Area rugs have been the pride of every home since prehistoric times. The earliest rug in history was unearthed at an archeological dig in Siberia and is a richly colored pile carpet dating back to 4500 BCE. Handmade, knotted, woven, antique, and oriental rugs still decorate many homes, the best of them adorning the living rooms where they are meant to awe and impress the guests. Rugs can be expensive and the prices of the most expensive rugs can range into tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Regular rug cleaning in San Diego can enhance the life and looks of your prized rug and turn it into your family legacy.
Rug Cleaning Basics
San Diego is home to an affluent community and the rugs and center-pieces adorning the houses here tend to be precious. Rugs can be of various different types and the cleaning method will differ for each. Before moving on to the specific method for different types of rugs, here are a few basic rug-care tips:
Vacuum Frequently
Unless it’s an antique rug that you are cleaning, for which the procedure will be covered later, you should use a vacuum cleaner to suck away the dirt and debris from an area rug. Vacuum both sides of reversible rugs. Keeping the rug free of dust and grime doesn’t let it age prematurely and keeps it in its pristine condition.
Brush Regularly
If you have a cat or a dog in the house, their hair might get entangled with the carpet fibers and it would be hard to vacuum them out. Instead, use a soft brush for getting pet-hair out regularly. This will keep your rug from accumulating and spreading pet odors and allergies.
Turn Occasionally
Uneven exposure and footfall can make the more frequently exposed portions of your rug wear out earlier. To enhance the life of the rug, turn it once or twice a year to even out the stress from walking, usage and furniture.
Beat Vigorously
If the rug is small enough and not too delicate or vintage, you can take it out once every week or month and beat the daylights out of it, along with the dust, dirt, food morsels, and pet hair.
Doing these basics will ensure that you don’t need to call a company to steam-cleaning your rug very often.
Special Rug Cleaning Instructions
Apart from the above-mentioned general rug-care instructions, certain special types of rugs need special care while cleaning. These special rugs include handmade, antique, oriental, woven, natural, and animal-skin rugs. As these rugs tend to be more expensive and delicate than your regular synthetic carpets, you may like to consult a company that does rug cleaning in San Diego if you are unsure.
Handmade, Oriental and Antique Rugs
Oriental and antique rugs are usually very delicate, and great caution must be exercised while cleaning them. To rid these rugs of dirt and dust particles, vacuum the area rug. Direct exposure to the vacuum cleaner may harm its frail fabric. Hence, a nylon sheet or a mesh can be spread over the rug and vacuumed from over this screen. A damp cloth can also be used to clean the back side of the rug. But, care must be taken while drying it, as intense light and heat can cause the colors to fade, taking the life out of these vintage rarities.
Animal Skin Rugs
Animal rights activists may persecute you for using the hide of a slain animal for decoration and luxury, and the rug can be particularly offensive to these quarters if made of domestic cat skin. The grossness of skinning a dead cat aside, it is important to keep the furry animal skin rigs clean and free of dust and germs. Spread the rug made of sheepskin or fur, and dispense non-fragrant talcum powder over it. Leave the rug for a few hours so that the talcum powder nicely settles over the rug. Brush the powder through the hair and then shake all the powder out. This will effectively cleanse all the dust and dirt from the hair-on hides. A cloth dipped in warm water can also be used in combination to the powder to make the rug look brand new.
Braided or Woven Rugs
Confirm if the rugs are washable or not by referring to its label. If they are, put them inside a mesh laundry back and wash them in a washing machine using cool water and a gentle slow spin. After the rug has been washed, dry it up by placing it in sunlight and using the vacuum to suck off the dampness. In case the rug is too large for a washing machine, or washing in a machine will be dangerous for its delicate fabric, then spread the rug on a concrete floor. Use a soft sponge and rinse it with a carpet cleaning foam. Care must be taken while using to sponge to rinse the dirt off, making sure the fabric of the rug isn’t ill treated and stays intact. Dry it up by placing it in sunlight before replacing the mat.
Natural Rugs
These rugs are made from natural fibers including sisal, grass, rush and coir. They have spaces between the fibers, which allow the dirt and dust to pass through and settle on the floor. This is why vacuuming these rugs frequently becomes ever so important. The floor under the carpet must be kept clean and occasionally vacuumed to prevent the rug from getting dirty again. Since these rugs are made from natural fibers, a washing machine or a sponge cannot be used. These methods can be very harsh for the fiber content, and can dislocate or damage them. Instead, a soft brush dipped in soapy water should be used on the dark spots and stains and then later dried with a soft towel. A hair dryer can also be used to remove the dampness and help accelerate the evaporation of water from within the fiber structure. These natural rugs are often reversible, therefore, they can be flipped every once in a while to even out the wear from stepping or the weight of furniture placed on the rug. Consequently, the life of these rugs can be very effectively prolonged .
Professional companies doing rug cleaning in San Diego are supposed to be aware of these intricacies of cleaning area rugs. Their cleaning methods are usually safe and protect your precious possessions while enhancing its looks.