Clean and take care of your rug
To maintain your rug in a sustainable way, the vacuum cleaner remains your best ally .
A new rug tends to lose its surplus wool fibers. It is a completely natural phenomenon and a sign of quality. Your rug is new, it can lose its little excess material during the first months.
To maintain your rug, we have selected you the best tips from our grandmother Majo, installed in Morocco for 20 years. They are easy to make and consist mainly of natural products. Otherwise, we recommend that you go to a professional to clean your rug.
Professional cleaning
No rug treatment can replace occasional professional cleaning. Even with regular home care, professional rug cleaning is a must to extend the life of your rug and bring out its natural beauty and fiery colors. The recommended average time between two professional cleanings is 6 to 12 months. In addition to professionally cleaning the rug, they will fix any rug problems with simple repair techniques, which only prolongs the life of your rug!
Professional cleaning should only be performed by a reliable company, and the company should avoid the use of alcohol-based shampoos or cleansers.
Care tips for rugs
Vacuum regularly
Vacuum your rug regularly, at least once a week, using the correct attachment or type of vacuum. This eliminates dust and impurities that can prematurely wear out your rug. It also helps to keep the fibers intact.
Every two months, you can also vacuum the underside of the rug to remove dust and dirt.
It is not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner equipped with a beater or a brush to clean the wool rug. This can cause abrasion and loss of the wool fibers in your rug. It is best to use a canister vacuum or manual attachment to safely clean your rug.
Regular rotation
It may be important to rotate your rug every month or two, especially if it’s located in a high-traffic area. This will distribute the wear more evenly, giving your rug a more even appearance that will help preserve its appearance and value.
Sunlight and discoloration
Over time, rugs exposed to direct and continuous sunlight will discolor. It is best to avoid placing a rug in direct sunlight if possible. If this measure is infeasible, you should make sure to rotate your rug as often as possible to ensure more even fading. Fading occurs slowly over time, and this bleaching effect will permanently damage your rug. This phenomenon is more evident with dark colored rugs and natural fibers.
Let your rug breathe
The buildup of moisture on your rug can have devastating effects in the form of mold and mildew. To prevent buildup and reduce the presence of odors, hang your rug outside to dry for a few hours every five or six months, or whenever your rug comes in contact with moisture. You can also take this opportunity to take out your rug and shake it.
Use an underlay
When you place a pad under your rug, it provides traction between the rug and the floor to stabilize it, protect the shape of the rug, and reduce wrinkling. This not only enhances the value of the rug, but also makes it safer and more pleasant to walk on.
Furniture marking
Be aware that some heavy furniture can mark and flatten rug pile, causing irreversible damage. Some heavy or sharp-edged furniture, or the constant moving of furniture, can warp the rug and make it appear less square. If you are placing your rug under furniture, we recommend using furniture cups.
Hair loss and lint
Linting can occur from traffic, moving furniture, vacuuming, or other mechanical agitation. Due to the handcrafted nature of our wool rugs, some fibers may come off, but they will shrink over time. The greatest loss occurs in the first 3 to 6 months. Do not pull on the free ends, instead cut them with scissors to remove them.
Movement of people
To protect your rugs, we recommend that you do not place them in high traffic areas such as hallways or kitchens. You can also read our article on “how to place your rugs” for inspiration and to get out of the ordinary. Also, to avoid wearing down an area of your rug too much, it’s best to rearrange your furniture to create new paths every now and then. This will allow for more even wear and increase the life of the rug.
Characteristics of our wool rugs
How to remove stains from rugs:
Your rug can be exposed to a variety of stains and soils over its lifetime. The following methods are non-toxic, effective and safe to remove these stains. Either way, keep in mind to blot, not rub the stain. It is always important to remove stains as quickly as possible. Not all rugs are the same, so be sure to do a little check before tackling big stains.
How to make homemade solutions: You can make these homemade stain removers in labeled spray bottles so they’re ready when you need them.
- Vinegar solution: 1 cup of white vinegar for 2 cups of water.
- Detergent solution: 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap in 1 cup of hot water. Do not use detergents containing bleach.
- Ammonia solution: 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of ammonia.
Different tasks and spills require different management:
For alcoholic beverages (except wine), berries, sodas, ice cream, milk, mud, wet paint, washable ink, sauce, jelly, droppings and other water soluble stains :
- Soak up excess liquid or material with paper towels.
- Spray the stain with your homemade detergent solution, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- Spray the stain with your vinegar solution, then, again, gently blot with a dry white cloth.
- Spray the stain with your detergent solution, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- Rinse with clean water: spray the stain with warm water, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- You can repeat steps 2 to 5 until the stain is eliminated.
For more “stubborn” water-soluble stains: chocolate, coffee, tea, wine, mustard, blood, vomit, urine and pet stains.
- Soak up excess liquid or material with paper towels and wipe off any solids.
- Spray the stain with your homemade detergent solution, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- Spray the stain with the ammonia solution, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- Spray the stain with your vinegar solution, then, again, gently blot with a dry white cloth.
- Spray the stain with your detergent solution, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- Rinse with clean water: spray the stain with warm water, then blot with a dry white cloth.
- You can repeat steps 2 to 5 until the stain is eliminated.
Other types of stains:
Chewing Gum and Wax: The best way to clean your rug is to reduce the stickiness of the chewing gum by cooling it strongly.
- Put ice cubes in a plastic bag and rub the gum for a few seconds. The chewing gum will harden.
- Crumble it with a blunt object, such as a spoon.
- Vacuum before the pieces soften and use a dry solvent stain cleaner if necessary.
- Finally, blot the rug with a white towel.
An alternative to ice cube is to apply a cold medical spray, which you can buy at any drugstore.
Grease-based stains: Fresh grease-based stains can be removed very effectively with standard flour. You just have to put it on the area to be treated and let it act. After a few minutes you can vacuum and the stain should be gone.
Cigarette burn: You can remove it by gently rubbing the hair with the edge of a hard, flat surface (a blunt knife).
