How to Vacuum Your Thick Wool Area Rug the Right Way! – Prescott AZ
One thing I always try to remind my clients of here at Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care is that dry soil is the main cause of excessive wear and heavy soiling in their area rugs. When dry soil is left to sit and accumulate in a rug, it can even cause serious fiber damage. I’m Ruthie and our goal here at Arizona Oriental is to always give our clients the tools and knowledge they need to properly care for their area rugs in between professional cleaning. Today I thought I would talk briefly about how to properly vacuum a wool rug that has a thick pile.
Frequent vacuuming is your rug’s best defense against dry soil building up in the fibers. Like sandpaper, dry soil grinds away at the base of our area rugs’ delicate fibers when we walk on them. Dry soil can create traffic patterns and also cause fiber loss. Rugs with thick, sturdy piles can handle more vacuuming than other, more delicate area rugs.
How frequently should you vacuum your rug?
Rugs should be vacuumed AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK to help you stay on top of dry soil. You may need to vacuum more often if you have a lot of activity from kids and pets in your home.
What kind of vacuum should you use?
A quality canister vacuum is preferred because it provides the suction needed to remove dry soil without being too aggressive on your rug’s fibers (unlike a beater bar vacuum). Beater bar vacuums are designed for wall-to-wall carpet, not delicate wool and silk rug fibers. If you only have a beater bar vacuum, you should either turn off the beater bar or raise it to its highest setting so that it can’t do damage to your rug fibers. If your rug is badly rippled, I recommend using an upholstery tool attachment rather than an upright vacuum because it gives you more control.
Vacuum from side to side across the width of your rug
and be careful to avoid fringes and side cords.
I would also recommend turning your rug over every 3-4 months and using a beater bar vacuum on the back to shake loose any dry soil that has managed to work its way down into the fibers. Again, it’s important to stay on top of the dry soil, so never wait until you see a traffic pattern in your rug before you have it professionally cleaned or vacuumed. Heavy taffic patterns are your rug’s way of telling you that it can’t handle much more soil and fiber damage is being done.
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 and 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 which includes 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.
If you would like more information about vacuuming a thick wool area rug or other rug cleaning needs at 928-445-1718, visit our website at www.ArizonaOriental.com, or stop byMonday through Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at our rug washing facility at 565 EZ Street, Prescott, AZ 86301 (pick-up and delivery also available). (06-22-17)
