Host Mary Ellen Pinkham visits with a homeowner to offer some ideas for keeping area rugs looking good.
- Avoid mangling the fringe while vacuuming. Pull the vacuum back toward yourself (figure A). Do not go forward and backward as this will get the fringes stuck in the vacuum.
- Rug stores or carpet stores will replace fringes on rugs after they get all clumped up. To eliminate the fringe problem, use duct tape to tape the fringes to the underside of the rug (figure B).
- The best way to clean a rug is to vacuum it. Hanging it outside and banging it with a broom or stick will eventually ruin the rug.
- Keep an abrasive mat in front of the front door to prevent dirt from being tracked in the house.
- Shed your shoes after coming in the house. Keep a shoe mat right inside the front door and have guests and family members take off their shoes before proceeding through the house. Also, keep a rug in front of the front door so people can wipe their feet as they come in.
- To keep dirt minimal, vacuum the rugs a couple of times a week.
- Have rugs professionally cleaned every couple of years.
- Consider using a plain rug. Pick out a suitable style of carpet, and have the carpet store make a rug of just about any size from a piece of the carpet.
- Do not lay a rug over any other kind of carpet. This will wear away the weaves in the carpet beneath the rug.
- With any rug, make sure to have an anti-slip mat underneath to keep the rug from sliding.
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