How to clean your Area Rug and keep it fresh for a longer time?

Most often an area rug becomes the focal point of your home. As a homeowner, you spend a considerable amount of time looking for the right pattern, texture, and quality and choose one that is complementing your interiors. But over time, your most treasured area rug would start looking filthy. It’s not just the appearance, but your area rug would have become a source of dirt and allergens.

You should never wait until that happens. Area rug cleaning should always be your top priority. In addition to that, to keep your area rug durable for a long time, you need to be more careful about the way you carry out the cleaning process.

Suppose you have an Oriental rug or Persian rug, your cleaning methods should not impact their longevity. For instance, if you use unsuitable cleaning solution or method, then you’re just damaging your area rug.

To make sure you are cleaning your Persian rug or area rug the right way, follow these tips explained below.

 

• Vacuum regularly on both the Sides

 

If you have kids at home then you cannot always keep counting the number of times the food crumbs find their way on your area rug. Dirt and debris can easily collect over your area rug and it will be hardly visible if the pile length is very high.

Normally, while you’re vacuuming your area rug, you have to take care of two things.

• Use the right vacuum cleaner.
• Vacuuming both the sides of the area rug.

I know nobody thinks much about the type of vacuum cleaner they will be using while cleaning his/her area rug. However, it is necessary. You should know whether your area rug is tufted, woven, or shag. Based on that, you have to choose between a handheld vacuum cleaner, wet/dry and handheld vacuum cleaner.

For comprehensive cleaning results, you should vacuum on both the sides of your area rug. Make it a point to vacuum your area rug at least twice a week. If the foot traffic is high for that particular area rug, then do it more than two times.

Pro Tip: Prior to vacuuming your area rug, sprinkle baking soda as this will remove any unpleasant odor.

 

• Do Spot Cleaning Soon after a Spill

 

Area rugs are expensive and that means you have to handle them with care.

If there is some food spill or something, you should neither leave the stain for long nor do something careless that would leave your area rug damaged. You have to always carry out spot cleaning process and even after that if the stain persists, you can call professional area rug cleaners.

It’s good if you’re taking out the stain from your area rug. However, you need to be little careful about how you do that. Follow these simple spot cleaning tips. (The cleaning techniques also depends on the type of stain)

Step 1:

Always vacuum first. Doing this, it will be easier to remove the stain. Take out all the solid food particles visible to our eye. You can either use a vacuum cleaner or a spoon for the job.

Step 2:

Add distilled water and blot the stained area. Work from the outside towards the center to make sure the stain does not spread.

Step 3:

Prepare a dilute cleaning solution and to be on a safer side, test for colorfastness. If your area rug does not bleed or fade, add a few drops on the spot and start cleaning out the stain.

Step 4:

Remove the stickiness of the cleaning agent, add water and blot the area.

Step 5:

Remove the dampness as much as possible. For better drying, place cotton towels on top of the wet area and give pressure with some heavy object.

The Bottom Line

Area rugs do not just decorate your floor space, but they can also be a source of allergic reactions and other health problems if not cleaned regularly. Other than the regular cleaning process, you should give your area rug a proper deep cleaning service at least twice a year. Doing so, your area rug will be clean and fresh for a long time and helps you keep everyone safe and healthy.