How to care for your fine rug

You will spend a fair amount of money on a good quality hand knotted rug and to get the best return from your investment it is important to care for your rug well.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Underlay

Place your rug on underlay or rug pad.  There are 3 main reasons you want to do this:

Reason 1

To protect it from the harsh impact of footfall – if you imagine the underlay absorb some of the impact of hard shoes on the rug.

Choose your underlay well.  You can get underlay for rugs on hard floors: Click here for Hard Floor Rug Underlay

And you can get underlay for rugs on carpets - Click here for Foxy Rug Underlay

Reason 2

To protect rugs on carpets from crocking – no it has nothing to do with frogs making noise (that’s croaking!).  This is a term used when referring to transfer of colour due to rubbing.

If an underlay is used it can save you the surprise when you lift the rug you laid down 4 months ago to find a ping patch on the carpet where the rug was


Reason 3

Finally, a reason for using underlay is to stop slips and falls, especially elderly people should be very careful with rugs slipping on floors.  It is a sound investment for your health to get underlay for your rugs, imagine how can a broken hip affect your life? And how would it compare to a few pounds spend on a good quality underlay?

Vacuuming

Vacuuming your rug regularly will be essential to remove dry soil from your rug to prevent the fibers wearing out – it is like sandpaper on these precious fibers! – best is to turn your rugs upside down and use an upright vacuum cleaner to shake the soil out – spend a good amount of time (5 minutes per square meter) running the vacuum over the back of the rug . Turn the rug over and vacuum the front – Do this on a hard floor surface to prevent dry soil entering carpet fibers – Careful with the rug fringes when vacuuming – The best vacuum cleaner to use for this is a Sebo upright.

Regular stain removal and cleaning

Deal with a spot as soon as it happen – soak up spills and use safe stain removers – always test the product before you use it in larger areas – spray it down in an inconspicuous area and press a white cotton towel down on it for at least 5 – 10 minutes – weigh it down with a heavy item – check for colour transfer

Get a professional to clean your rugs.  Make sure they have been trained in rug care and have a passion for rugs.  It is very important to ensure they are insured to take your rug away for cleaning.  Very few carpet cleaners are actually insured for goods in trust.

For more information visit our website at www.persianrugcleaningcambridge.co.uk  or call us on 01223 863 632

Also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/artofclean so see what we get up to.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

How to get rid of moths in your rug?

Moth damage to rugs was as a high this year due to the warmer winter we had last year.

What is moth damage?

Have patches of your rug started to disappear?  This is moth damage.  Moths have laid their eggs in the carpet, deep down where it is dark and dirty. The larva then hatch and start eating the dirt and fibers in the rug.  The larva will continue to eat away until they turn to moths and the whole process repeats itself.

How do you stop this?

Prevention – Vacuum your rug regularly, and give all areas of your home, including the darker less accessible areas such as under and  behind furniture , a serious vacuuming as moths like to bread in dark undisturbed places. A quick once over will remove some of the food and dirt that attract the moths, however a thorough cleaning is needed to try to catch the eggs.

Protection – Use a moth repellent spray on the rug, this will make it less appealing to the moths, however this is not 100% effective. *Always read the instructions carefully and ensure the product is suitable for your rug*

Professional help – if you have noticed the larva in your rug (they are very small, white caterpillar like creatures) or bald patches appearing on your rug you will need expert help immediately as vacuuming will not remove the whole infestation and it will persist.  To treat your we us a safe method of carefully freezing the rugs to -15 degrees.  The cold temperature successfully kills all the larva and eggs.  We would then thoroughly clean the rug thoroughly to remove any dirt, and apply a moth repellent.

Important fact

If you have found moths in your house you must inspect your whole home.  They are the same moths that you'd call carpet moths or clothes moths, and will live in any fiber including clothes, upholstery and carpets.  Any eggs or larva left elsewhere in your home may result in the return of the moths to the rug.




See our video below of Pierre inspecting a moth infested rug:

Art of Clean are proud members of the Mater Rug Cleaners Association.  If you would like any further information on our rug cleaning service please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632, or see our website for more details www.artofclean.co.uk.

How do you know if your rug is antique?

An antique rug can be a beautiful, eye catching accessory to your home.  A practical piece of art that welcomes visitors to your home whilst protecting the floor below.  Once only available to the wealthy, antique rugs have in more recent years become available to a broader spectrum of consumers.   When buying an antique rug, like with all art, you are making a financial investment.

But how can you be sure of you are investing wisely?

Aesthetic appeal and quality greatly define the rugs worth, and will possibly be the primary connection you make with the item as you consider its potential in your home.  However the age of a rug is the indicator of its antiquity.  And this definition as Antique makes a significant difference to the value.

What is the defining age of an old rug before it transcend to the status of antique?

Principally, it is very difficult to determine the exact year the rug was made, so only a rough ageing is determined.  But with in-depth knowledge of the history of rug making a trained professional calculate an estimated date of production by the type, colour, size and style.  Like a wine connoisseur, a rug expert can “read” the rug: where the rug was woven, the language or dialect of the weaver, and often her religion. Generally, antique status is given to a rug that is determined to be over 100 years old.

When buying your rug it would be wise to perform some research to educate yourself on some of the key points in rug making history so that you can be prepared to question the seller on details about the rug, allowing you to make your own informed decision on your investment.

Art of clean is proud to be the only Mater Rug Cleaners in Cambridge, one of only 14 companies in the UK.  If you would like some more information about our rug cleaning service please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.