We all have rugs and carpets that we use every day. They provide us with comfort and warmth and help us decorate our living space. Many people overlook the importance of maintaining them and end up with worn carpets after just a few years of usage.
Most of the time, rugs don’t get to last for as long as they were marketed by the people selling them.
This doesn’t have to mean that they were falsely advertised. It could be that the conditions under which they were kept reduced their longevity. Below, we will share some hints to help you get the most of your carpet.
By visiting Mats and Rugs, you can find even more rug care tips and tricks. They can help you extend the life of your favourite rug as well as save you money for early replacement carpeting.
Try Not To Bring The Dirt Inside
It all starts from the moment you come into your house. While walking on the outside, your shoes attract all sorts of dirt, debris, and more often than not will get wet. Not taking your shoes off and walking all over the carpet will make it dirty, leave stains, and even develop mould.
Many households have a habit of leaving their shoes on the outside. If you prefer to keep them on the inside, you can get an entry mat to help you do that while maintaining good hygiene.
Dirt can wear out a carpet because it sifts down and grinds the fibres. With the practice of not stepping on the mat with your shoes, you can increase its durability and allow it to look brand new for longer.
Remove Stains As Quickly As You Can
It happens to all of us. We cannot avoid dropping a coffee mug or a glass of wine on the rug at least a few times in our lives. When this eventually happens, be sure to react immediately. To put it simply, every second matters, and the longer you leave the stain on the floor, the harder it will be for it to come out. Be ready to tackle it instantly.
Also, take great care when selecting the chemicals you use to remove the spot from your mats and rugs. Carpets are made from various materials, and not all of them can handle most chemicals. If you use something too strong to remove the stain, you may end with a worse problem in the end.
Use The Vacuum Cleaner Frequently
Even if you avoid entering the house with your shoes on, you can’t completely escape from debris entering the fibres of your rug. The everyday life activity in the place is enough to make high maintenance necessary. Unlike cleaning with chemicals, vacuuming has absolutely no adverse effect on your carpet.
It is recommended to make 3-5 passing lanes when cleaning to take care of business. Since it does not do any damage to the carpet, try to do it as regularly as you can.
If you are living with a family and other family members contribute to the amounts of dirt you find on the carpets, try to do it at least two times a week. In addition to the benefits of hygiene, vacuuming can prolong the life of your rug.
Seek Professional Help Now and Then
Our previous steps included cleaning and maintaining a high level of hygiene to give a few years to your rug’s life. Yet, we can only do so much with our domestic appliances and stain removers. The people that clean carpets professionally can provide the care that we are unable to do at home.
They are specialized in removing the deepest stains with chemicals we are not trained to use. Leaving it to them can be helpful for the carpet but also will provide you with a safe environment.
Think of it as the maintenance of your car. It is a good idea to give it to the hands of a professional once a year. This will be enough for your carpet to be thoroughly cleaned and restored.
Pro Tips On Specific Rug Types
We focused on how to prolong the lives of the rugs you already own and use until now. However, to make the most of them, you have to be able to correctly select the carpetings according to their qualities and your needs. Carpets are made from various materials and offer different benefits.
Synthetic rugs are usually durable and easy to clean. Rugs made of wool are also long-lasting and naturally repel liquids. Plant material rugs are incredibly hard to maintain. We will get into detail about some of the most popular materials and how to take proper care of them.
Synthetic Rugs
Although there are quite a few different synthetic materials that rugs are made of, all of them generally have similar maintenance requirements. Vacuum cleaning is most important for these rugs.
Try to do it frequently, even more so if you have kids and pets at the house. If you spill on it, don’t try to remove the stain by rubbing. Instead, try to blot up the surface and remove the liquid by pressing a soft cloth into it.
When it comes to chemical stain removers, be very careful when choosing them. Try to get a recommendation from a professional and have it tested before applying it at home. The same rule applies to synthetic rugs when it comes to professional maintenance. Try to take it to the cleaners once every year or every two years at most.
Wool Rugs
The care for wool rugs differs from the synthetic ones. Wool rugs are made from natural fibre, so you need to be more gentle with them. When it comes to vacuuming, try to do it on a regular schedule and make it less frequent. Twice a month should be enough. It is worth mentioning that new wool rugs shed.
If you vacuum them too much, the shedding will increase, and you may damage the fibres. With the recommended schedule, the shedding should stop after a few months. Once every two months take care of the underside of the rug. Dirt and dust can get there through the fibres so vacuum that side too.
Make use of a professional spot cleaner and a soft cloth to remove any spills from it. Rug-pads can be very beneficial to maintaining a wool rug. Just like with the other materials, give your wool rug professional cleaning once every year.
Plant Material Rugs
As we already mentioned, plant material rugs require special care. They are made of fine natural materials that can easily be damaged, so be very careful with these. Depending on the specific material they are made, some can be vacuumed and some not.
Make sure you ask the advice of an expert for yours. If vacuuming is allowed, then do it from both sides; over and under. If vacuuming is forbidden, you can remove the debris, dirt, and dust by gently beating it.
Flip it over when done to get more even wear. Plant material rugs are especially sensitive to stains. If you spill liquid on it, try to get as much as you of it with a soft cloth. Then gently scrub it with a soft brush and soapy water.
These rugs are very absorbent. Excess liquid can get soaked in them and even damage the flooring underneath. If you are unable to remove the spot with our method, make sure you seek professional help.
Extra Tips on Carpet Lifespan
Now that we’ve established just how important cleaning and maintaining proper hygiene for your rug is we can let you in on a few extra tips.
- For areas that see most of the traffic in your home, you should provide an underlay. A rug pat goes a long way, and it’s a small investment with a great return.
- If furniture remains in the same place on the rug for a long time, it can cause dents and damage the fibres. There are a few ways to avoid this. You can get furniture coasters for the bulky items that you are unable to move. For smaller items, try to move them from time to time. Or better yet, you can rotate the carpet to achieve even wear on all sides. These actions can be taken only once a year and give you results.
- Last but not least, always check the rug’s product labels. They contain information about the material that’s key to its maintenance.
Conclusion
In the end, prolonging the carpet lifespan is mainly done with proper care and maintenance. We have let you in on some details on specific materials and overall carpet preservation. The rest is up to you. It may seem tedious, and much work, but it is worth it in the end.
You can save a considerable amount of money by giving your rug a couple of extra years. If you have a favourite carpet that you never want to give up, do your best to follow our steps. Hopefully, you learned something today, and our advice will be useful to you.
Author bio: Leslie Rivera is home decor expert and the editor of website matsandrugs.com, which is dedicated to all the types of floor coverings, and features rug care tips and room design guides.
