Hi,

Are you needing more information on the dos and don'ts of hanging a rug? Great!  Let's get started with some good, solid information. I'm Ruthie with Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care in Prescott. Here we clean lots of area rugs and once in awhile a client has a strong desire to hang their rug and is not sure how to properly accomplish this.  

We can help our clients with this and are able to add a sleeve to the backside of the rug where once added it will be a breeze to hang by simply putting a rod through the sleeve and hanging from wall brackets.  

Please do not attempt to hang a fine rug with a few nails and a hammer! You will be breaking the foundation fibers and putting holes in your rug.  I’ve seen rings sewn onto the back of rugs, but that method creates a lot of stress on the rug at the point the rings are sewn on.  (This applies for fabric tabs sewn on too). I have seen rugs that actually have a scalloped look on the hanging end from the weight of the rug pulling on these ring/tab points. A sleeve attached all along the end distributes the weight of the rug, preventing this drooping down effect.

Yes, hanging a rug on the wall can be a wonderful artistic touch, just remember there is a right way to hang a rug and then there are the wrong ways. If you have invested in a rug or treasure it for sentimental reasons (maybe it is your Grandmother’s rug or you brought it back from your travels) then this rug deserves to be preserved and hung properly.    

One last thought, a rug hung on the wall can become susceptible to moth damage. I find that many folks hang up their rugs and then tend to forget about them. BUT, moths are always on the lookout for tasty wool in a quiet, undisturbed area (that’s the backside of your hung rug).

A word of caution - Remove your area rug occasionally (once a month is recommended) and gently vacuum both front and back with an upholstery tool.  This will greatly help deter the moths that might be thinking of laying their larvae eggs which will hatch and nibble away without you ever knowing it – not until there is considerable damage. We can help you with this by not only adding a sleeve, we can also treat the wool and silk fibers with a moth treatment to help prevent this unfortunate moth damage from occurring.

Till next time, enjoy your beautiful art for your floors and remember a clean rug is a rug that can last you a lifetime!

Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care serves Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, 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 the area rugs of our client’s receive the utmost in care.

Call us for more information on What’s the best way to hang a rug on a wall? at 928-445-1718, 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).