ALERT!!! MOTHS ARE ATTACKING VICTORIA'S WOOL RUGS

Just because you aren't using your rug doesn't mean that something isn't. When you roll up your rug and store it away without cleaning it, even for a short time, clothes moth can make it their home.

Clothes moth like the climate in Victoria, BC and have done a lot of damage to many wool rugs. Clothes moths are very small, about an half an inch long, and are a golden colour, but it is their larvae that eats the wool on your rugs and clothing. After the egg hatches into a very tiny worm like larvae they immediately start eating your wool rug and it doesn't take long for them to do a lot of damage.

On May 12, 2011 Luv-A-Rug received 3 phones in a row about moths that have eaten area rugs. The first call came from Duncan, BC about many rugs that had moth damage to them. The rugs were cleaned then rolled up and store in the same room that their pet Parrots slept in. The owner was wondering how the clean rugs got infested since the rugs were not used.

The small feathers and bird droppings would have attracted the moths and then they would have moved onto the rugs for a more undisturbed food source. That is why wrapping your rugs properly after cleaning is so important. Even though the rugs were cleaned if they aren't wrapped up, NEVER IN PLASTIC, they can collect the organic dust from humans and pets in the air and moths will move in on your wool rugs.

Out of sight is not the best when it comes to your wool rugs. It may seem like an hassle or and added expense to get your rugs cleaned, but what is cheaper; getting your rugs cleaned or having to deal with a moth infestation or worse having to replace the rug?

The second call came from a storage facility here in Victoria that had a client who stored a very large rug in one of their units for under a year. The rug was around 15x20 feet and stored standing on one end and when they took it out of the storage unit one end had a lot of moth damage. Chances are that a rug that size had moths present on the rug before storing and it was not cleaned or wrapped prior to storing. The owners of the rug decided to toss the rug and the owners of the storage place called up and wanted to know how much to clean and repair it.

The third call was from a lovely retired lady who lives in Cordova Bay here in Victoria. She had a flood in her home and her British Indian rug got wet, so the rug was rolled up and put away while the flood damage was fixed to the rest of the floor. When she went to put the rug back she discovered that moths had damaged one end of it.

She called to get us to take a look at it, she had done a Google search for moth damage, to see if it could be trimmed back and re edged. The boss is going to go take a look at it on Saturday when he does free pick up and delivery. I can tell you without looking at the rug that we can save her rug and make it usable again.

This rug is a 9x12.8 wool British India (Aubusson)and we are cutting both ends of the rug back to the same point of the pattern to make it symmetrical and serging the ends.

The rug got flooded and had a piece of furniture on it, so along with sever moth damage there is the rust stains as well.



There is also a twist to this story, the owners are moving into a small place and having to trim back the rug to a smaller size means that they can use the rug in their new dining room. It just goes to show that not all rug disasters end with the rug getting thrown out.

Now I bet you are thinking that we always say we can fix any rug no matter what shape it is in, but you would be incorrect. The staff at Luv-A-Rug know how the different types of area rugs are made and the cleaning concerns for each rug and stain.When you have us clean your rug we let you know if it is worth cleaning and what the cleaning results will be.

Before you throw away your old, really dirty, or damaged area rug bring it to us or get us to pick it up first. If you like your rug we will do our best to save it and make it lovable for you.

Here's to less rugs in the landfill, RugloverMary.

Live Moth Larva, cute but dangerous

The elusive wool eating moth larva are shy little guys and it is hard to see them at work, but I have found them damaging a wool area rug. This rug was rolled up in a room that was used regularly and everyday dust and dirt made it a perfect home for moths.


They are hard to see up close with the camera because the largest one was no more that 1/4 of an inch long. There were more moth larva on this 3x5 foot rug, but as soon as I tried to get a closer look they disappeared into the fibers. These little guys were not that old, a few days at the most. They had not eaten enough wool yet to make any serious damage, but it wouldn't have taken much longer for them to do damage.

When you are not using your rugs get them cleaned before storing them, even if you are leaving them rolled up in a spare room. Moths don't care which room you put them in or if it is only for a month. They want a food supply for their larva to eat when they hatch.

