How to brighten up your area rug

If you have an expensive area rug in your home, you should do everything necessary and spare no expense in keeping it looking good at all times. A high quality antique rug can really lift up your home decor and you should do everything it takes to keep it in best shape. Having clean and bright area rugs will improve the aesthetics of your home, which will allow you to rejuvenate your soul every time you come back home after a hectic day at work. If you have been bogged down with questions on how to brighten up your area rug, you have come to the right place.

Here are a few tips and tricks to brighten your area rug and aid you in area rug cleaning.

The importance of vacuuming frequently

It is essential to ensure that the dirt and dust are removed from the area rugs before they settle in the fibers. Although some sources suggest that one should vacuum daily, others claim that it is sufficient to vacuum once every week. However, all sources unanimously agree that it is essential to vacuum both the sides including the underside. And, when vacuuming, one must pay close attention to the fringe that can easily get pulled in by the vacuum. If this happens, your area rug will face damages. To avoid that place a piece of nylon screen over the rug and weight it down with books or bricks and vacuum over the screen. You can also tie a piece of nylon mesh over the vacuum attachment and change the mesh frequently as dirt accumulates.

What should you do with stains?

If you see a spill on your area rug, you shouldn’t wait for the next cleaning schedule; you must instead act immediately and blot the spill spot; you shouldn’t rub or scrub the spill. Mark Tarbox, the owner of Best Carpet Cleaning Experts in San Antonio, Texas, has over 30 years of experience working on cleaning carpets and area rugs. He is of the opinion that one should always blot and dab the spill spots and not rub or scrub them, ¨The key is blotting. Blotting puts a small amount of pressure on the stain to soak it up. Rubbing causes the particles to get ground into the carpet fibers, and this can lead to the premature breakdown of those fibers.¨

For alcohol, coffee or tea stains, which are the most common one, you can made your own washing solution by mixing 1 teaspoon liquid dish detergent, 1 quart of warm water, and 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar. Apply the solution to the stain, rinse, then blot dry. If the stain remains after you repeat the process then you should use a commercial spot carpet cleaner.

For foods such as butter, margarine, or gravy, you can’t use a regular carpet cleaner nor the solution we suggested earlier. Instead, for this stains you must use a dry-solvent spot carpet cleaner.

For gum stains you must first peel off what you can, then put ice cubes in a plastic bag and harden the gum. After the gum hardened scrape it off with a spoon or dull knife. Vacuum and use a dry-solvent spot cleaner if needed.

For urine and pet stains check out our tutorial on How to clean pet stains on your carpet.

If you want to keep your area rugs in mint condition and avoid manual scrubbing then you should invest in a professional carpet cleaner machine.

The importance of regular deep cleaning

You area rugs need deep cleaning every 12 to 18 months. Be careful when using commercial cleaning products for the first time. Always test a small area of the rug to ensure that it is colorfast and not otherwise damaged by the product. If you want to thoroughly clean a large rug then you need to place it on a vinyl or concrete surface and apply carpet-cleaning foam and rub in according to directions. Finish by rinsing or vacuuming and leave it to dry in a sunny or windy location. Make sure the rug is dry before replacing it.

Use both sides of the rug

When using your rug, it is necessary to use both sides of the rug to facilitate an even wear-out. You need not rotate your rugs every day, or every week. It will be fine as long as you do it once annually. Doing this will allow the wear to be distributed evenly, preventing one particular area from being targeted and looking hideous.

Hire professional help

Of course, not everyone has time on their hands owing to their hectic lifestyles and busy work schedules. If you belong to that category of people, you might not be able to invest your time in maintaining your area rug. In such cases, you can simply hire professional help to take care of matters. Professional cleaners are renowned for their exemplary cleaning services and they will know how to work on all different sorts of area rugs. For instance, if there is a fabric that cannot be saved or salvaged, a professional will be able to identify the right material or item that can prove to be the perfect substitute.