Here in Arizona, we have the luxury of having a lot of different and exciting outdoor activities to take part in. Sometimes these activities follow us right into our homes on our shoes. We bring the dust, the dirt, the dry sand and everything else too. If you have area rugs, all of this is collecting on the rugs and can cause damage to your rugs if you aren’t proactive about vacuuming and making sure your rug gets the care it needs and deserves. Even if you don’t think of yourself as an outdoor active person, vacuuming frequently is a very important component of prolonging your rug’s life on your floor or wall.
There are many types of area rugs. Flat weave rugs from the American Indian tribes, Mexico, or Persian flat weave rugs are quite popular and for good reason – they are beautiful. Flat weave rugs are more susceptible to bearing the brunt of having dry soil ground into them and fibers can become damaged much more easily than thicker rugs from this soil. Dry soil is extremely abrasive and, under a microscope, looks similar to sand paper. You wouldn’t want to rub sandpaper against your soft, delicate skin, so why grind “sandpaper-like” dry soil into the soft, delicate fibers of your nice wool rug?
Vacuuming is the best defense against dry soil. You should keep it from accumulating and building up on your rug, so again, do it often! And do it right, too, so you can prevent any unnecessary damage that may occur from vacuuming incorrectly. When considering vacuums, the best tool for the job is either a canister vacuum or an electric sweeper from one of many manufacturers such as Bissell or Shark. I NEVER recommend to use an upright vacuum that has a beater bar on it. That is far too aggressive for your delicate flat weave and will not do any good. Be careful that your vacuum’s suction isn’t too strong.
Your goal is to have just enough suction to lift dry soil yet gentle enough not to damage your rug’s fibers. Move across your rug from side to side along the width of the rug, taking extra caution near the fringes that may be on the ends. You can also use the upholstery attachment so that you have more control – however this may not be your first option as this is a slower process. Another good tool is an electric sweeper.
Remember – you want to treat these rugs with the care wool needs and deserves. Wool is much more delicate than synthetic fibers such as nylon, which means that you have to be wary of the suction power of your vacuum. If it’s too strong, it can cause the fibers to become fuzzy (we call that fuzzed out) and lose their nice definition and fluffiness. If it’s a small rug, you might opt to try a soft brush that will give you control over your vacuuming and help to prevent those soft wool fibers from becoming fuzzy. Soft brushes are gentle on the rug fibers and will achieve the results you want to keep that tricky dry soil off of your rug.
To make sure that your rug can be enjoyed for years to come, you should always have it cleaned PROFESSIONALLY at least every 1 to 3 years depending on your life style and the amount of useage your rug receives. TIP: Never let dry soil accumulate on your rugs to the point that they become damaged or extremely dirty looking. A rug that looks highly soiled, likely has permanent, irreversible fiber damage. Give us a call at Arizona Oriental for your free estimate. We would be honored to help you maintain your fine area rugs – keeping them looking their best!
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 Sedona, Prescott, Prescott Valley, 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.
Call us if you have any further questions about what’s the best way to vacuum a flat weave wool area rug in Sedona, AZ at 928-445-1718, visit our website at www.ArizonaOriental.com, or stop by Monday 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).