Regularly cleaning wool area rugs is the best way to protect your investment and to make sure that it is in the best shape for years to come. Wool rugs are known to last for decades and can be regarded as collector works of art much like paintings on canvas. A rug in immaculate condition can sell to the highest bidder. The reason why they last is because of the highest care that they have received over the years. If you want your rugs to last then regular cleaning and maintenance is your closest ally.
How often are your area rugs exposed to foot traffic? Is the wool rug constantly where dirt can accumulate? When your rug is in an area of the house where it is part of the house’s foot traffic, then it must be vacuumed frequently. Dirt can damage the pile of the rug by constantly grinding it deep into the rug fibers under foot. Vacuuming often keeps the dirt as low as possible
So if your area rug is used in the front entry of the house of maybe even in the hallway where it will see all the foot traffic of your home you may need to vacuum your rug a few times per week at the least to keep it clean and make sure that the dirt is at a bare minimum. However if your rug is located in a portion of the house where such traffic is comparatively low like in the dinning room under the dinning table or in the living room the you don’t have to be as diligent and you may need to vacuum occasionally.
Make sure to properly vacuum the rug. All to often, most people vacuum the rug too fast by moving the the cleaner back and forth too quickly to have a lasting effect in pulling any dirt from the rugs.
The right way is to slow down and take your time. Clean small sections at a time and ever so slowly move the vacuum back and forth. Working in this manner get to the dirt that has worked itself deep into the rugs pile and not just the surface dirt that quick movements will pick up only and as a result will leave the rug looking dirty over time not matter how mush you try to clean it
Don’t forget to clean the rugs pad as well as the floor underneath. Sometimes dirt can work it’s way to the flooring and it not cleaned can also cause permanent damage. So if it’s possible it best to remove the rug and either sweep or use the vacuum cleaner to get to the dirt that has really work it’s way to it.
A good strategy for the whole house is to regularly rotate similar rugs from room to room. This is because sunlight, dirt and foot traffic will cause your rugs to wear and fade and moving them around will lessen the effects. Also turn your rugs 90 – 180 degrees occasionally so that they wear evenly. So with regular cleaning spinning and moving them around the house will insure that they look new for a long time
Whether you we’re the highest bidder when you bought your wool area rug or you got a great bargain, you want to treat your recently purchased rug as the investment that it is so that it will last for years to come and cleaning wool area rugs properly will preserve the condition of that rug. In many eastern cultures high quality rugs are past down from one generation to another. A beautifully maintained rug is something that you can past on to your children with pride when the time comes.
