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Rug care – a maintenance guide for modern rugs

Written by Mike Morleye

Almost every home and commercial office is seen with beautiful and authentic rugs of Melbourne. Whether to bring softness under your feet or increase the room’s aesthetics, rugs hold a special place in interior design.

If chosen well, a rug can stand as a statement piece in the room and immediately lets the viewer appreciate the home design. As rugs are available in various materials, colours, textures and designs, you can choose one that matches your taste and your home theme.

When it comes to rugs, they are divided mostly into two types – vintage and modern. While vintage rugs are authentic with their hand-made and naturally woven fibres and luxurious designs, modern rugs are more lightweight and are made with both natural and synthetic fibres.

Traditional rugs need extensive care to preserve their fabric quality and design. If not maintained well, they can get withered and your money could go to waste. On the other hand, modern rugs need the same level of care but they need less effort.

As modern rugs are designed to cater the practical needs like adding beauty, protection of floors, withstanding high foot traffic in commercial places etc., they are made in a way so that they need less amount of time for maintenance.

So, today we will see how you can care for modern rugs in Melbourne simply and effectively so that you can improve their longevity. While all the rugs need basic vacuuming, sometimes you need to do more to protect the rugs and extend their shelf life.

Before we jump into rug care, let’s look at briefly the common issues faced by modern rugs:

Shedding
It’s the problem you face with new modern rugs. Some loose fibres are present on the rugs that will shed in the first few days. So, if you are choosing a rug for high-traffic area, don’t be alarmed to see the fibres around the carpet. It’s natural and it should go away after using the carpet for a few days. You can also do regular vacuuming to remove the excess fibres from the rug.

Shading: It’s a natural occurrence of the rug when you continuously use it for 2-6 weeks. The part of the rug when there it receives light appears different from the shaded part. It is non-avoidable and you need not worry about it too much. Fortunately, it doesn’t have an impact on the durability of the carpet and you can expect the rug to last long despite the shading effect.

General rug maintenance

A significant advantage you can have by using rugs is that you can localise spills easily when compared to bare floors. The spills also spread quickly and you can recognise them soon and take action immediately. However, if you want to prolong the durability of carpets, then you have to take proper care in maintenance.

Spot cleaning and regular vacuuming are the two key points in the part of rug care that make a total difference. If you are a homeowner, then it’s wise to concentrate on these two key points no matter what kind of rug you have. The same goes for a commercial space owner, particularly if you have to use two or more rugs for your business.

Daily preventative maintenance tips

Rugs collect dirt and dust fast as they are placed mainly in areas like living rooms, entryways, and other high foot traffic areas. To minimise the dirt, it’s recommended to place bristle walk-off mats at the entryways as the dust won’t reach the rugs.

The mats will remove the dirt from your shoes before you step onto the rug, thus minimising the dust reaching the rugs. And the less the dirt, the lesser the effort you can put into maintenance. It can save you more time, especially if you are a person with a busy schedule or a shop owner with a high foot count.

How to vacuum?

While vacuuming is an important part of the rug cleaning process, if you are not doing it correctly, there is a risk of pushing the dirt to the deeper levels of the rug. The accumulated dirt at the bottom is not only difficult to clean but also makes the rug more prone to diseases and bacteria breeding. So, it’s important to do the vacuuming properly.

The key lies in the holding of the vacuum. The vacuum brush you are using should be away from the surface of the pile. And you have to use a cylinder vacuum cleaner without a beater bar. If you take care of these two key instructions every time you vacuum, then you are doing it right. The rugs will give you more service if you are doing the care properly.

How frequently should modern rugs be vacuumed?

The vacuuming frequency depends on the traffic the rug receives.

If there is high traffic, then daily vacuuming is a must. If it’s medium traffic, then do it two to three times weekly. And if the rug receives light traffic, then doing it once a week is enough to keep the rugs clean.

Modern rugs are usually light-weight and are thin compared to the traditional rugs. So cleaning them or vacuuming shouldn’t be a problem if you get the hang of it.

What cleaning solutions to use?

If you have a modern rug that’s made of woollen, viscose, bamboo silk, and pure silk, then the detergent agents that you use should have a pH between 5 and 7.5. And it’s impossible to keep check of pH every time you use a detergent. So the thumb rule is to use mild detergents no matter what kind of rug you have. Whether it’s modern, traditional or expensive, it’s always wise to use mild cleaning agents to save the rug from shading and re-soiling.

Final thoughts

You need a lot of knowledge while choosing a rug. For instance, you should know what rug to choose for a living room, bedroom, etc., and for every space that you are considering filling with a rug. No matter what kind of rug you choose, you should know the right care process so that you do not destroy the rug with improper cleaning solutions and agents. This blog will make sure you are making the right step towards the care process of your modern rugs.

“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."

About the author

Mike Morleye

Hi, I am Mike Morleye. As a professional writer, I put together my writing skills to share knowledge on diverse topics in a readable, understandable and appealing format. Follow me back on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.