Whether you opt for a carpet that has been over-locked to create a rug or choose from CCC’s great designer rug range, it’s important to protect your investment by keeping on top of cleaning and maintenance. Thankfully, caring for rugs is fairly straightforward. Here are the top care and maintenance tips from our in-house carpet and flooring experts.
Dirt Abhors A Vacuum
What is true of carpets is generally true of rugs, although rugs are — bonus — much easier to move. The best way to vacuum a rug is to remove all the furniture from its surface, vacuum on the right side, turn it over and vacuum underneath, and then give it a final once-over on the right side. This way, you’ll catch any stray debris and dust and be sure the floor underneath is kept clean, too. Vacuuming not only gets rid of dirt, hair and dust, it also improves the appearance of the pile, and by removing furniture, you give areas that are normally compressed a chance to bounce back. Ideally, vacuum your rugs at least once a week.
Rugs with fringing benefit from the same treatment, but extra care is needed when tackling the fringing. Use a curtain or upholstery cleaner for fringes. If you can reduce the suction on your vacuum for this job, then so much the better. Over-vigorous vacuuming with the beater bar is the reason many fringed rugs end up a mess of curled, knotted and loose threads.
Stain Removal
As most rugs are more highly patterned and coloured than carpet, shampoos and harsh stain removers can do very obvious damage to the surface, often more obvious than the original stain. If you do feel tempted to use these products, always do a patch test first in a discrete location. Better yet, avoid such treatments by tackling stains quickly.
For wet stains, first place a dry towel or cloth under the rug and blot as much of the stain up from above as possible using paper towels or a clean, white cloth. If the stain remains once the liquid is removed, blot it again with a clean cloth dipped in cold water or soda water. As with carpet, rubbing can often do more harm than good, so if you need more serious cleaning, try shaving foam or diluted washing-up liquid. If all else fails, call the professionals.
Dealing With Dents
If your rug is partially covered with furniture, protect the surface by placing discs or tiles under the legs to avoid damage to the surface of the rug. If possible, move your furniture regularly and rotate your rug every six months or so to even the wear and tear. If you have a reversible rug, you should also flip it every few months.
Rugs are a simple to maintain, flexible flooring option, suitable whether you rent or own your space. Call in to our carpet company in Melbourne today to look at our great range so you can choose the perfect rug for your home or business. We have two carpet stores in Melbourne, so one of them is sure to be in a convenient location.
