A New Antique Wool Rug

With being in the area rug cleaning business I try to educate our clients on rugs and what to check for when buying certain rugs and such. I spend my downtime at work cruising the Internet seeing what people are writing about and what rugs are popular to further my knowledge. That is all find and dandy, but sometimes I come across something that blows me away.
I came across this video on www.youtube.com that shows how to give an antiqued look to a new wool rug by using a blow torch.
Interesting technique. It shows how resilient wool is against fire.
In September of 2008 I wrote a blog about a rug that had a tea stained effect added to the rug to give it an antique finish. The tips of the fibers were the only part that was yellowed. When a manufacturer or designer wants a certain look they get it any way they can. With all the things that are done to rugs to make them look antique it can be very hard to trust that what you are buying is what you are getting.
We can't all be experts in area rug weaving, so what can we do to be sure we are not getting ripped off? I would suggest calling around to carpet or area rug cleaning companies or ask friends to see who they recommend for buying a rug from. If the same few companies keep getting mentioned then that is a good sign. Luv-A-Rug recommends a lot of the companies in Victoria and Langford. It depends on where you are using the rug, if you have children and/or pets and budget. Call us at 250-590-6210 or drop by 445 Beta St. Victoria, BC.
Thanks for reading RugloverMary

Save your wool rugs get your air ducts cleaned

Now you maybe wondering how getting your air/furnace ducts cleaned will save your wool rugs. It is simple MOTHS!

All spring and summer when you haven't been using the heat, organic dust, hair and allergens have been collecting in the ducts. When you turn on the heat in the fall all of that dust and allergens gets blown in to your rooms along with any moth eggs and larva that may be feeding on the dust.

Clothes Moth Larva eating a wool rug

Not only is breathing in all that dust not healthy, but the moths need to find a new source of food. It will be your wool area rugs. Moths like dark, undisturbed, dirty areas of rugs. When you have furniture on your rugs or have your rug near air/heat vents this makes for a great place for them to eat your rug without you knowing it until it is too late.

In Victoria the clothes moth runs rampant damaging wool area rugs all year round. In the month of July 2011 alone Luv-a-rug received over 20 rugs that had moth damage. That is too many rugs, in my opinion, to have been victims of the clothes moth.

It isn't because of poor cleaning habits by the owners, it is caused by the female moth being sneaky and laying her eggs on the back of the rugs, but mostly because the rugs were not cleaned before they were stored and improper storage.

When I talk about storing a rug I don't mean in a storage locker or garage. When I say storing a rug I mean not using a rug for weeks to years and just having it rolled up or folded and put out of the way. No matter what the reason for you not using your rug, puppy training, renos, moving, too big for your home, you need to get the rug cleaned and wrapped properly so that moths and other pests don't make your rug their home.

Summertime is the best time to get your air/furnace ducts cleaned because it isn't busy right now. Once the colder weather hits everyone will be getting their homes ready for winter. There is nothing wrong with getting things done early.

Luv-A-Rug recommends Sunny Carpet and Air Duct cleaning. In Victoria call 250-384-7951, in Nanaimo 250-755-1128, in Duncan 250-746-1888, in Parksville/Qualicum 250-954-3491.

Here's to clean, moth damage free rugs, RugloverMary,

Luv-A-Rug gets Rid of many different Odours from Area Rugs

Today we have the theme day of smells and they are not pet urine smells. On this sunny day of May, Luv-a-Rug has received a Turkish rug that is a week old and got wet from an salt water aquarium.

The rug resides in a law firm here in Victoria and yesterday it was discovered that the fish tank had a leak and the rug was soaking up the water. There is no colour bleed. The lawyer who owns the rug rolled it up and called us immediately to pick it up, which we did first thing this morning.

Other than the rug smelling strongly of salt and algae there is no other water damage. Once we do a thorough rinse of the rug and dry it completely the rug will be nice and fresh to enjoy again.

The next smell we had was a carpet from a trunk of a car where gas additive leaked. The owner of the car tried to wash out the spill, but it wasn't budging. The smell got to be to the point where she couldn't have the carpet in her car at all.

She brought it to Luv-A-Rug for a deep cleaning. We can do a thorough wet wash on the trunk carpet because it is synthetic nylon. The only cleaning concern is there are three pieces of stiff under pad glued to the under side of the carpet. These may or may not remain glued on. This was explained to the client and if they do come off we can easy re glue them, or if they fall apart the client knows she can replace them.

Luv-A-Rug cleans car mats as well, if they are removable from your vehicle.

The third smell to come into Luv-A-Rug was a hand tufted rug with a strong latex glue smell. When they make hand tufted rugs they glue the fiber loops and the cotton backing on and this glue can give off a smell from moderate to very strong.

If your hand tufted rug has a latex smell it cannot be removed since it is part of the rugs construction. The best thing to do is when you are purchasing a rug with a cotton backing is to fold back the fibers and smell the rug. That way you will know beforehand if the rug has an odour already.

