Advice on rugs maintenance
Advice on rugs maintenance and how to keep your carpets healthy
Our advice on rugs maintenance it’s very important to treat them properly at home, but there are many people who do not know how: so here are our suggestions on how to spend less on maintenance.
Read our maintenance advice for Persian carpets. The misuse of tools, detergents and incorrect cleaning methods create irreparable damage.
Often the misuse of some cleaning tools or inappropriate cleaning agents cause irreparable damage. I want to give you some tips that are nothing more than the answers to frequently asked questions. Let it be clear that this advice does not replace professional cleaning and restoration, but will certainly help to have less need for them. Result: you’ll have a significant saving and a nicer home without spending a euro.
Read all advice on rugs maintenance
How to store carpets for short or long periods
This is a question that our customers have asked a thousand times. Let’s see how to go about it. Roll up your carpet well, to preserve it without it going out of shape. The carpet must be really clean, but as it will be nearly impossible to achieve this at home you’ll need professional help.
How do I store the carpet for a long period? Is it better folded or rolled?
For reasons of space, sometimes the carpet is folded and left in such a way for a long time. It is a mistake that can cost you dearly especially if it is an antique carpet or one with a normal coat. When storing the carpet folded, it will make ugly folds. Apart from the folds, if you have antique carpets they can get damaged within the structure, they can weaken and cut badly.. If they are new and have enough coat, this gets crushed and becomes ugly looking. So always roll the carpet up and never fold it for long periods.
Do I put it in newspapers or in nylon?
It is no good using newspapers against moths: printing ink is no longer what it was 50-60 years ago when it smelled and tasted of oil and moths run away. In Turkey they oil as a moth repellant, but this way carpets take on a horrible smell, they become oily and dirty in a flash.
Close it in a polythene tubular bag with a moth-repellant
even if it has been recently washed, and put it in the coolest possible place; if there is no moisture and sunlight is even better. This ensures greater safety if it is to stay indefinitely.
Important advice rugs maintenance: Air it.
I advise you to open the bag every six months, check and air the carpet for a few hours.
Fluff on the carpet you just bought.
Do not panic, the carpet is new, and it was just shaved: natural that at first it will lose some fluff. If the carpet is of good quality it will disappear in a short time. If it is not a good quality one it will continue to lose fluff forever. The carpets made of recycled wool waste give this result, but if you have one of these you should have spent very little (maybe).
If you see a loose thread, do not pull it!
Take the carpet to trusted carpet seller or, better still, get in touch with us. We are always available.
Carpet wear
Do not let the carpet lay always in the same position otherwise it will wear in the same areas. Change its position over the entire surface by turning the carpet once or twice a year.
Dents on the carpet’s surface caused by the furniture.
Put a small circle of felt under the legs of tables or furniture. A sheet of plywood in the case of marble or stone. If you have armchairs, tables, etc. with very small legs try to increase the support base by putting under them a sturdy object which increases the surface, as can be, for example, a steel or brass round/square stopper depending on the shape of the foot.
How to avoid dents in the carpet.
Do not leave an armchair a coffee table, etc exactly in the same spot. It will be sufficient to move them a few centimeters every now and then and the carpet will soon recover..
There is a dent in the carpet: this is what you do. It’s simple!!!
Get the iron and a brush and you iron it with steam while combing it in the fleece’s direction without letting the iron touch the carpet. Basically you just have to use the steam. Some carpets can be really ironed, but not all, so you should proceed in stages: first steam only then just placing it on the carpet while combing.
The carpet slides and it is moving continually.
You obviously need to put under it a non-slip fabric. If the carpet does not slide, then everything is all right, but if it slides it can be very dangerous and could cause injuries. There are various kinds of non-slip fabrics on the market, usually latex, rubber etc. The rubber ones have a bad flaw: they leave a mark on the floor that does not go away. Gb-rugs have always offered an exclusive non-slip solution, made to your requirements, which you can also buy online and which does not leave any marks on the floors. This not only will protect the carpets from wear, but will also avoid bad falls.
Furniture on the carpet
Do not shift the carpet with furniture over it. It may tear!!!!
Wax on the floor
Do not wax excessively the floor under the carpet. Too much wax may ruin the carpet and get it dirty quicker.
Protecting the carpet from mud
Place a doormat at the entrance and an everyday carpet in the hall
Cats and dogs
Beware that they not ruin your carpet with their nails! Not only that, you have to be careful they don’t pee on them: urine stains, burns the wool and breaks up the colours and the smell is remarkable and very difficult to remove; the carpet hardens especially if it goes on for some time.
How to remove dirt.
Use a good vacuum cleaner pulling from the center to the outside, so do not pull the carpet. Remember to keep the filter in good condition and adjust the suction. Sometimes you can also use the carpet beater but only with new carpets which are sturdy and solid. The operation should be done according to the intensity of use, but normally should be done at least twice a week. The best rule is this: vacuum frequently and lightly. Some people recommend the sorghum broom but in my opinion it is useless: you just move the dirt across the surface.
The corners double over.
Iron the carpet with steam, the wrong way round putting on it a piece of cotton, as you would do with your clothes, with a light sprinkling of starch and with steam; dry it well and if necessary repeat the operation.
The corners double under.
Turn it over and do the same operation that we explained above for the corners. Sometimes plastic bands are applied to the edges to ensure that the carpet does not turns and often they are already in place at the time of purchase; this system, however, creates a problem: the thickness of the band creates a slight thickness which wears the fabric where this is applied. We recommend removing these bands to avoid excessive wear along the edges and iron them if there was a need.
For the “do-it-yourself” cleaning
Every three months, depending on the position of the carpet, you can refresh it with water and white vinegar using a laundry brush or cloth following the hair direction. This job is best done on a sunny day.
A real wash
Do not think for one moment that what we said above is like a professional wash which is a totally different matter.
Carpets should be washed about every two years and you should check whether they need any restoration done if you want them to last for years.
What type of wash is better? Wet or dry?
Some people think that you wash all carpets the same way: completely wrong. The methods and precautions to be followed are different and, of course, depend on the type of carpet and its state of preservation: there are carpets that cannot withstand water and vice versa, and sometimes you need to take advantage of both water and dry. In many years of washing we realized something essential: if you want to get a good result the carpet must be kept under control at every stage and at every point. For example, if someone put a plant in a pot that was leaking water on a carpet (you have no idea how many cases we have seen) it will be very weak if not rotten in that area, and you will have to pay close attention; something that a rolling machine certainly cannot do.
The restoration, advice on rugs maintenance
Very often people bring the carpet to wash and restore when it is already in an almost desperate condition and this is the worst thing you could do. Waiting too long is like taking the car to be serviced when the engine is melted. If your carpet is maintained and checked every two years or, at least you do not wait until it is too late, you will spend a lot less money and the carpet will always be in excellent condition. If you wait too long it is obvious that it will cost you a lot more.