Congratulations on finding the perfect Persian rug for your home. You managed to snag an amazing deal at an auction, and now you have a hand-woven rug that’s older than you are. Your rug looks gorgeous in your living room, and you can’t wait to show it off to your friends and family. However, are you doing everything you can to ensure your rug lasts for years to come? Sometimes the best intentions can permanently damage your rug.

Don’t fall into these 5 common mistakes and accidentally ruin your rug.

1. Scrub Spills Vigorously

Oh no! Your guest spilled wine on your Persian rug. As a savvy homeowner, you know that you should always clean spills immediately to avoid stains. So you grab the scrubbing brush and attack that spill with all your might.

Never ever do this!

While cleaning spills is important, using the best technique matters just as much. Persian rugs are delicate and require a gentle hand when cleaning. Scrubbing vigorously will ruin the fibers and even wear a hole in your carpet. Instead, gently dab or blot at the spill with a paper towel, then take the rug to a professional cleaner to handle the rest.

2. Use Untested Cleaning Chemicals

What’s this? An old stain? That dried discolouration in the corner must have been there when you bought it because you haven’t allowed anyone else near the rug since the wine incident. Because the stain looks old, you decide to apply the entire contents of your cleaning cupboard to see if something has the strength to dissolve the stain. Once again – this technique is the last thing you want to do to your rug. Remember, if a chemical cleaner is harsh enough to dissolve an old stain, it’s harsh enough to damage your rug fibers as well. The chemicals could weaken the fibers, or bleach the beautiful dyes from the rug, leaving you with spot worse than the one you started with. If you notice an old stain, always take it to a professional for thorough cleaning in Mississauga.

3. Place Heavy Furniture on Your Rug

To hide the stains on your Persian rug, you place your kitchen table on top of it. The spindly legs sit nicely over the darker spots, making your rug look almost new and your table look rustic and refined. While your rug might look great for a little while, heavy furniture or sharp-pointed table legs will ruin your Persian rug. The weight and the edges will crush the pile and wear away the fibers. Soon you’ll have a hole in your rug rather than just a discoloured stain. If you want your rug to last for a lifetime, display it in a room with little furniture and almost no foot traffic.

4. Set Your Rug Next to a Sunlit Window

After the first few mistakes, you want to save your rug by moving it to the guest bedroom. You don’t place any tables or chairs on the rug, and you only let a select few people into that room. You have a perfect spot for your rug by the window seat, and you love the way the sunshine brings out the rug’s vibrant colours. But just because your rug sits in a little-used room doesn’t mean that you’ve put it completely out of harm’s way. The sunlight that makes your rug look beautiful now will slowly fade your rug later. While many rug dyes remain resistant to sun fading, direct exposure to UV rays will have your rug looking older than it really is. If you want your rug to stay vibrant, keep it out of direct sunlight. It may still fade, but the fading will be uniform and it will take years before the colour change becomes noticeable.

5. Comb the Fringe of Your Rug

Your rug fringe has started to look a little worse for wear. A few areas have tangles that look messy and unkempt. Since the fringe looks a bit like hair, you grab your styling comb from the bathroom. You pick at the fringe with the comb, and then you pull at particularly stubborn tangles with your fingers. Unfortunately, combing the fringe like this is one of the easiest ways to ruin your rug. This damages the natural fibers in the fringe and can even loosen some of the threads that hold your rug together. If you don’t use caution, you could even unravel your rug. If you want to straighten your rug fringe, grab one edge of the carpet and walk to the other end while lightly shaking the rug. This flips the rug over and allows the fringe to straighten out gently.

When to Consult with a Professional for Carpet Cleaning and Repair in Mississauga
For noticeably damaged fringe, you’ll need to take it to a professional for cleaning and repair in Mississauga. A carpet expert can hand weave fringes so your carpet looks like new again.