Area Rug Maintenance - Do’s and Don’ts March 5, 2008

Smart, regular care and upkeep will keep your area rugs looking great, and your home looking as beautiful, stylish and unique as ever. Check out the following advice and be a little smarter about smart and stylish, colorful and captivating, area rugs.

Do’s

    § You should vacuum or sweep your rug as you would wall-to-wall carpeting. Be careful that the fringes don’t get pulled or sucked in by the vacuum cleaner.

    § Rotate your rug 180 degrees every few months, or every year, depending on traffic patterns. Rotation is necessary for two reasons. First, all parts of your rug should be exposed to light equally so that the colors fade evenly. When colors are exposed to the sun evenly, they become harmonious and the rug ages nicely, but if different parts of the rug receive unequal amounts of sun exposure, over time, one side might look over faded and one side too bright. Second, is traffic. All parts of the rug should be exposed to an equal amount of traffic so that the pile wears evenly.