What’s the BEST Way to Vacuum Your Thick Wool Area Rug? – Prescott Valley AZ
I’m Ruthie with Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care and I always try to remind my clients that dry soil is the NUMBER ONE cause of excessive wear and the heavy soiling of area rugs. If dry soil is allowed to build up, it can even cause serious damage. At Arizona Oriental, our goal is to always provide our clients with the proper tools to care for their area rugs at home between professional cleanings. Today I thought I would cover how to properly vacuum your thick wool area rugs.
What’s the best defense against the build-up of dry soil in your rug’s fibers? Frequent vacuuming! Dry soil looks and acts like sandpaper and grinds away at our rug’s delicate fibers as we walk on it, wearing away at the base of fibers. This can cause fiber loss and creates traffic wear patterns in our rugs. The good news is that rugs with a thick, sturdy pile can handle much more vacuuming than other rugs.
How frequently should you vacuum?
I always tell my clients they should be vacuuming AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK. This helps you stay on top of dry soil and keep it from working its way down to the base of your rug. Of course, if you have a more active home with lots of kid and pet traffic, you should vacuum more frequently.
What’s the best kind of vacuum to use?
For thick-pile, wool rugs, a quality canister vacuum is preferred. These provide the suction needed to remove dry soil without a beater bar. Beater bar vacuums are designed for wall-to-wall carpets and are too aggressive on delicate rug fibers. If this is your only option, either turn off the beater bar or raise it to its highest setting to prevent damage to your rug’s fibers. For rugs that are rippling, an upholstery tool attachment will give you more control as opposed to an upright vacuum.
Avoid the side cords and fringes of your rug as you vacuum
from side to side across the width of your rug.
Another tip is to turn your rug over every 3-4 months and use a beater bar vacuum on the back to shake loose the dry soil that has managed to find its way into the base of your rug. You should never wait for a traffic pattern to appear from soil accumulation before you vacuum & have your rug professionally cleaned. Seeing traffic patterns is your rug’s way of telling you that it can’t take any more soil and fiber damage is starting to happen.
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 Valley, Prescott, 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). (06-07-17)
