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Rug Weaver Using a Hand Loom

Handmade Rug Cleaning and Maintenance

Walk All Over That Rug - It’s important to understand that even though a handmade rug is valuable, it’s made to be used.  Don’t keep it covered in plastic like Aunt Edna’s sitting room sofa. With usage, most hand-made rugs gain a certain patina that enhances their beauty and value. If you’re not going to enjoy it, why have it?

Vacuuming Is Good - You should vacuum or sweep your area rug as you would wall-to-wall carpeting. Watch the fringes. You don’t want to have to pull them out of the vacuum cleaner. Handmade area rugs can benefit from being turned over and vacuumed. Lift the rug carefully and you will see all the dirt that has filtered down. Yuck!

Turn, Turn, Turn - Rotating your rug occasionally (annually) will help even wear patterns and prevent uneven fading. When rugs are exposed to the sun evenly, the colors harmonize and the rug ages nicely. If parts of the rug receive too much or too little sun, one side might fade faster.

See Spot? Go! - Spot clean your area rug immediately after a spill. A water spill should be blotted and then dried with a hairdryer set on a warm temperature. Try to dry both sides of the rug if possible.  Anything else should first be blotted with paper or terry towels to absorb as much as possible, and then apply salt or baking soda to the spot for a few minutes to absorb the rest.  Once it dries, vacuum off the salt or baking soda. We also have a WoolSafe® approved spotter available free to our clients.

Professional Cleaning - It is recommended that your rugs be professionally cleaned on a regular basis.  Take your rug to a trained, professional carpet and rug care company to clean general soil, pet-related issues, and old or persistent stains. Please do not try to clean it yourself.  You might make it worse!

To find a professional in your area go to www.woolsafe.org/usa or www.certifiedcleaners.org .


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R. L. Seminars, LLC
WoolSafe North America
437 Alfred Ladd Road East
Franklin, TN 37064

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woolsafe colorThe WoolSafe Organisation is a cleaning industry service provider, devoted to promoting best practices in carpet and rug care through maintenance product evaluation and certification, education and training, and the promotion of professional cleaning and inspection services.


IICRC - A non-profit organization for the Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Industries.Master Rug CleanerAssociation of Rug Care Specialists