Shag rugs have become a popular modern trend across the globe as they make a cozy addition to any living room. Shag carpets are soft and comfy pieces of floor decor whose signature look and touch gives rooms a more beautiful appearance and warm feeling underfoot. These unique groovy textured pieces have been featured in numerous television shows and interior design magazines due to their ability to make living rooms a lot more luxurious and elegant.
Whereas these deluxe piles have what it takes to overhaul any given room, their long tendrils tend to catch dirt and dust particles very easily. Whether your shag rug is made of wool or synthetic fibers, it does require extra care, such as vacuuming by carpet vacuum at least every week and shaking out every often. It’s also essential to clean up spills immediately they happen in order to prevent dirt from accumulating.
For that reason, it’s important to learn how to clean a shaggy rug so it can uphold its glaring looks and retain the alluring appearance of your home. Depending on the sort of dirt accumulated on your rug, there are different ways on how to clean a shag carpet. But since soliciting the services of a pro can be overly expensive, today we’re going to teach you how to vacuum shag rug and clean it more appropriately.
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Comprehensive Shag Rug Cleaning Tips
In today’s informative blog post, we’ll focus on how to clean a shag rug and make it look fresh and spotless. We’ll touch on both vacuuming and deep cleaning to eliminate stubborn dirt particles and release the stains more effectively. The following simple and easy-to-follow techniques prove useful in keeping your shag rug as clean as brand new.
Step One: Give it a Proper Shaking and Beating
The first step to cleaning a shaggy rug is to shake up and down to discharge as much loose dirt particles as possible. Often, shag rugs trap dirt but it doesn’t always hold the grime tight in its fibers. Sometimes giving it a simple shaking and beating by hand will allow the dirt to fly off the rug with ease.
When performing this oldest rug-cleaning method, be sure to take your rug outside with the wind blowing away from where you stand. For larger rugs, ask someone to help you hold onto one of the corners firmly, and then shake the rug together to loosen and release the dust. You might also want to hang the rug on a steady clothesline and hit it with a solid stick to send the dirt flying away.
Step Two: Vacuum it Up
The second most recommended method on how to clean a polyester shaggy rug involves vacuuming it, albeit with a lot of caution. Rugs with extra-long fibers easily get caught in the moving parts of the vacuum, which could end up damaging the rug. Professionals recommend turning off the beater bar and adjusting the vacuum to the highest possible setting, or using the upholstery attachment and vacuuming by hand.
It’s also imperative to flip the rug over and vacuum the bottom side in order to thoroughly suck up all the dirt. Keep the pile safe as you further remove entrenched dirt to ensure the tendrils are redistributed from behind and fluffed up again. Continue vacuuming your rug until all the dirt vanishes; only stopping after the rug has completely come back to its initial pristine state.
Step Three: Spot Clean Spills and Stains
Let’s face it: accidents are bound to happen even if you are overly careful in preventing them from surfacing. When it comes to dealing with accidents like spills, the key is to deal with them as soon as they happen. Acting quickly prevents the stains from settling deep into the fibers.
Begin this process by blotting the stain using a paper towel. Avoid rubbing the stain because it’s likely to spread over a huge area making it worse to remove. Prepare a solution of dishwashing soap and water, and then apply it straight onto the stain using a clean cloth. A mixture of dish soap and water is especially effective in dealing with oily food stains.
For tougher stains, a solution of water and plain white vinegar is extremely effective. This do-it-yourself cleaning technique is all about preparing a mixture of water and white vinegar, and applying it directly to the affected area with a clean cloth. Once the affected spot has fully dried, sprinkle a little baking powder on it.
Baking powder helps eliminate any residual stain or smell from the shag rug. Allow it to rest for close to 30 minutes then brush and dust it off. Note that acting immediately the spills and accidents happen proves useful in thwarting permanent stains and damage.
Step Four: Call in a Professional
For heavier stains which seem more challenging to remove, the best thing to do is to consult a professional shag rug cleaner. Professional cleaners can help remove stubborn stains which water and vinegar simply aren’t sufficient to get them up. In any case, experts recommend sending your shag rugs to professional cleaners at a few times a year.
Many professionals use specialized deep cleaning techniques to pamper and treat your shag rug, keeping it look clean and fresh. Calling in a skilled professional is particularly advisable when dealing with heavy stains which cause a bad stain, such as ink and wine spills. Nevertheless, make sure to weigh the professional cleaning expenses against the value of your rug prior to seeking the service of a pro.
The Bottom Line
While a shag rug is an exhilarating addition to your home, cleaning it after it gets excessively dirty can be a messy job. But you don’t have to despair, because you can get the job done perfectly well with an hour-long wash and one day to dry, consequently saving you on those outstretched professional cleaning bills. With our simple four-step shag rug cleaning tips above, you can rest assured you are well equipped to keep all types of rugs clean and fresh!
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