The Evils of Tufted Rugs

When you go out to buy a rug these days, you have lots of choices.

Which comes with quite a range in pricing.

That means you are going to come across really well made rugs.

And rugs that are made cheaply.

Of all the cheaply made rugs the one to watch out for is the "tufted rug".

Why?

Well because of how the rug has been manufactured.

Basically a tufted rug is one that has rug fibres glued to a backing.

Yes glued. Not woven. Not hand knotted. Glued.

Now there are some advantages to making a tufted rug.

They are fast and easy to manufacture.

They can easily be made with the latest design trends.

So finding one that matches your décor can be easy.

But tufted rugs have a dark side.

Because of the way they are manufactured they do not last very long.

Like 5 - 10 years at the most.

Why?

Well because of the fact they are pieces of fibres glued to a fabric backing.

The glue only last for a few years before it breaks down.

Not only that - the glue some companies use are NOTORIOUS for having a bad odour.

An odour that never seems to leave.

An odour that has been described by people as a combination of burnt rubber and dirty sweaty socks.

You would think you could wash that odour out right?

Unfortunately, rugs that smell bad to begin with tend to be worse after being cleaned.

It has to do with the glue and filler they use.

(Filler is whatever they put in the glue to make it go farther - everything from water to marble dust to who knows what!)

Speaking of getting cleaned, tufted rugs need to cared for in a special way.

And many times they can never be thoroughly cleaned at all.

Why?

Because if the glue has begun to break down any kind of washing will pull the fibers right off the backing.

Leaving you with a "holes" in your rug.

So if you have kids, animals, or teenagers who tend to be slobs a tufted rug is going to be a problem.

Unless it is fairly new, any kind of messy sticky food or pet stains may never be thoroughly removed.

Other problem these rugs run into are...

• Delamination (where the glue separates from the rug)

• Backing discolouration
• Colour bleeding

How can you tell a tufted rug from all other kinds of rugs?

Easy.

If the back of the rug is piece of fabric and you cannot see the same pattern on the back as you do on the front...

...that's a tufted rug.

A rug that's made of fibres glued to a fabric backing.

If you happen to own one of these bad boys never have them cleaned in your home. 

Even though you may not see any warning signs in the rug itself, you run the risk of potential damage to your floors (yellowing, dye transfer, latex powder residue) or a damaged rug if it gets cleaned by a ordinary carpet cleaner.

Instead bring it to a professional rug cleaner like Luv-A-Rug.

• They know exactly what can go wrong with tufted rugs.
• They know what potential hazards to look out for and how to handle them.
• They know the exact cleaning procedures to use for your particular rug.
• They also know what you can expect for results depending how well your rug is holding up.

Now here's the thing.

You may have a tufted rug.

It may be the perfect piece for your décor.

It also may be irreplaceable because you decorated around it.

The people at Luv-a-Rug understand that.

And will do everything in their power to make your tufted rug look as new as possible.

No matter how fragile it's become.

That's why real master rug cleaners like you find at Luv-A-Rug is your only choice for tufted rugs.

They have the training, knowledge and expertise to handle them so you never have to worry about losing an important piece of your decor.

And of course...Luv-A-Rug are also Masters at caring for every other kinds of rugs - especially ones worth tens of thousands of dollars or more.

New fringes give Rug a face lift

Have you ever wondered why area rugs have fringes? When rugs are hand knotted the fringes are the fibers, cotton, wool, or jute, in which the area rug is woven around, the weft fibers. They are necessary on a hand knotted rug to keep it together. On a machine made area rug fringes are there for decoration. They are sewn onto the rug after it has been made. Machine made rugs came into existence to be a cheaper version of the hand knotted rugs. They copied the designs and colours of the more expensive rugs, so fringes were added to give the machine rug a more authentic look.
I am not a big fan of fringes, especially on machine made rugs. The fringes are not necessary to the construction of the rug and they wear out and get stained very easily. Many of Luv-A-Rug's clients like the fringes on their area rugs, machine or hand knotted possibly because we are programmed with that is how a rug is supposed to look. Fair enough. We let our clients know that if they ever want to replace or remove the fringes the option is there.
A lovely lady brought in her two beloved rugs for cleaning, one oval and one rectangle and on the rectangle rug she wanted new fringes put on. She had us replace the fringes on the oval rug two years ago.
This is a tufted rug bought many years ago because it was a limited edition pattern. She had the fringes replaced once before, but she never liked that they were white fringes on her golden rug. The fringes were showing sign of use and were starting to pull away from the rug. Upon closer inspection of the rug, I found out why the fringes were coming off. Whoever replaced the fringes cut back the old ones and glued the new ones on. Not the best way to replace fringes.
When Luv-a-Rug replaces fringes we cut off the old ones and bind the ends and then sew the new fringes into the binding.
We replaced the white twisted fringes with a single knot golden fringe which looks a lot better. She was very happy at how her rug looked with the new fringes. It isn't very often that we would add fringes to a tufted rug, but we can if that is what is desired. This job is a great example that any rug can be a treasured item and therefore is worth the extra money to make it look its best. Removing or replacing old worn fringes brings new life to your rug and your love for it. Area rugs are more than just dirt collectors. They enhance the beauty of your home and with a little face lift will continue to do so for many more years.




















Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

How to buy a "Green" area rug

How to buy a 'green' area rug:

Step 1: Make the decision to buy a green rug
Step 2: Make your way to a store that sells area rugs
Step 3: Find a Green rug
Step 4: Buy rug
Step 5: Take rug home

Okay seriously though. The above steps are great if you are looking for a green coloured rug, but what about the other kind of Green? You know the other green. The 'IT' word of the decade, Green / Environmentally Friendly. The awareness of the effect we are having on our planet is at an all time saturation and yet there are thousands of products that are made to be disposable, convenient, and not bio-degradable!
The newest trends in area rugs are Designer/Hand tufted, Shags, Felt, and Viscose area rugs. They are beautiful looking and come in modern patterns and textures.

This is a felt tip rug. It has 1/2 inch thick fibers that are two inches high. The pros of this rug- it is fun, funky, and unique. The cons are- stains easily, hard to vacuum, and once they get dirty they always look dirty. The tips of the fibers blossom out making it hard to clean. These types are rugs are best used in an area that doesn't get used a lot. They will add a nice focal point to a room.



This is a hand tufted or designer area rug. They are readily available pretty much in every store that sells rugs. It is very easy to tell a hand tufted rug, the backing on the rug is fabric. A tufted rug has a hidden secret: glue holds these rugs together. There is the top fibers a layer of glue and the back. The pros of these rugs- modern designs and colours, a great and easy way to add colour to any room. The cons- hard to get out odours, sheds (wool) fibers easily, may have an existing odour issue, temporary rug (not a long life span), not for high use areas.



This is a viscose area rug. Viscose looks and feels a lot like silk. They are the rugs that Belgium is exporting a lot of right now. These rugs look great when new, they are shiny, soft and inviting to walk on. That is the pros of viscose rugs. The cons- stains very easily, fades easily, they show wear areas quickly, do not stand up well to pet accidents.



All three of the above rugs are beautiful and unique, but it is important to remember that once these rugs become too stained to use anymore they are not easily biodegradable and replacing them can get expensive.
Two important tips for choosing a hand tufted rug: Smell the bottom of the fibers and the back of the rug, any odour you may smell is permanent, and second vigorously rug your hand across the rug and pull at the fibers, if you see a lot of fibers shedding that too is permanent.
My wish is that if we stop buying products that aren't good for the environment, eventually they will stop making them. Have a green day.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary.

Area Rugs=Art

Here in our rug cleaning studio in Victoria BC we see all shapes, sizes, colours and textures of rugs and sometimes we are left scratching our heads as to how anyone could possible find some of these rugs attractive at all.

It is no secret that we don't all like the same things. That is very apparent when it comes to decorating and area rugs. This area rug is an art piece that adds more then a floor covering to it's owners life. The design is either by a famous artist or based on a famous artist's work. The company who sells these rugs in located in Brussels. They specialize in Contemporary furnishings and lightening. This is my kind of decorating, sleek and modern with a quirky twist. Very unique and inviting.
This rug is very cherished by it's owner. This is a great example that not every rug has to be old to be a work of art. This is a hand tufted rug and is 6.5'x8'. The bold colours help lift your mood in the dreary winter months, as it should. Sometimes an area rug should be more than just something to cover the floor
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Thanks for reading, RugloverMary, your local Victoria BC rug cleaner, and sometimes challenged rug lover.