Your Guide to Shag Rugs

Shag or shag pile rugs can look fantastic in your home. They add a designer edge to your décor by introducing texture and movement with its long tassels. A shag rug will look beautiful as long as you can keep it looking nice by cleaning it regularly in the correct way. This article will outline some of the best ways of looking after your shag rug whether it is made from leather or wool and take you through some things you may not have thought about before you purchase one.

Is a shag rug the best solution for you?

If you are thinking about getting a shag pile rug, please think first about the practicalities within your lifestyle. These rugs are beautiful, but you do need to be sure on your choice bearing in mind; where you want to position it, whether you have pets or indeed children.

Pets and children will not be the best mix for shag rugs. This is a fact. The nature of the deep pile will capture bits of dirt, fluff, paint, and small pieces of toys and you will notice the general wear and tear to your beautiful rug very quickly. If your rug is made out of wool for instance, pet hair will stick to it very effectively and will build up overtime getting locked in the depths of the pile and you will end up with a very pet smelly rug. Your pets will love it, but you will quickly realize that this is not the perfect solution for you. Equally, in the same vein, muddy paws and general everyday build up of dirt will make this beautiful feature your most hated soft furnishing, so be really careful where you choose to put it. Children love to play. You will be sure to find pieces of play dough and bits of Lego that will get trapped in the pile too.

The answer is, if you want to enjoy your rug as it really should be enjoyed, is to place it in your luxury areas such as your bedroom. Here, it will be able to show off its true beauty and will stay cleaner for longer as it will not in be in the main through way of the family’s comings and goings. It is so important to place this type of rug in a suitable position, as it will save a lot of heart ache at the end of the day, and a lot of money on constant cleaning. Hallways are ideally suited to much harder wearing rug runners that stretch the length of your hallway.

How to clean your shag pile rug

Depending on the type of material that your shag rug is made from, you will have to have these specialist cleaned. Although there are a few other options if you are looking to save money on cleaning every few months.

Steam cleaning

This is a really effective way of cleaning and sterilizing any dirt that may have built up and you can do this at home. A steam cleaner is really good at cleaning other things in your home so you won’t be purchasing one purely to clean your rug. This is a really effective solution particularly if you have a woolen shag area rug. A steamer works by heating up water in the unit and blasting it out either in a jet or it also has fittings. The fittings are very much the same as a vacuum cleaner supplying you with various heads which have bristles. You then place a cloth over the top of these bristles to catch any dirt as you are scrubbing the area. You may be better off using the jet steam head for woolen shag area rugs, as too vigorous a scrubbing action may break up the twisted woolen tassels. A steamer will leave your rug sanitized and fresh and after a good shake it should be as good as new.

Vacuuming your shag rug

This is generally not a good idea, if you are going to use any of the vacuum heads. Today, vacuum cleaners have specialist head fitting that have a rotating brush – This will not be good for your rug and will only result in tangling up your rug in your vacuum. The alternative heads are just as ineffective as they are too harsh for this natural product. It is better to just use the suction nozzle and spend a bit of extra time getting the nozzle right down into the depth of the pile. Down in between the pile, is where you will find the build up of fluff and hair etc. Be sure not to put the power on full, as this may also break up the woolen twists.

Leather shag rugs

You are better off keeping this type of rug in a luxury area as well. A leather shag rug will probably benefit from being taken to specialist cleaners if it is completely necessary. If you regularly give your rug a shake and a gentle vacuum, then it should be ok, unless of course you spill something on it. You can carefully use an upholstery attachment on a low power but do not use any type of chemicals on a leather rug. If you have spilt something onto your leather shag pile rug then it is best to spend a little bit extra and take it to the dry cleaners.