Getting a stain on your favourite rug is definitely annoying, but it needn’t be a disaster. Of course, if the stain is bad enough or you’re wary of damaging your favourite rug, then you should probably call in a professional carpet cleaner, but you can generally deal with most stains yourself. After all – water is one of the best cleaning products there is (it’ll be much cheaper, too!).

The first thing to do when you spill something on your rug is to blot it – don’t rub it! Rubbing it will only force the stain further down into the fibres, whereas blotting it gently with a cloth or paper towel will instead help to soak up the moisture, minimising the damage. Once you’ve got up the worst of the moisture, soak the stain with water to loosen the particles, and then blot it again. This should hopefully clear up the worst of it, if not remove the stain completely. Don’t scrub the rug if the stain doesn’t come out though, or else you may damage it and make the stain worse.

If you drop a food product or something similar on your rug (such as chocolate spread or gravy), then lift up the worst of it with a spoon before repeating the blotting trick. If there’s a dry stain on the rug and it was made recently, then you might be able to get most of it up by vacuuming the spot to get the particles up. If this doesn’t work, it might be time to bring out the rug stain removers.

You should always apply the cleaning solvent to a cloth, not directly onto the rug. Then rub outwards from the centre of the stain to prevent it from spreading further. Once you’ve removed as much of the stain as you can, rinse out the rug, blot it as above, then rinse and blot it again to make sure all of the solvent has been removed. If the stain is still there, you can repeat the solvent process. Make sure to dry the rug when you’re done so any stain that may be clinging to the lower parts of the fibres doesn’t have as much chance to creep back up and make another nuisance of itself.

Rugs are a popular addition to lots of people’s homes – not only do they serve a practical purpose in protecting people’s feet from the cold floor, but they also look fantastic. There are also lots of different kinds of rugs you can buy, depending on your style preference and what you want to use the rug for. Read on for more information on some of the most popular types of rug.

Oriental Rugs

Oriental rugs are really popular. They tend to have ornate designs and often come with tassel fringes. Genuine Oriental rugs can be expensive, but there are some great copies available with all of the features for a fraction of the price. They come in modern and antique styles, meaning there’s sure to be one to suit every preference. ‘Genuine’ Oriental rugs most commonly come from Persia (Iran), India, Turkey and Tibet. Each country has its own distinctive style of weaving that can often take the weavers years to perfect, which is why these rugs are so desirable.

Throw Rugs

These are a great way to add an interesting feature to a room and they come in loads of different styles and colours, meaning there’s sure to be one to suit your style. They can be made out of all sorts of materials and are generally very affordable. They’re also very easy to look after as they don’t need any special treatment to keep them in top shape. Regular vacuuming and the occasional spin on a cold wash before being hung out to dry will keep your throw rug in good condition.

Wool Rugs

Wool rugs have been around for thousands of years and they can often last for generations, which is partly why they’re still so popular today. They come with multiple benefits. One of these is that they’re fire resistant – while they do burn, they don’t flare up in a way that spreads flames elsewhere. Wool also doesn’t melt like some manmade fibres do, meaning that the risk of burns is lower. Wool is also really versatile and has a bit of give in it, meaning it can stand the test of time even with heavy usage.

Sheepskin Rugs

Sheepskin rugs are really warm and cosy, adding extra luxury to your room. They can be a great addition to a room that’s often cold as they’ll make the floor feel warm under foot. You can also choose between long and shorthair sheepskin as well as sheepskin from different breeds of sheep, meaning there are some great choices available. There are even designer sheepskin rugs available, which combine different species to come up with a truly unique, snugly rug.

Custom Made Rug

You could also benefit from having a rug made just for you. This can be a great idea as it means you get the ultimate choice – you can choose from pretty much any material, style, colour and design. This means you’re guaranteed to get the rug of your dreams. It can also be a great talking point to have a rug that was made just for you, and it will always be special because you’ll know there’s no other rug like it anywhere else in the world.

These are just a few of the different types of rug available – there really are loads to choose from, so even if you’re not convinced by any of the options above, your perfect rug is bound to be out there somewhere.

A rug can be a great addition to any room of your house, no matter whether you’re looking to use it for practical purposes or just as an added feature for decoration. If you’re looking to buy the perfect rug to suit your needs, there are a few issues that you should consider. Read on to find out more.

What effect are you trying to achieve?

Deciding what kind of effect you want your new rug to have can help you narrow down your options when you’re choosing one. For example, rugs can either make your room seem larger and airier than they are, or they can help your room feel cosier. Deciding which of these options you want your rug to satisfy will help you get a better idea of the kind of rug you should be looking at.

How big do you want your rug to be?

Before you buy a rug, you need to be sure it’s an appropriate size for the room it will be going in. You might, for instance, want a small rug to put in front of a coffee table or in another high-traffic area so the carpet underneath won’t wear out as fast. Alternatively, you might be looking for a larger rug to go over a wooden floor that will take up most of the room. When you go to purchase a rug, you should make sure to take a note of your desired dimensions with you so you can be sure the one you choose won’t be too big for the room. The size you choose can depend on the kind of impact you want your rug to make, so this is an important issue.

