Hi folks!  Your local area rug expert Ruthie here with Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care in Prescott, AZ once again.  I think it’s probably safe to assume that you clicked on this article because you have a really nice-looking shag area rug and have figured out the maintenance of it requires more effort than a typical area rug.

Shag rugs are notorious hoarders and the longer the shag, the more the rug will capture.  What settles on them is very likely to get grabbed and gobbled up by the rug.  Nothing is safe!  Here at Arizona Oriental, we find all sorts of things in shag rugs - bobby pins, crackers, coins, LEGOs, even Barbie shoes!  Though if you already own a shag rug, I’m sure you already know how good they are at hiding things.

How do you best care for an area rug like this? There’s no easy answer outside of just rolling it up and dropping it off here at our facility, but I’ll try to make the process less intimidating.

You can’t really vacuum a shag rug, but you CAN “dust” the rug with pretty good success!  You’ll want to gather your family members or a couple of friends and take your rug out to the backyard.  Hold your rug upside down and shake vigorously to dislodge whatever your rug is willing to give up.  Keep shaking until you see nothing else being shaken out.

Shaking your rug out frequently will let you stay one step ahead of your rug and help your rug last longer.  Along with removing the bobby pins, toys, and crackers, you’ll also be shaking out the dry soil your rug sucks up.  Dry soil is extremely abrasive on rugs fibres and robs your rug of its beauty sooner than a rug that gets regularly dusted.

Once you’ve shaken your rug out, use a small shop vac (something without a strong suction that will pull too hard on your rug’s fibres) to go over the rug row by row.  Some rugs are more delicate than others, so be careful with the vacuum you use!

If you have a sheepskin (or flokati) rug, you can try a dog grooming brush.  You’ll want a wide-toothed brush to get the job done right.  You shouldn’t use this method for silky synthetic fibres because there’s a good chance the brush will damage the fibres.

Shag rugs tend to be pretty high-maintenance and you should expect them to require more frequent professional cleanings along with regular at-home maintenance too.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call and we’ll be more than happy to help you care for your rugs!

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.

Give us a call for more information about how to care for your shag area rugs 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). 06-16-2020