Rug Care Guide

Thank you for your order! We hope you love your new rug. Our rugs are made with high quality materials and are extremely durable, but to ensure your rug stays in great condition you can follow our easy Rug Care Guide. 

 

GENERAL CLEANING ADVICE

We recommend that you vacuum your rug regularly to keep it clean, and to help prevent the pile of the rug from flattening. If you have purchased a wool or long pile shaggy rug, we recommend using a suction only vacuum cleaner - do not use a vacuum cleaner with a spinning brush head.  Most light dirty marks can be cleaned with a damp cloth. Do not machine wash or dry clean your rug (unless the label on the back of the rug instructs that you can do so). 

STAINS

You should clean spills immediately. NEVER rub a spill, simply blot liquids with a dry absorbent cloth or white paper towel to remove the excess. Some stains may be cleaned with a very mild clear detergent & lukewarm water, good carpet shampoo or rug cleaner. Avoid excessive moisture or wetting when cleaning the stain, and dry the rug on a flat surface. If a stain cannot be removed, you should seek specialist rug cleaning advice. Avoid harsh chemicals, such as bleach containing products, as they may damage the rug.  

PILE SHEDDING (Fluff)

It is completely normal for ALL wool rugs to shed some fibres; this is a natural characteristic of wool as a material. Pile shedding is also normal in some of our man-made fibre rugs (acrylic, viscose and polyester). Pile shedding is usually most noticeable in the first several months of use and can lessen over time but will not stop completely. Pile shedding does not affect the life of a rug. We recommend using a vacuum cleaner regularly to remove any excess fluff/fibres.

SPROUTING (Long Threads) 

Some rugs are prone to what is known in the rug & carpet industry as sprouting or piling. This is where some strands/threads of the pile appear longer than the rest of the pile. When this occurs all you need to do is trim any longer strands with a pair of sharp scissors. It is important that you do not try to pull these long threads as this can damage the rug and leave gaps. 

MARKS OR CREASES IN THE RUG PILE

You may notice that when you first unroll your new rug, there are lines or creases running across the width of it. These crease marks are completely normal, and are just pressure marks caused by the rug being rolled up whilst in transit. They are not permanent and will gradually settle over time and with regular vacuuming. Some rugs are susceptible of ‘Pile Shading’, especially rugs that have a shiny or silky pile. Pile Shading is a term in the rug & carpet industry that refers to marks caused by certain areas of the pile running in a different direction, meaning that it reflects light differently. These marks will look either slightly lighter or darker than the rest of the pile in the rug. The pile of the rug needs a chance to settle over a period of a few weeks so it all runs in the same direction. Frequent vacuum cleaning or brushing the pile can help to speed this process up.

GETTING YOUR RUG TO LAY FLAT 

Our rugs are stored rolled up in their plastic wrapping to ensure they stay in excellent condition. This means that they may not lay completely flat when you first unroll them. This is similar to when you buy a new shirt or a pair of curtains, which will be creased when you first take it out of the wrapping; but whereas these items can be ironed flat very quickly, new rugs take a little longer. This is not a fault with the new rug; it is only temporary until the rug takes to its new shape being rolled out. The more you use and walk over the new rug the quicker it will flatten out. This can take anything from a few days to a few weeks depending on the type of rug you have purchased. You can sometimes speed this process up by rolling the rug in the opposite direction to the way it was rolled in its packaging (pile outwards) and leaving it somewhere warm (such as near a radiator) for 24 hours.