In spite of the importance that rugs have in any room, very often and by their very nature they are ill-used: put under pieces of furniture and constantly trod, rugs might ruin, if you do not take care of them and you do not clean and sweep them in the right way. Also, you must take into consideration that very often a rug is not only an interior design item, it is also a precious object, and all the more so it should be protected and handled with care.
It is not easy to generalize when we speak about rugs, considering the many types of carpets that you can find on the market, and the best way to clean and take care of them can vary upon the type of rugs, the room where they have been put, the material they are made of and their preciousness (it is self-evident that you won’t take care of a simple bedside rug as you do with your Persian carpet…), but there are some hints that are useful for almost all kinds of carpets.
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To prevent your rug from ruining, you have to consider, first of all, where to put it: it would be better to avoid too humid, small and dark rooms, as rugs are made of organic substances that need air. Also, if you put it at the entrance or in other rooms where many people pass, the rug will be more subjected to wear: this is something you need to take into consideration especially in case of precious, ancient or fragile rugs.
Once you have chosen the room where to put it, you must pay attention to dust, spots, rips and tears. As far as dust is concerned, it would be good to remove it at least once a week. To do that in the best way, forget the carpet beater, which besides being tiring can also ruin rugs, and use a sorghum or an electric broom, minding not to damage the fringes, which are notably delicate. However, removing dust once a week is not enough to keep rugs clean: at least twice a year clean the rug with a damp rag wet with warm water and vinegar, or a little neutral shampoo or ammonia, following the direction of the wool and being careful not to wet the rug too much. In order to clean the rug more thoroughly, it is advisable to refer to professionals, and have it cleaned at least every 3-4 years. If there are spots, it is better to remove them immediately. The procedure varies upon the type of spot: if there is a grease stain, for example, you can use some talcum powder, while if there are sweetened beverages and substances stains you only need to use water.
Also as far as rugs repair is concerned the watchword is acting immediately. Of course it is always better to refer to experts (small repairs usually are not too expensive), to avoid making it worse. The more the rug is precious, the better you should consult experts: rug restorers can bring back to life a rug even when its texture is unravelling or if there are holes and tears.
