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
KAS recommends only 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. |
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| 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. KAS does not guarantee that the above recommendations will work, and they should be used as a guideline only. KAS is not responsible for any damage done to the rug or the surface underneath the rug.
