Every once in awhile (okay daily) I shake my head and wonder what propels people to make area rugs out of material that shouldn't be made into area rugs, such as acrylic, cotton, or the latest fashion fiber. The area rugs that are popular right now are jute or sisal. I remember jute rugs as the nice thick coarse ones that scraped all the grit off your shoes, my nana had on outside of her kitchen door. Now enters a designers touch and voila! you have an all natural rug. They are beautifully displayed in home decor shops everywhere, how can you help not fall in love with them and in today's 'green' society natural products are sought after.
It baffles me as to why area rugs would be made out to materials that should not be walked on. If they can't handle wear and tear then do the environment some good and stop making silly area rugs that end up in landfills. I will try to not write about the subject of what rugs should not be made of anymore. It is, however, a major irksome of mine.
When a client comes to our rug cleaning plant we give a honest, sometimes crushing, evaluation of what to expect from our great rug cleaning process. I cringe when I see a jute rug come through the door because I must now disappoint the owner of the jute rug. I know that something has happened to their lovely jute rug, usually pet accidents. I see the crushed look fall across their face as I explain that we can make it very clean and healthy, we cannot, however make it look new and beautiful again.
Thankfully in between the jute area rugs we get to make other people smile and fall back in love with what they thought was a lost cause rug. I love hearing, "Oh wow! It looks great. I can't believe it is the same rug I brought in.".
I also love hearing about the history of client's area rugs. Yesterday I had the honor of seeing four table rugs that the client's mother brought with her to Canada. Table rugs are rare here, more common the Europe. For those who haven't come across table rugs they are less ridged and have a softer backing than floor rugs. When rugs where first made in Europe they were considered a luxury item and displayed on tables and chests. It is fascinating to me that rugs are used in this manner. Just a little side note, I tried to do a Google search for any information about table rugs and found two sentences. This was after trying different names to describe such rugs and too many Google pages, but hey if I ever needed to find a website that sells rugs I know there are tons. Grrrr!
I spend a lot of my day educating clients about their area rugs; I don't have to, but in doing so it shows that I have passion for my job-that I care about area rugs. Passion is the key to success. I am very passionate about the fact that everyday I get to share my knowledge about area rugs. The way area rugs are woven doesn't change, but the reasons they are made do.
Until next time, RugloverMary
