CARE & CLEANING

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RUG GETS WET

If for any reason a rug gets wet, on delivery or whilst in the home, leave it to dry completely. To do this, remove all packaging and lay the rug out. Allow the rug to dry naturally. Do not raise the room temperature, around 20 degrees is the ideal room temperature.

In cases where Wool is the main composition, the rug may need more time to fully dry due to the yarn being heavier.

Lyocell and Viscose are more uniform so, generally, take less time to dry.

In some cases, the rug may 'ripple'. This is because the latex backing has become a little rigid. To elevate this, turn the rug over and take a hairdryer, gently drying the backing. The latex will dilate and the initial shape will return. The rippling will also disappear once furniture is in place and walking over the rug will help with this too.

Where underfloor heating is present, do not lay anything down under the rug as this will exasperate the issue.

HOW TO HOOVER YOUR RUG

Once the rug is fully dried, light hoovering is necessary.

A Dyson is too powerful, we do not recommend using a Dyson hoover because of the rotary bristles which could pull the yarns.

In our experience a Miele or Henry are both very good types of hoovers for our rugs. We recommend using the flat-suction or smooth floor functions on your hoover. If you do not switch your hoovers function from carpet to tile, you risk pulling and shredding the yarns in loop pile rugs. Our hand-tufted rugs are 14mm pile height.

Do not be tempted to hoover a rug or carpet when it's wet, leave it to dry completely.

WHY DO RUGS SHED?

All cut pile rugs will lose short fibre, which is created during production when spun yarn is cut for tufted formation. These fibres fall onto the surface of the pile and appear as fluff.

The effect varies with yarn type and may be removed without detrimental effect upon the carpet by vacuum hoovering. This excess fibre is only a small fraction of the total fibre contained in the carpet.

We recommend the use of a flat head hoover like a Henry or Miele. We do not recommend the use of a Dyson as the head has a “bristle” rotating arm that will pull the yarns.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A PULLED LOOP

Pulled loops occur in looped pile rugs where one or more loops in a continuous pile, are pulled through the primary backing of the rug. This is usually due to some local condition, possibly some sharp object which has caught a loop in situ and has resulted in a pull.

Pulled loops are easily dealt with by trimming the offending end level with the rest of the pile. If you notice a pulled loop do not leave it as this could result in further loops being pulled and developing a ladder.

WHAT IS SPROUTING?

Occasionally an odd tuft or two can work its way to the surface and stand proud of the rest of the pile. This could be as a result of one end of the tuft being longer than the other, i.e. J shaped tuft instead of a V shaped.

Remedial action merely requires that the offending tufts be scissor-trimmed level with the rest of the pile. You should never pull a sprouted tuft.

WHEN DOES SHADING OCCUR?

Shading occurs because the pile of the rug has become crushed, flattened or brushed in a different direction to the natural lie of the pile. This causes light reflection at different angles resulting in the creation of light and dark pathes on the rug.

All pile fabrics can show shading but it is more noticeable on plainer rugs because the shadows created by pile pressure will not be disguised by a heavy pattern or design.

STATIC RUG

Rugs do not produce static but like other household fabrics and objects they have the capacity to store it.

Static is caused by the build up of static electricity on people in dry environments. It is then discharged when a person makes contact with an object which can conduct electricity (i.e. door handles or filling cabinets).

The static charge will vary in intensity depending on the individual, air humidity and the contact materials.

Static is more usually associated with synthetic materials as they do not retain moisture very well but can and does occur with wool in very dry room conditions. Preventative measures include the introduction of moisture into the room or in situ rugs.

HOW TO PREVENT RUGS FROM FADING

Rugs made from wool can and do fade in use. The degree of fade can vary depending on the colour chosen and the local conditions to which the rug is subjected.

Fading can be caused by exposure to ultra violet light which is found in daylight, but it is accelerated when sunlight shines directly onto the rug. This has the effect of lightening or bleaching the colour just as exposure to sunlight will lighten human hair. Wool is, after all, animal hair.

Protection should be given to rugs exposed to such conditions just as you would protect other furniture or fabrics.

PILE REVERSAL

Like Shading, this occurs when the pile or nap of the rug changes direction. This reflects light at different angles showing the effects of shading which can become permanent.

It is also described as 'Watermarking'. This can happen to rug construction be it Axminster, Wilton, Tufted, Hand Woven, Persian, Chinese, Indian or even Coir Matting.

Like 'shading' pile reversal can be more apparent on plain rugs because heavy patterns disguise the effect.

Pile reversal can occur quite quickly after installation. A tremendous amount of research has been carried out over many years by many Institutes to determine the cause of this phenomenon but none of it has proved conclusive. There is no commonly known manufacturing process which can cause or cure this phenomenon and therefore it is not considered a manufacturing fault.

For further information on pile reversal please check with individual manufacturers recommendations.

HOW TO PREVENT INDENTATIONS

When a rug is subjected to a heavy point load, such as the legs of furniture, it is unreasonable to expect the rug not to indent. Usually, the longer the load is in place, the longer the time for the pile to recover. In the case of very heavy loads which are in place for a long period, the recovery time can be very considerable.

It must be remembered that it is not only the pile of the rug that becomes indented. If an underlay has been used this will also be indented along with some possible distortion of the backing. Some underlays will recover well and some less so, depending upon the composition, thickness and density etc.

The use of cups below furniture legs can spread the load and the net result is a larger area of less deeply indented rug.

Often normal maintenance, vacuum cleaning to manipulate the pile will speed up the recovery but in the case of serious indentations, the use of an iron and damp cloth or a steam iron together with a blunt darning needle to carefully tease up the pile, can be beneficial. Care must be taken not to over-wet the carpet, and not too hot an iron of course.

FLATTENING

Flattening will occur as a result of traffic which eventually flattens the pile particularly in the main areas of use. All pile fabrics will flatten to greater or lesser degree dependent on the amount of traffic to which it is subjected and the construction (tuft density/pile fibre/height/weight) of the product concerned.

WHAT TO DO IN CASES OF SOILING

Soiling is usually the result of some local condition to which the rug has been subjected to, maintenance, or lack of a maintenance programme. There is nothing manufacturers can do to prevent soiling in use.

There are several types of soiling which are quite common:

Spillages – liquids such as soft drinks, cordials or any drink which contains sugar, particularly hot drinks, are likely to leave a stain. In such instances, professional help should be sought.

Shampoo – if incorrectly applied, shampoo can leave sticky soap residues in the fibres which can result in the soiling reappearing quite rapidly.

Dust – carried in on draughts, dust can soil rugs in various ways. Apart from the obvious soiled edges (at gaping skirting boards for instance), dark lines that appear on the surface of the rug might suggest airborne dust vacuum-drawn through poorly fitted floorboards. Sometimes the shape of floorboards can be seen quite clearly.

Airborne dust sometimes shows itself as spots on rugs. This is due to the air carried on a draught under the rug escaping through minute holes in the underlay, if used, and the rug, leaving dust deposited on the pile much like a filter action.

In such installations, the use of a lining paper is essential as a preventative measure.

It is the responsibility of the retailer/designer to advise the consumer when the rug is fitted, if applicable, of any poorly fitted doors, skirtings or floorboards and the consumers responsibility to ensure all remedial work to seal draughts, is carried out before the rug, if applicable, is fitted, if a resulting complaint is to be avoided.

Please consult one of our agents if you have any questions or concerns regarding your rug.

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