Rugs placed in busy areas like the living room and the kitchen can easily get dirty. Dust, dirt, oily cooking residue, sand and moisture affect the rugs' fabric and colors. If not properly cared for, they will look worn out faster than you think. A good clean is the prevention and the solution.
You can't just toss a rug in a washing machine to get it clean again; so how do you clean a rug? Here some good rug cleaning methods that make your rug look bright and fresh:
There is cleaning with a vacuum. The rug is vacuumed in the direction of the pile and not otherwise. Vacuum cleaning is the most common method but doesn't work for all kinds of rugs either. Some like Flokati and the leather shag kind might be damaged by vacuum cleaning. For this, shaking out the old-fashioned way will do the trick. As for the bamboo and sisal made rugs, both can be done, whichever is convenient for you. If a rug is too big to be shaken out by mere human effort, make use of a fence or railing, drape it over and use a stick to dust it off, another old-fashioned way. It has been practiced for centuries so it tells that this dust beating and shaking out are indeed effective.
When a spill happens on a rug, it is a good idea to take immediate action. The quicker you deal with a stain, the less likely it is that you will need to take the rug to a professional cleaner. Quickly blot up liquid spill with a plain paper towel - a blotting motion, rather than rubbing hard, is necessary here, to prevent the stain from spreading, and to avoid pile damage that can occur if you scrub too violently. If something semi-solid has been spilled, it can be scooped up or scraped off with a spoon and the liquid stain remaining blotted up.
If there are unpleasant remains from the stain, use cleaning solutions such as vinegar and water or a mild dishwashing detergent.
Synthetic rugs can be cleaned by the aid of environment-friendly, oxygen cleaners. Patch tests should be done before actually cleaning the rug to know if the material has an adverse effect from the cleaner. Wash out the spot and let it dry fully. Remember, this cleaner is for synthetic rugs. Don't spread the love to wool and silk rugs. It has alkaline compound that isn't meant to be used for such kinds.
Cleaning your rugs can also be done with dry powder cleaners, dry foam cleaners and steam cleaning.
Area rug care experts all agree that it is essential to start with a quality flokati area rugs; our favorite place on online is www.HouseOfAreaRugs.com.