice an antique rug collector can get when starting to build a collection. Any item collected and can not be resold can be personally enjoyed as a room or house decoration if in the first place the collector bought it plainly because he or she liked it.

When it comes to rugs, there are a lot of choices. Of the many materials available, one of the options that can be chosen is a sisal rug.

Sisal rugs are made from natural plant material such as jute or hemp. For indoor use, these rugs are often combined with other natural materials such as wool for added softness because the natural plant material alone is rough. For outdoor use, the plant material is usually left in its natural state.

Because of the natural plant material they are made from, the strength and durability is unmatched even with its synthetic material counterpart. Amazingly, they will also do very well in high traffic areas of any home or office and are even stain resistant which means that no chemicals will ever be needed to clean them keeping pets and people safe from exposure to harsh cleaners.

Sisal rugs do not build up static which is beneficial in the winter months when static builds up in carpets and rugs. It continues to look good year after year and since this is a natural plant material, it will not compress or show as many wear patterns as wall-to-wall carpeting and that keeps everything looking fresh and new saving money from replacing rugs more often if made from a synthetic material that can break down more quickly.

Since the material in sisal rugs is all natural, using them in humid or wet areas such as a bathroom or kitchen should be avoided because, while sisal is stain resistant, it can create an inconvenience to dry them out.

When having a rug cleaned here are a few tips to making sure it is done properly.

While it is alright to clean carpet in a home it is generally not a good idea to have a rug professionally cleaned in your home. A rug needs special care that is different than carpet. An in-plant rug cleaning will always get your rug cleaner, fluffier, fresher smelling and healthier than having it done in your home.

Removing the dry soil from a rug is critical. Sometimes it can take hours just removing the dry soil from the rug and doing that in home is generally not practical. To check and see if your rug has a lot of dry soil built up in it, flip it over onto a smooth surface and run a beater bar type vacuum cleaner over a small section of the back of the rug for 10 seconds. Now look, see, and feel how much abrasive sediment, dust, dirt, and unhealthy nasties have been taken out. A rug can hide pounds of impacted soils that cause permanent damage, and is potentially unhealthy.

The colors on the rug should be tested with the cleaning solution that will be used for 12-24 hours before cleaning to make sure they are stable. Even if the rug will be cleaned with just water then it should be tested with water.

At this point the cleaner will determine the best way to clean the rug. Either by steam cleaning, bonnet cleaning, encapsulation, or immersion (washing the rug under water). By far the most thorough is immersion. However, not all rugs can be immersed. By washing or immersing a rug you can remove such contaminates as urine, food and beverage spills, get rid of odors, etc.

Then the rugs can be either hung to dry or laid flat to dry. Some rugs such as braided rugs should be dried flat so that the weight of the rug does not make the braids come apart. After the rug is dry then the fringe will be cleaned and a final grooming will need to be done. The rug is now ready to go back to the customer.