No matter what odour your rug may have due to spills, pet accidents, or flooding chances are Luv-A-Rug has cleaned them all.

Here's to your rug not having an odours and being clean and healthy, RugloverMary

Area Rug Cleaning Gone for the Weekend

So , it is Friday May 20th and the long weekend has started here for a lot of people in Victoria, BC. The community plaza where our office is has been pretty dead today, so how does one pass the time and be productive when all I really want is to be out enjoying the day?

Well first I vacuum and clean and organize everything I can, second I browse rug blogs and leave comments on ones that appeal to me and third I read one of the most definitive area rug books by Ellen Amirkhan and Aaron Groseclose, A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental & Specialty Rug Cleaning. I am trying to learn how to identify all the different types of Persian rugs.

I am having a hard time retaining all the different characteristics of Heriz, Shiraz, Tabriz, Bijar and many more Persian and Tribal rugs. To learn more about these Persian rugs the best website is by Barry O'Connell and that is where the above link will take you to.

I may never be able to remember how to tell the different Persian rugs apart, but just the fact that I know to identify between Persian, Turkish, Chinese, British Indian, Belgium is more than most people can do. I do know what a Hamadan Persian rug is and sometime I see a Nain Persian come in for cleaning, but because I don't see every type of Persian every day I tend to lose the identifying factors after I read them.

I, however, do not have a favorite type of Persian rug. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I like a Persian rug based mostly on the colours and design. Being in the rug cleaning business I feel like I should love all Persians because of the history and workmanship and I do appreciate that about Persian rugs. What I don't like is the almost over use of the colours of red and navy. After you see a hundred or so of red and navy Persians in a few months you grow bored of that combination no matter quality and history.

Now for those of you who own a Persian rug with the red and navy colour palette don't think that I hate your rug it is just not my choice of rug to personally own. We all have reasons for liking the area rugs we do and that is one of mine.

Here is to a nice and safe long weekend for those who get one, RugloverMary- picky Persian lover

Clean Rugs Equals Very Happy Clients

It is so nice to see the sun on a more regular basis these days. My dogs have enjoyed going to the park to play instead of just the usual walk around the block. Hopefully you have been able to soak up some much needed rays as well.

Yesterday we made a couple of ladies very happy when they saw how beautiful their rugs looked after cleaning.

The first lady had a small beige 4x5 synthetic rug that came more grey than beige. When I rolled out the rug for her to see it after cleaning she looked at the rug longer than expected.
I asked her if there was something wrong with her rug.

She answered, "No. I just didn't know what the pattern colours were since it was so dirty." She had forgotten how pretty the deep red and sage green floral pattern was.

The second lady had a 9x12 wool Chinese hook rug. We have cleaned it for her in the past. Her dog had vomited very bright yellow on the rug and it was going to be a few days before she could get it to us. She lives up island, so she blotted up what she could using a small amount of a gentle laundry soap and a damp towel.. When I unrolled her rug there was no evidence of any yellow spots on her rug. She was thrilled.

That is the best part of my job is seeing people fall back in love with their area rugs.

Owning an area rug is an investment and getting it cleaned helps prolong the beauty and usage of it. Not all is lost when something gets spilled on, a pet accident, or your rug gets flooded. Luv-A-Rug has cleaned just about every kind of accident that can happen to your rug.

Here's to many, many more happy clean rugs, RugloverMary

Luv-A-Rug's New Anniversary

Today is April 26, 2011 and it is a new special day for Luv-A-Rug.

Three years ago, we had to find a new location after a fire damaged our building on Oak Street. It was very sad and unreal knowing that after over 20 years Luv-A-Rug had to find a new home. We did find a new home on June 9th, 2008 at 4144 Wilkinson Rd. As of April 2013 we are located at 445 Beta St (offAlpha St) Victoria BC.

For me personally it was the first time I had to deal with a fire. Even though I had only been working for Luv-A-Rug a year at the time of the fire, it still hit me very hard, the boss was harder hit because Luv-A-Rug is his baby.

We would like to thank all of our loyal clients and welcome our new ones who have brought us their great area rugs for cleaning and repair in the last three years.  Because of you we kept strong and made it through this awful ordeal. We look forward to cleaning many more rugs for you.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

Luv-A-Rug working in Chaos

Luv-A-Rug has a new look this Friday April 8th. It is only temporary though. There is a new business going in next door to us and they need to do some repair work to our adjoining walls.
The guys have taken all the precautions necessary to make sure that we will have as little disruption as possible.
That is why we have a lovely plastic wall. The office looks so much bigger when there isn't a lot of rugs in here. After they are done it will look the same as before.

It is a good week for them to do it as there are not a lot of rugs waiting to go home. It should only take 3-4 days for them to get it all done, which is good I am not looking forward to all the banging and dust.This will be my first renovation that I have to go through. Yes I know, shocking, but I have never had to live through my house, or place of work being renovated. Lucky I know. I hear the stories of renos gone bad from our clients and hope that I never have to go through that kind of stress.

