By J. Franklin
Shag rugs are a great addition to any home, and the different varieties of shag rugs available make it easy to find one to match any type of decor, whether you have a modern and contemporary home environment or a more traditional style. Shag is a term to describe a rug that has a high pile and is not very dense. The high pile and low density cause the shag material to essentially lay and give it a shaggy look.
Shag rugs are made from a wide variety of materials and can come in a spectrum of different colors. Depending on the material of your shag rug, there are different ways to clean it. Most cotton based or synthetic based shag rugs will be easy to clean by washing them in a cold gentle cycle and allowing them to air dry. Some specialty rugs may require special soap and cleaning methods.
Here are two popular types of shag rugs that require special care:
Flokati Shag Rugs
A flokati shag rug is made of 100% New Zealand wool and can be cared for and cleaned in a few different ways. It is advised that you shake out your flokati frequently to release loose dust and debris, this will keep your flokati in good shape and give you more time between thorough cleanings. To wash your flokati rug, you should check the tag or manufacturer’s instructions to see if your particular rug requires special care.
Typically flokati rugs can be washed in a gentle, cold cycle with the very mildest of wool cleaning soap. Do not use hot water, abrasive detergents, or chlorine bleach when washing your flokati -these may discolor and damage the wool fibers of your flokati shag rug. After washing your flokati, you should air dry it – do not dry it in your drying machine because the heat will damage the wool fibers. When air drying your flokati, do not attempt to dry the rug in direct sunlight. The UV rays may cause discoloration of the wool that is irreversible.
If you are uncomfortable with washing your own flokati or if your flokati rug is too large to fit inside of your washing machine, then you might consider calling a professional rug cleaner. Professional rug cleaners will likely have experience with flokati rugs and often provide a service that will pick up, clean, and then re-deliver your rug for you. It is not a good idea to bring your flokati shag rug to the dry cleaners because they will likely use harsh chemicals or extreme heat in their cleaning process which may damage your rug.
Leather Shag Rugs
Leather shag rugs are becoming popular because of their durability and ability to blend in well with home and office decor. One way to keep your leather shag rug clean is by shaking it out regularly. Since the strips of leather are not dense, it is easy to get a lot of the debris that get between the strips out by a good shaking.
Vacuuming with an upholstery attachment that allows you to spot vacuum using the suctioning action of the machine is a good way to clean your leather shag rug. Do not vacuum over the shag rug because the strands of leather will get caught in the rotating mechanism of the vacuum and can damage your rug, it is best to spot vacuum without any risk of exposing your shag rug to rotating portion of your vacuum.
If shaking and spot vacuuming does not clean your leather shag rug thoroughly enough, then you should consider bringing it to a professional rug cleaner or the dry cleaners. Attempting to clean your leather shag rug yourself using chemicals can be damaging to the material and can lead to discoloration of the leather, so it is best to leave the cleaning to those who are familiar with cleaning leather professionally.
About the Author: You can find out more through a collection of
shag rug articles
that covers everything from shag rug materials to shag rug protection, or you can browse different shag rugs by visiting
brownshagrug.com
.
Source:
isnare.com
Permanent Link:
isnare.com/?aid=501801&ca=Home+Management