How to Maintain Area Rugs
In the past, we’ve talked about ways to improve the overall appeal of your property, whether you’re trying to rent it out, sell it, or are simply a homeowner looking to maintain the value on your home (in case you missed it, here’s a detailed blog on inexpensive additions to improve the value and appeal of your home). One addition that’s often overlooked is the presence of area rugs for living spaces or throw rugs for hallways, both of which can add a bit of homey comfort to a living area, especially if you’ve got hardwood or laminate flooring. What’s not usually mentioned, however, is the need to maintain those rugs. An area rug, in particular, is a significant investment, so maintaining that investment in order to realize the greatest possible benefit is a matter of common sense.
Obviously, the simplest step to maintaining area rugs is to vacuum them regularly. High-traffic areas such as hallways should be vacuumed twice a week while out of the way areas should be done once a week – more if you’ve got pets. Most people mistakenly assume the main reason for vacuuming is the removal of dirt, and while that’s certainly an issue, the real need for weekly vacuuming comes from the grit and other items near the base of the carpet hairs. If these aren’t removed, they can fray or cut the individual hairs as they move when someone walks across the floor, effectively shortening the lifespan of the rug. To effectively remove the debris, it’s important to be deliberate about vacuuming each area of carpet several times, moving the vacuum slowly as you do so.
While stains and spills are a constant risk and in some cases inevitable, the good news is most carpets and area rugs are designed to be spill resistant these days. You’ll want to check with the manufacturer before purchasing to make sure the rug you’re buying has this quality. That being said, in the event of a spill, you’ll still need to take immediate action to remove the spill before it leaves a stain. The longer you wait, the more likely it is the spill will soak into the hairs of the carpet and the harder it will ultimately be to remove the stain. Depending on the material spilled, the stain may become permanent. When tackling the spill, there’s a tendency for most to try to rub the carpet to get the liquid out, and this is a huge mistake. Rubbing the spill will spread it through the base of the carpet and the liquid will be absorbed by more hairs, resulting in a bigger stain that’s harder to remove due to being pushed down further into the rug. The best approach is to blot the liquid, dabbing it in order for the liquid to be soaked up into the towel naturally. Use the same type of pressure you would when using a sponge to blot up a spill on a table and you should get most of the liquid. On its own, blotting won’t remove all the spilled liquid, so you’ll want to use a cleaning agent to fully eradicate the entire stain. Cleaning agents have different purposes and react differently to different carpets, so make sure you’re aware of that. While most will not ruin your carpet, some can lighten the color. Whenever you purchase a cleaning product for a carpet, make sure to test it discreetly on a corner to make sure using it won’t create a worse problem than the original spill itself. If everything looks good, then just follow the directions on the product and your carpet should be good to go.
If you take one thing away from this guide, make sure you set up a regular schedule for vacuuming your carpet, because that’s the most important thing you can do to maintain your carpet over the long run. Having said that, every carpet will need a deep cleaning sooner or later. If you notice the carpet kicking up significant amounts of dust when you walk across it, or if the carpet develops a sort of sticky feel, it’s time for a deep cleaning. Most commercial cleaners use a variety of methods, but for our purposes we want to stick with one you can do yourself: steam cleaning. Steam cleaners can be rented from a variety of outlets, and they all work the same way by combining very hot water and cleaning agents applied under pressure. This method normally gives better results for pet problems or spills, and it’s completely safe for both children and pets. You’ll want to make a day of it, so to speak, because steam-cleaning jobs generally take about 12-18 hours to dry depending on conditions. Also worth noting is the fact that most carpet manufactures recommend an annual steam cleaning to maintain their warranty, so keep that in mind as well.
Hopefully we’ve managed to shed a bit of light on both the importance of and fundamentals behind area rug maintenance, and though it may seem redundant to some, as investors we often see less experiences owners and investors neglecting the small things, and it’s important to remember that even the smallest, most innocuous things can and do add up, whether it’s adding up to your overall profit or adding up and creating additional costs. Remember, investing in real estate is about having an overall plan and sticking to it in order to protect your investment and ensure it appreciates in value, and which means your plan should include maintenance of all aspects of the property. Don’t forget to check back with us each week for more tips on how to effectively and profitably invest in real estate, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
– Get It Right Solutions LLC