Persian and other Oriental rugs are a beautiful accent piece for any room. These rugs are works of art that can hold their value for centuries when given the proper care. Professional cleaning services will help to protect and preserve your Persian and Oriental rugs and keep them in their best condition, but you can also take steps to protect your pieces at home. Learn how to protect your rugs with these expert tips from S&S Rug Cleaners Atlanta.

Use Entry Mats

Entry mats prevent dirt, soil, moisture, and grime from making it into your home and onto your rugs. We recommend placing walk-off mats at every entrance to your home. These rugs will absorb contaminants like oil, asphalt, driveway sealant, and more. Remember to clean entry rugs regularly so they don’t add more dirt to the household.

Use Top-Quality Rug Pads

Carpet pads serve multiple purposes. The padding creates better resistance underfoot, making your rugs feel more comfortable to walk, sit, or play on. A pad also protects your rug by reducing friction with the floor.

Rearrange Your Furniture

Heavy pieces of furniture can crush the fibers of your rug, causing dents and depressed spots in the carpet. Move weighty pieces of furniture to a different place from time to time to prevent crushing your rug. There’s no need to rearrange your space if you love your current layout. Simply shifting your furniture a few inches will help you avoid rug repairs Atlanta.

Use Caution When Moving Furniture

Occasionally moving your furniture is an important aspect of how to protect a rug, but take care that you don’t damage your carpet in the process. Don’t drag furniture over the surface of your rug. Try to lift your furniture, carry it to its new location, and then set it down. If you can’t carry your pieces, use floor protectors to help move them.

Avoid Using Furniture That Rolls On Your Rug

Casters and rolling wheels can be convenient additions to your furniture, but these features damage Persian rugs. Pianos, chests, buffets, and other heirloom pieces may have casters to make them easier to move. Office chairs and other modern furniture items also tend to have rollers or casters. Don’t roll any piece of furniture over an Oriental rug. The rolling motion can snag, tear, and otherwise damage your rug’s fibers. Use protective pads if you need to roll furniture across your rug.

Prevent Sun Damage

Extended sun exposure will damage Persian rugs. The sun’s UV radiation fades and weakens fibers, changing both the appearance and the structure of your carpet. Avoid rug repairs in Atlanta by protecting your rug from sunlight. Use curtains, drapes, shades, and awnings to keep the sun off your rugs. Consider pulling the curtains when it’s sunniest to provide protective shade for your carpet.

Vacuum Your Rugs

Vacuuming is a vital part of caring for your rug at home. Regular vacuum cleaning removes soil and dirt particles before they can be deeply ground into your rug. This cleaning prevents deep-set stains as well as damage to your rug’s inner fibers. Have your rugs vacuumed regularly, paying special attention to high-traffic areas.

Vacuuming an Oriental rug is more involved than cleaning other types of carpet. S&S Rug Cleaners Atlanta recommends vacuuming high-traffic paths daily and light-traffic areas twice weekly. All rugs should be vacuumed at least once a week. This includes rugs that rarely see foot traffic or are normally kept out of the way. Dust and other airborne particles can settle onto rugs even when no one walks on them. Proper cleaning will remove this dust before it reaches your rug’s inner fibers.

It’s important to vacuum with the nap of your rug, never against it. A rug’s nap describes its texture or the way the fiber loops naturally fall. You can find your rug’s nap by rubbing your hand back and forth over the surface of the rug. Your carpet will feel smooth when you’re moving with the nap, but rough or textured when you’re moving against the nap. Vacuum with the nap to avoid damaging your fibers.

Use a top-quality vacuum for the best results. You should expect to make five to seven passes over high-traffic areas of your rug. Two or three passes should be enough for low-traffic zones or unused rugs.

Keep Your Rugs In Their Best Condition

These simple home maintenance tricks will help to protect and preserve your Persian and Oritental rugs and keep your rugs in great condition for as long as possible. Combine these tips with professional services from S&S Rug Cleaners to protect your rugs for decades to come.