Your rugs are a significant investment and an essential part of your home’s decor. But like everything else, they can accumulate dirt, dust, and stains without proper care.
And while it may be tempting to think first of just tossing the dirty rugs away and getting new ones, replacing a new rug can be expensive. If your rug has already lost its shine and vitality, don’t throw it away yet!
With a little know-how on the care and maintenance of rugs, you may be able to revitalise its looks. Today, we’ll show you some rug and carpet care tips that can help you bring back the lustre and life of your rugs.
How do rugs get damaged in the first place?
First, let’s talk about why you need to revitalise your rug in the first place. This can help you figure out what you’re fighting with our tips!
Obviously, a rug may be damaged from incidents like fires, accidents, and rough handling. However, the most common cause of damage is simply people’s failure to carry out proper care and maintenance of rugs.
If you’re wondering how poor rug or carpet care can damage a rug, there are several ways it happens. The most obvious way isn’t even a visual issue: it’s through odour retention.
Without proper cleaning, carpets and rugs can retain unpleasant odours. Bacteria and mould can create musty and even rot-like scents. Pet urine can be equally insidious, as any owner of both (untrained) pets and rugs in Singapore likely knows!
And like stains, odours tend to get worse the longer you wait to deal with them. That can lead to a serious downgrade in air quality for the living space where you have the rug.
Aside from that, dirt and debris in a rug can accumulate to the point where it creates deposits on the fibres. These then act like abrasive particles that wear the fibres down each time they move.
Over time, this may lead to fibres getting so worn down that they both look and feel thin. This can even lead to a permanent aesthetic and tactile issue with your rug!
Vacuum regularly (or as directed by manufacturers, for custom rugs)
You need to start by setting a schedule for vacuuming your rug regularly. Over time, dirt, dust, and other debris can accumulate on your rug, causing them to look dull and lifeless. You’d be astonished how effective a simple vacuuming can be at reviving a rug like that!
Anyway, vacuum the rug with just enough force to ensure that you remove as much dirt and debris as possible.
Remember: you should be cautious and not to be too aggressive as this may cause damage to the rug fibres or pull up any loose threads or fringes. You just want to vacuum the rug enough for rejuvenation and maintenance, not deconstruction!
So how often should carpets be cleaned with a vacuum after that? It depends on factors like rug material and foot traffic, but generally, you should aim to vacuum at least twice a week.
Put together an assessment-and-remediation plan
If the vacuuming doesn’t seem to be enough to revive your old rug, you may need to do something else. That’s where an assessment-and-remediation plan comes in handy.
Basically, you want to inspect the affected rug and its surroundings. Doing the former tells you what exactly needs to be cleaned or fixed to bring it back to life. Doing the latter can give you insight on discoveries from the former.
For example, inspecting a worn-out, otherwise high-quality rug may tell you that its main problem is an odd unevenness of colour. Then, checking the living room where it sits may tell you the cause of that, which could be sunlight from a window falling on part of it.
Assessment is a good way to figure out what to do, from spot-cleaning to change of rug placement. It also prevents you from wasting time on “rug revival” attempts that aren’t likely to yield results.
Clean and deodorise with baking soda
Using baking soda is an effective cleaning solution for your grimy and smelly rugs, whether you need to spot clean or wash them.
However, it’s crucial to remember that baking soda may not be suitable for all types of rugs, especially delicate rugs. So, it’s always best to test a small, unnoticeable area of the rug before using baking soda or any cleaning solution on the entire rug.
Anyway, here’s how to clean a carpet or rug with baking soda without water:
- To remove stains and odours from your rug, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the affected area.
- Leave it on for several hours or overnight, and then vacuum it up with a vacuum cleaner.
- This method can help to absorb moisture and remove unpleasant smells from the rug.
If you want to wash your rug with baking soda, on the other hand, these are the steps:
- Create a paste by mixing baking soda with warm water.
- Apply the paste to the rug using a sponge or brush.
- Work the paste into the fibres of the rug and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse the rug with water until the water runs clear.
- Allow the rug to air-dry completely before placing it back on the floor.
Disclaimer: Consult a professional cleaner when in doubt.
Rotate your rugs regularly
Another way to try to bring worn rugs back to life is to rotate them (and do so on a regular basis afterwards).
As time passes, feet can wear down the fibres in your rugs, causing them to look faded and flattened in the areas that get the most traffic.
Unfortunately, when your rug is in the same place or position each time, the places where people pass regularly end up looking far more worn than others.
A good way to address this is to clean and possibly rake (we’ll give you more on this technique later) the rug first, then rotate it from its previous position when returning it to where it was.
This can also help you even out things like colour fading, which we mentioned earlier as an example of wear in our section on assessment and remediation. Direct sunlight can fade rug dyes faster, with most of the damage caused by UV rays.
So, to prevent your rug from becoming overly worn or damaged, try rotating your rugs every six months or so, to ensure even wear and tear. This practice will help to preserve the rug’s original appearance and extend its lifespan.
There’s an added bonus to this, by the way. By rotating your rugs, you can also change the look and feel of a room.
Different areas of the rug will be exposed to foot traffic and sunlight when you rotate. This can give the impression of a brand-new rug without having to purchase a new one.
Rake it up
A rug rake can also bring your rug back to life. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a simple tool designed to lift and separate the fibres of your rug.
How does it help? Simple: it removes dirt, dust, and debris. Using a rug rake can also restore the fluffiness and texture of your rugs, which is great when you want a rug to look good again.
Note that you can combine raking with other techniques in this list for your rug rejuvenation plan. For example:
- You can rake your carpet before vacuuming to loosen debris and fibers for better vacuuming results.
- You can rake your carpet after vacuuming, to pull up matted carpet and give your carpet that “like new” look and feel.
- You can rake your carpet before a deep cleaning (for the same reason as raking it before a vacuuming session).
Consider reaching out to us if you need professional rug cleaning in Singapore, by the way.
Do some deep cleaning or get professionals to do it
A deep cleaning can work wonders for an old rug. For small rugs with mild grime, this can usually be done on your own by shampooing the rug with a mild detergent and rinsing it thoroughly.
On the other hand, if your rugs are very large, heavily soiled, have a strong odour, or have persistent stains, it’s best to seek professional help. The same applies if you don’t know how to deep-clean a rug.
Professional rug cleaning services use specialised equipment and cleaning solutions to cleanse your rugs and remove dirt, stains, and odours effectively. They can also address damage or fraying to your rug’s fibres or edges, restoring the piece to its original condition.
Professionals can also do rug-cleaning jobs faster than homeowners, generally speaking. This is due to both the tools they already have at hand and their own expertise in the processes involved.If you still plan to try shampooing your rug yourself, by the way, be sure to read our article on mistakes to avoid when doing that. It can help you avoid damaging the rug by accident!
What if none of the tips above are working?
Now, sometimes, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles: some rugs or carpets will just reach a point when they can’t be brought back to (presentable) life.
If the tips above or the ones in our other rug cleaning articles don’t make a difference to your rug, it may be time to consider getting a new one.
Fortunately, rug makers offer high-quality rugs that are durable and can last a long time. It’s okay to let go of an old rug when it’s really given up the ghost – and this lets you invest in a new one that will give you a fresh start in terms of home decor and comfort.If you’re interested in that, contact us. We can design and make your own custom rug for your first home… and even give you more decor tips along the way!