After you get your rug cleaned if it is not wrapped properly for storage the rug can still become victim of moths. If your rug can get dust and dirt on it from the air it can make a good home for moths eventually. NEVER WRAP AREA RUGS IN PLASTIC FOR STORAGE! Plastic traps in moisture which causes many other problems to your rug whether it is wool or synthetic. It is best to use Tyvek, this is what they use to wrap houses in as a moisture barrier. Tyvek is breathable, but doesn't let moisture in making it ideal for storing area rugs in.

If you suspect your rugs have a moth issue call Luv-A-Rug a 250-590-6210/1-800-886-2802 or bring your rugs to 445 Beta St, off Alpha St.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary, protecting your rugs from moths.

Surprise! Your Wool Area rug can be Cleaned.

At Luv-A-Rug I can receive anywhere from 10-30 calls a day about cleaning area rugs

I had just that type of phone call. It lasted almost 15 minutes and boy did she get a lot of information about wool area rugs and repairs.

The simple question of, "Do we dry clean wool rugs?" lead to fringe replacement and then onto hand repairs. I love shocking people when I tell them that we can wet wash a wool rug. Almost daily I encounter a client that still believes that wool area rugs should not only never be cleaned, but should never be wet washed.

Here are some myths and truths about getting a wool area rug cleaned:

• Wool rugs will shrink-----only when cleaned improperly. After a wool rug is made it is placed in a pool of water and scrubbed. Wool rugs are made to withstand cleaning.
• Wool rug will felt up like a sweater when washed-----since the wool on a rug doesn't rub against itself like a sweater in the wash it doesn't felt and tangle up. Cleaned correctly a wool rug looks the same after cleaning just with a lot less dirt.
• Beating out the dirt like grandma did is all a rug needs----that is one step, but what about the oily dirt that sticks to the bottom of the wool fibers? This is harder to remove by just a good whacking with a broom. FYI: Luv-A-Rug's first step in cleaning is turning a rug upside down and vibrating the rug to remove the loose insoluble dirt before we even touch the rug with water.
• Cleaning a wool rug will wear away the fibers-------not true at all, it is the dirt that sits at the bottom of the fibers that wears away the rug. Getting your rug professionally cleaned helps your rug last longer.
• Wool rugs only need to be cleaned when they look dirty or when it gets a stain---waiting years or decades to clean your rug is doing more damage than cleaning ever would. The loose dirt your rug collects every day rubs against the fibers and cuts them away making your rug look older than it is.
• Wool rugs should never be vacuumed----not only should they be vacuumed often to remove the loose dirt they should also be turned upside down and vacuumed. Using a rotating/beater bar vacuum on the back of your rug loosens the deep dirt and you get out so much more dirt. For the top of the wool rug use suction only as the rotating/beater bar pulls the small wool fibers and wears away the rug faster.
• Wool rug is the same as synthetic carpet and can be cleaned the same way-----NO! wool rugs are completely different and need to be treated as such. Using many stain removers or cleaners from a hardware//grocery store can ruin a wool rug. Most of the stain and carpet cleaning products are made for synthetic only. If the label does not say wool safe IT IS NOT FOR WOOL. 
• Wool rugs can be cleaned in home along with my carpet------Again NO!  If a wool rug isn't cleaned and dried properly it can damage your floor, cause mold/mildew to grow, cause your rug to rot, colours to bleed, the rug to shrink or smell bad. Professional cleaners know that to fully clean an area rug it must be done in a rug cleaning facility NEVER in your home.

Wool comes from sheep, it is hair that grows and gets cut and then turned into beautiful rugs, clothes and many other things. I tell people that wool is just like the hair on our heads. It requires water and soap to get cleaned and is sensitive to harsh solutions. Using anything too strong or harsh on our hair results in disaster, so why would we use it on wool?
I recently read that there isn't a science to cleaning a wool rug, but there is a soap science. Professional cleaners have the knowledge to know the boundaries of wool and what can be used to clean it.

Don't be afraid to ask the questions about how the company such as: how they cleans rugs and more specifically wool rugs, how long has the company has been cleaning area rugs (not carpet, but specifically area rugs), how the company treats specific trouble problems (pet urine, red wine, moth damage, flood damage).

You invested a lot into your rug make sure the company who cleans it has invested a lot into knowledge and training about area rugs.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary