How to Fix a Crooked Rug - Can Anything Be Done?
Ruthie with Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care once again and I would probably say that most of the rugs that come into our shop here in Prescott AZ are crooked or misshapen in some way. In fact, it’s actually pretty rare for a hand-knotted rug to be perfectly straight. For instance, some rugs are longer on one side than the other, wider on one end, or even have an obvious curve to them. A hand-knotted rug’s imperfect shape is just one of the many ways that show off the handcrafted nature of that rug.
Handmade area rugs experience various degrees of shrinkage over time as part of their natural cycle. Many rugs with a cotton foundation fibers experience misshaping when the cotton shrinks but the wool fibers do not.
Both flatweave and needlepoint area rugs are especially susceptible to this condition. Did you know that simple spot cleaning, washing, and even humidity alone can cause various degrees of shrinkage and buckling in area rugs?
Fortunately, most of the rugs that are badly buckled or rippled can be “blocked.” Blocking involves gently stretching the rug out as it dries into a more even shape. Of course, there are limits to how straight your rug can get through blocking and it will never be perfectly straight again. There are even those rugs that are too misshapen to correct without damaging the rug. For the most part, Arizona Oriental is able to achieve a happy middle ground for rugs.
Keep in mind, though, that blocking is NOT a permanent solution - rugs will ALWAYS have a tendency to return to its misshapen state and will do so over time and with use.
One way you can help to prevent your rug from rippling and becoming misshapen is by placing a high quality rug padding beneath it. At Arizona Oriental, we carry the best rug padding that we can find, and it comes with a 10-year warranty. We have samples of this at our shop or are more than happy to send you a sample in the mail if need-be!
Till next time, enjoy your beautiful art for your floor and remember a clean rug is a rug that can last you a lifetime!
Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care serves Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Flagstaff, and much of the Northern Arizona areas. We meet the highest standards in professional cleaning of area rugs with rug wash specialists having earned the highest training, including certification as WOOLSAFE FIBRE CARE SPECIALISTS through the WOOLSAFE ORGANISATION. Such extraordinary certification ensures our client’s area rugs receive the highest quality care.
Do you have more questions about how to prevent rippling in your area rugs? Give us a call at 928-445-1718 and get a free cleaning estimate, visit our website at www.ArizonaOriental.com, or stop by Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at our rug washing facility at 565 EZ Street, Prescott, AZ 86301 (pick-up and delivery also available). 10-25-2018
