Taking Care of Shag Carpet and Area Rugs

Shag carpeting and faux fur area rugs have been in style particularly this winter for the comfort and warmth they provide in the colder months. Although trendy and attractive, shags have potential to hold onto dirt and soil deeper within its fibers because the way its woven and how long the fibers are. However, with the right maintenance and care, these rugs can stay looking like new for longer!

Shags can be made with wool, synthetic fibers, silk and acrylic fibers, all of which have different textures and styles. If you’re unsure of what fibers your rug has, we recommend looking into this post here from Rug Chick, who has a detailed and through post all about shags and common fibers used for them.

Although these styles are trendy and stylish in homes today, neglecting to take care of to for your shag might end up costing you more, or hold on to dirt and dust more than other types of area rugs.

Vacuuming as much as possible is key to keeping these rugs looking new. The problem is, you cannot go over this type of rug with a typical vacuum with a barrel or beater bar. You would need a canister vacuum or upholstery attachment tool and go row by row on the rug to suck up the soil. This process can take a long time, but it will help clean out anything deep within the fibers of the rug. Keep in mind that wool shags tend to hold onto almost everything, pet hair, lint and anything else you can think of. In fact, we have an on-going joke to see how much change we can find in a shag rug. Silk is a more desirable fiber because it doesn’t hold onto as much, but it’s a more costly option.

These types of rugs cannot be cleaned at home and must be cleaned in plant by a professional. Although many on the internet believe this can simply be done in your bathtub or with a home carpet cleaning machine, attempting to clean the rugs in the home may trap water in between the fibers and the floor of your rug. This is risking a chance of damaging your floors and mold or mildew within the fibers, which can be difficult or impossible to get rid of. Professional washing is the best procedure to use for these types of rugs and they must be dried in a temperature controlled area to ensure even deep within the base of the rug isn’t wet.

If you’re looking for spot cleaning, we recommend blotting as much access off as you can. If it penetrates too deeply and dries, depending on the type of fiber you have, the stain may become permanent. We recommend keeping these rugs out of high traffic areas, away from pets or in an area where shoes aren’t allowed in the home.

As long as the right care goes into the rug, your rug can be kept looking Fresh, Clean and Bright! It may take a lot of work and commitment, but with the right cleaning and vacuuming of this rug can help it stay like new.