Maintaining an Area Rug for Your Home

Gone are the days where a wool rug is just an item where household members wipe their shoes. Area rugs are a great accessory to decorate your home with. They can create unique and creative interior designs. They define, decorate, complement and emphasize room design and furniture.

If you have an area of carpet that has stains or is worn out an area rug can be the perfect covering for it. Often a stain either means you buy new carpet or you just live with it. Covering it with a beautiful new rug will not only mask the stain, it will make the area attractive and fresh looking. This is another reason why runner style rugs and round wool rugs are perfect for high traffic areas. They can cover any wear and tear that has accrued on the carpet.

Taking care of area rugs is quick and simple. Simply run a vacuum over the top of the rug. When you are through with that flip the rug over and vacuum the bottom side as well. This little trick will help get out any dirt or grime that has settled towards the bottom of the rug. This is another reason why area rugs make sense for highly walked upon areas, they are easy to clean. If you plan on having your carpet steam cleaned you should make sure that you don't have a wool or silk carpet. Wool can be cleaned by yourself but silk should only be cleaned by a professional. Synthetic materials will hold up to just about any cleaning machine.

Rugs will come in a multitude of sizes and styles. Choose a long rectangular rug for hallways. A round doorway style rug is perfect for an entryway. Square or slightly rectangular rugs work great for dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. If you plan on placing any furniture over top of the rug make sure that it is large enough to hold all of the furnishings within its area. This will help keep the rug and place and guests won't trip over the edges as easy. It will also promote an even wear pattern.

Choosing a color won't be an easy task. Area rugs come in all kinds of colors and patterns. Traditional rugs will have intricate patterns, usually woven in gold on a maroon background. Newer styles will feature anything from pineapples to favorite cartoon characters. You should choose the style that best reflects your personality.