What is the focal point of the room?

When choosing a rug, you need to consider what is going to be the main focal point of the room – will it be an item of furniture, a feature such as a fireplace, or the rug itself? If you decide the main focus is going to be the rug itself then you might want to consider going for a statement rug that really stands out from the rest of the room so the eye is drawn to it straight away. Alternatively, if you decide that the focus of the room is going to be something other than the rug, then you might think about going for something a little more subtle so the rug has more of a practical purpose than an aesthetic one, and the eye is drawn to your chosen feature instead.

How much do you want to spend?

Budget is always an important consideration when you’re buying anything, so think about how much you want to spend on your rug. If you’re looking for a rug to service a high-traffic area such as a hallway, then it might be worth spending a bit more to get a really good one that can withstand so many people’s footsteps. If you’re rug is going to be more of a decorative feature, then you could probably spend less as you won’t have to worry about people walking on it quite so much.

Purchasing a rug for your home can be quite a costly activity, especially when you consider the amount of traffic and types of dirt it will be exposed to on a day to day basis. It can be an overwhelming task when it comes to keeping them clean and maintaining them to avoid wear and tear.

There are a number of ways in which you can control the short and long term damage done to your rug in order to keep it clean, prolong its life and make a lot less work for yourself overall.

Ideas as simple as applying a no-shoe policy in your house will go a long way in reducing the amount of damage done on your rug, instead of dirty shoes on your rugs, bare feet and socks will be a lot less damaging and will be so much gentler on your rug. If the no-shoe policy is not something you would like to adopt then you should be prepared to buy a rug of a higher quality; nylon and wool rugs are extremely durable and are amongst the options you should consider in this case. High quality doormats that help get rid of any dirt that can be brought in from outside can also be considered, any dirt on your shoes will be removed by them and you can keep your shoes on whilst walking on your rugs.

Rugs in high traffic areas such as hallways or living rooms should also be vacuumed on a regular basis so as to prevent any pieces of dirt penetrating into the fibres, making cleaning them a lot more difficult. These cleaning schedules can be anywhere between every single day to twice a week. Taking care of the dirt on a regular basis will avoid you having to do a deep and extensive clean when the dirt becomes engrained into the rug.

However, if you do not clean your rug regularly and the dirt has become too much, you might consider hiring a professional. Before you do call them out it might be a good idea to do the following to your rug to see if their services are absolutely essential. Hold your rug out at arms length from one of the corners and either beat it with a brush or kick it, if the dirt that comes out is of a high volume; it is in need of some extensive cleaning.

Take your rug out to your garden and vacuum both sides of it in any and every possible direction. The next step to take is to shampoo the rug with water and some mild detergent. Apply a soft brush with long bristles to the rug, and combined with the detergent it should release the dirt and grime engrained in it. Try not to be too vigorous as this may damage the pile on the rug. Rinse the rug with some clean water and squeeze out any excess water. Once you have done this, lay it out flat and wait till one side is dry before flipping it over.

With little bits of maintenance here and there, your rug is sure to last a long time so make sure you look after it when you can.

Persian rugs are easily one of the most instantly recognizable and renowned products of Persian culture; they are extremely beautiful and are considered pieces of art. There are three types of Persian rugs and they are Farsh, Kilim and Qalii.

There are regular Qalii rugs and their smaller Qalicheh counterparts, and Kilim rugs are flat with no pile and are crafted by the nomadic people of Persia. These divisions go even deeper as amongst the three major types of Persian rugs there are many subtypes of them. The divisions are so extensive that the people who sell Persian rugs have developed a classification system based on naming the rugs after the cities and regions in which they are traditionally made.

There are over thirty classifications for Persian rugs, based on the design, fabric and the weaving techniques used to produce them. The flat Kilim rugs are classed using a system based on the type of fabric used, the design of the rug itself, and the purpose for which it was made.

Farsh and Qalicheh Persian rugs are most commonly made of wool in the modern era, but some producers they may decide to use cotton or silk in their production. As you can imagine, the silk rugs are the most expensive, and as you probably guessed, the least durable. These silk Persian rugs are often displayed on the wall like a tapestry and are extremely beautiful. There is a huge variety of designs used on Persian rugs, but they fall into three basic layouts: all-over, central medallion, and one-sided. An interesting piece of information about Persian rugs is that certain designs are passed down through families, either by memory, or through scale drawings, depending on their complexity.

Traditional Persian rug designs may be geometric, including striped patterns, or arabesque, including spiral and paisley patterns. Some important traditional motifs include historic monuments, Islamic buildings and patterns based around nature.

There is so much history and culture behind Persian rugs, which when combined with their amazing beauty, explains why they are such a prominent aspect of an extremely rich culture.