Rug Care & Maintenance

Just like everything else today, rugs need special care to prolong their beauty and provide years of use. Regular cleaning and adequate treatments will help extend the life of your rug.

Rug Care & Maintenance
INITIAL CARE:	Vacuum both the top and bottom sides of your rug. Use a rug pad specific to the type of surface on which you will be placing your rug. This will help protect your floor or wall-to-wall carpeting and will extend the life of your rug.
DAILY/WEEKLY:	Vacuum the top side. Handmade rugs will have some natural shedding of excess fibers. (or AS NEEDED) Carved rugs will have more excess fibers. DO NOT use a beater bar vacuum. Set the head of the vacuum at the highest setting so you will not be 'pulling' out any fibers. Blot spills and stains immediately.
ANNUALLY:	Vacuum both top and bottom sides of your rug. Rotate rugs to ensure even wear and prevent fading. Replace worn rug pads.
LONG-TERM:	Professionally clean a good quality rug every 3-5 years. Hot water extraction machines are NOT recommended.
Rug-Specific Care
HAND-KNOTTED:	Vacuum on a regular basis with the pile level set on high. Be careful not to let the vacuum 'eat' the fringes.
TUFTED:	Vacuum on a regular basis with the pile level set on high.
HOOKED:	Vacuum regularly with an upholstery attachment. DO NOT use a rotary vacuum with a beater bar. If long ends appear above the top edge of the rug, DO NOT pull them. This is not a defect and is called 'sprouting'. It is a common occurrence with hand-hooked rugs. Use scissors to carefully cut the sprouted ends to be even with the rest of the rug.
BAMBOO:	Blot spills immediately. Wipe with a damp cloth. Do not saturate with water as it may damage the backing.
JUTE & SISAL:	For indoor use only. Keep away from excessive moisture. Blot spills immediately using a clean towel until most of the moisture is absorbed. Do not steam clean or use any method of cleaning that involved water saturation. Professional cleaning only.
Stain/Damage Cleaning
FLOOD DAMAGE:	First blot excess water. Lay flat and then dry by air using a fan or low temperature hair dryer. Vacuum. Professionally clean good quality rugs.
SPILLS:	First blot excess liquid. Clean with a white cloth using a dry cleaning fluid or a simple solution of 1 Tsp. mild detergent such as Woolite, 1 Tsp. white vinegar and 1 Quart warm water. Extract excess liquid with a wet/dry vacuum.
STAINS:	Since different stains require different cleaning treatments, it is important to identify the cause and nature of the stain. Below is a list of common stains and how they are best removed. Always test your cleaning solution on a portion of the rug not seen.
Recommended Stain-Specific Cleaning Treatment We recommend the use of Woolite as a mild detergent for the cleaning of all rugs. The cleaning process should involve applying the Woolite with a soft bristle brush, rinsing lightly with water (not saturated), extracting with a vacuum, and the rug should then be dried by air or a low-temperature hair dryer.
Acid-based	Mild detergent & white vinegar
Alcohol	Mild detergent & white vinegar or Dry cleaning fluid
Bleach	Mild detergent & white vinegar
Blood	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Starch paste
Butter	Dry cleaning fluid
Charcoal	Vacuum and then warm water and mild detergent
Chewing Gum	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Chocolate	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Coffee	Glycerine, or Dry cleaning fluid and then warm water and mild detergent
Cosmetics	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Crayon	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum
Furniture polish	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Glue	Alcohol
Grass	Methylated spirits, or Turpentine
Gravy	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Grease	Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum
Ice cream	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Ink	Turpentine, or Dry cleaning fluid then warm water and detergent
Medicine (liquid)	Call a professional rug cleaner.
Metal polish	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Mildew	Call a professional rug cleaner.
Milk	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Mud	Mild detergent & white vinegar
Mustard	Mild detergent & white vinegar
Nail polish	Nail polish remover (non-acetone)
Oils or oily spills	Dry cleaning fluid
Paint	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Perfume	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Permanent marker/ink	Call a professional rug cleaner.
Salad dressing	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Sauces	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Shoe polish	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum
Soot	Vacuum, and then Dry cleaning fluid
Tea	Mild detergent & white vinegar
Urine (pet)	Call a professional rug cleaner.
Vomit	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid
Wax	Cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum
Wine	Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

The preceding information is only a recommendation. Downeast Rug Company does not guarantee that the above recommendations will work, and they should be used as a guideline only. Downeast Rug Company is not responsible for any damage done to the rug or the surface underneath the rug.