Rug Care and Maintenance
Knowing how to care for a rug is what gives it a long life. A handmade rug is a working surface. It is walked on, sat on and lived around, and it will change as that happens. Most of what it needs is simple and takes minutes. Some things need a professional, and knowing which is which is most of the skill.
This page covers what to do routinely, what to do when something happens, and how each material behaves so you can tell a characteristic from a fault.
Everyday care
Vacuum, suction only
Do not use a rotating or brush head, or a vacuum with very strong suction. Use a low setting or a suction attachment. Proper vacuuming is three to five slow passes over the same area. Be thorough. Go under furniture, behind curtains, and along the edge where the rug meets hard floor.
Rotate it every six months
Wear and light both fall unevenly across a rug. Turning it end to end twice a year spreads both, and evens out the areas that take the heaviest traffic.
Keep it out of direct sun
Direct and continuous sunlight will fade a rug. The darker the colour, the sooner it shows. Where sun cannot be avoided, rotation is the only real fix.
Keep the floor around it clean
Dirt is walked onto a rug from the floor around it, so clean floors keep a rug cleaner for longer. Avoid harsh chemicals on the surrounding surface. Where a rug sits near an entrance, a doormat will stop most outdoor debris reaching it. Doorways, entrances and the edges where a rug meets hard floor take the heaviest traffic and need the most attention.
What is normal
Characteristics people mistake for faults.
Some of what a new rug does looks like a fault and is not. These are properties of handmade construction, and most settle within the first months.
Shedding
Handmade rugs are made from natural fibres and will shed loose fibre at first. This is normal. It is heaviest in the early weeks and reduces with regular vacuuming. Use a good quality upright, never a beater head.
Sprouting
Short fibres pop up above the pile as a rug settles, and where furniture sits on it. Trim them level with scissors. Never pull them. Duckbill scissors are the right tool.
Shading
Areas of a cut pile read lighter or darker depending on which way the fibres are lying and where you stand. It moves as the rug is walked on and vacuumed. It is not a stain and it is not wear.
Flattening under furniture
Heavy furniture flattens the pile. In most cases moving or | rotating the rug restores it. On a long pile, a soft brush will lift the area back.
Fading
Placing a rug in direct and continuous sunlight will cause it to fade. Dark colours fade too, and often faster than people expect. Rotating the rug reduces the damage light does over time.
Colour variation
Dye lots vary. The same design woven a year apart will not match exactly. Photography is a guide, not a match.
If something happens
Act quickly. Do less than you think.
Clean up a spill as soon as it occurs, but check what your rug is made of before you put anything on it. Different fibres react differently to chemicals and to plain water.
Lift the solids
Scrape up any solids with a spoon or a dustpan. Do not press down and do not rub.
Blot, never rub
Blot the liquid with paper towel or another colourfast absorbent material. Work from the outside of the mark towards the centre so it does not spread.
Check the rug material first
Bamboo, art silk and viscose must not be wet. If your rug is one of these, stop here and call a professional. Check By Material below before you add anything at all.
Dry it completely
Lift the wet area off the floor if you can. Air dry only. No hairdryer, no heater, no direct sun.
How each fibre behaves —
Wool
Wool holds a spill on the surface of the fibre for a short time before it absorbs, which is why speed matters more than technique. It resists soiling, recovers from compression, and takes water without damage. Use cool water only. Hot water shrinks it and sets protein stains such as milk and blood.
New Zealand Wool
Behaves as wool does, with a whiter base and a higher lustre, so soiling shows sooner in pale colours. Treat identically. Vacuum more often in light tones.
Artificial Silk and Bamboo Silk
Do not wet these fibres. They lose strength when wet and the pile distorts permanently where it has been pressed. A water mark is not always removable. Lift any solids, then stop and seek advice from a professional cleaner. Dry vacuum only between professional cleans.
Jute, Sisal and Hemp
Highly absorbent and prone to shrinking and browning when wet. Water rings are common and often permanent. Keep them dry, clean by suction or dry extraction, and let mud dry fully before brushing it out.
Cotton
Takes water well and cleans readily, but absorbs quickly and holds colour from a spill. Blot fast and thoroughly. Oil based marks need a specialist.
Axminster and Wool Blends
Woven carpet in a wool rich blend. Treat as wool for spills. In commercial use the maintenance schedule matters more than the spill method, and that is set at specification rather than after installation.
Professional Cleaning —
Every one to two years, and more often in commercial use.
We recommend professional cleaning for every rug we make. Cleaning is not only about marks. Grit works down into the base of the pile and cuts the fibres from below, and vacuuming does not reach it. Use a qualified operator who specialises in handmade rugs. An untrained one will do a rug more harm than good. General carpet cleaners work in place, with heat and water, and that is the wrong method for a hand knotted or hand tufted rug. Ask whether the rug will be cleaned off site, and by immersion or dry extraction. Tell them the fibre and construction before they price it. Both are listed on your product page.
Preferred Rug Cleaner Network
We advise professional rug cleaning for all our rug collections, and recommend the following cleaners – if none of these are located in your area, please contact us for recommendations in other states. Please note that these are third party services and Designer Rugs is not responsible for the outcomes.
New South Wales
Canberra
Heirloom Rug Wash
2/38 Dacre St. #B,
Mitchell, ACT, 2911
phone: (02) 6242 4557
website: heirloomrugwash.com.au
All Class Carpet & Upholstery Care
phone: 0418 242 013
email: peter@allclasscarpetcare.com.au
website: allclasscarpetcare.com.au
Victoria
Rubber Anchor Pty Ltd
1/42 Burlington Street,
Oakleigh VIC 3166
phone: (03) 9500 8882
email: sales@rubberanchor.com.au
website: www.rubberanchor.com.au
South Australia
Diamond Cleaning Services
4 Emery Rd
Heathfield SA 5153
phone: 04 18 855 000
website: diamondcleaningservices.com.au
Goldline Karpet Kare
16 Chapman St.
Rostrevor SA 5073
phone: 0418 486 619
website: https://goldlinekarpetkare.com.au
Queensland
The Rug & Fabric Care Company
phone: 1300 685 203
email: info@rugandfabriccare.com.au
website: rugandfabriccare.com.au
Western Australia
Perth Rug Wash
343 Railway Parade
Shenton Park WA 6008
phone: 08 9244 8851
website: perthrugwash.com.au
Storing a rug —
Storage and long absences
Never fold a rug for long periods. Roll it instead, with the back of the rug facing outwards. Do not keep it in an airtight bag, which traps moisture. Store it somewhere dry, and use a moisture absorber and a moth deterrent in the roll.
Related Guidance —
Materials and Construction
What each material is and where it is specified.
Size and Placement
How to size a rug to the room it is going.
Ways to Customise
Change a size, a colour or a construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Delivery, lead times, returns and a/c access.