Next week, April 12-16, when you come in to Luv-A-Rug don't worry we are still running business as usual of cleaning and repairing your area rugs.

Here's to a speedy reno, RugloverMary

Luv-A-Rug now located at 445 Beta St (off Alpha St) Victoria BC

How many times does your rug need to be cleaned?

This past week I have noticed that I keep surprising our clients when I tell them how long it takes to clean their area rugs. Here is a typical conversation with a client dropping off a rug for cleaning:

Client, "When will my rug be ready?"

Me, " It can take 7-10 days depending on how many times your rug needs to be cleaned."

Client," Really? So you clean it more than once?"

Me, " Yes we clean it as many times as needed to get all the dirt and/or odour out."

Client, " That is good to know. I appreciate that you thoroughly clean my rug."

Your area rugs may not look that dirty, but once we start our cleaning process of vibrating your rug and cleaning with wool safe soap and warm water a lot of dirt is removed. Because we go deeper than steam cleaning we can guarantee that your rugs are clean and healthy after Luv-A-Rug cleans them

Since not all rugs are made the same,the cleaning is not the same either. The staff at Luv-A-Rug cares about your rugs, we know that area rugs require special care and cleaning.

So how many times does Luv-A-Rug clean your rug? We repeat our cleaning process until your rug is clean.

Here's to many happy clean and healthy area rugs, RugloverMary

Spring Clean Now!!!

Why wait for nice weather to start your spring cleaning?

For the last couple of weeks now I have been sorting through the piles of stuff that collects through out the months. I figure why not start now before the nice weather comes because once the sun comes out I will want to be outside, not inside. In doing my little clean up I have found out I have an abundance of yarn I need to start using before I buy more. It is funny how quickly hobby/craft items build up.

It is easy to get the winter blahs and when the weather is nice we get more energy, but if you begin now to start the small cleaning jobs you will have more time to spend outside absorbing that vitamin D we love so much. I don't know about you, but I get in the mood to purge my stuff down once or twice a year. I get sick of looking at the little piles of "junk" that seem to pop up everywhere. I look around at all the stuff I have and wonder why I have it, I don't use it, but I don't want to get rid of it either. 

A circle starts and before you know it you are buried under mounds of "stuff" and your family threats to set fire to it all, just to get rid of it. A little extreme, but you know how fast things can pile up when you don't sort through it.

With April beginning in a few days, now is the time to start cleaning your home. Start small by getting the rugs cleaned in the room that you don't use very much right now, clean the inside of your windows, freshen up your spring clothes, sort through the junk drawer, I know the scary junk drawer. I have plastic drawer trays in my junk drawer to separate the "junk" and to keep it organized. I also have 4 plastic basket in my freezer to keep it organized. I use two for meat, one for veggies and fries and one for wraps, buns and misc. It makes it easy to find stuff in the freezer.

In a previous blog post I outlined an easy way to break down spring cleaning to get it done in a less stress fashion

It can be difficult to get your rugs cleaned before the snow or rain stop, but it is necessary to get the salt, dirt and grim out of them. With Luv-A-Rug multi-stepped cleaning, we get the deep down dirt and grim out, so you know your rug is clean and healthy to use in your home.

If you have larger rugs to get cleaned, Luv-A-Rug picks them up and delivers them back to you. We do this on Saturdays, so book now to have your rugs cleaned before all the spring cleaners come out of hibernation. 250-590-6210/1-800-886-2802.

Here's to purging the old clutter and starting fresh for spring, RugloverMary

Have You Made Your Cleaning Resolutions?

Every New Year we make resolutions to lose 15lbs, start going to the gym, quit a bad habit, but we don't make cleaning resolutions. Yes I said cleaning resolutions.

When was the last time you looked around your home and knew that all the furniture, curtains, walls, area rugs were clean and healthy? It is okay if you said never or when they were new. We are all guilty of not cleaning the big stuff until we have to.

I have come up with a solution to clean you entire home and not get overwhelmed. It will take commitment and a little planning but it will be worth it when you know that your whole home is clean and healthy.

The first thing to do is write a detailed list of what needs to be cleaned.
Such as:

• Curtains and blinds in living room, kitchen and all bedrooms
• Couch and chairs in living room
• Area rug in living room, bedroom, and front door
• Walls need to be cleaned
• baseboards needs to be cleaned and repainted
• tops of door jams (these hardly ever get cleaned)
• reorganize Christmas decorations

Try to keep your list to no more that 6-8 big things so that your aren't doing a big job every month and get overwhelmed and frustrated.
When you finish your list it will seem like a huge undertaking, but here is how you break it down to make it easier and less stressful.

First divide 3 sheets of paper into 4 squares and write the months one in each square as pictured. Next you need to decide what you will clean each month.

This will depend on the number of things you have on your list, when you have the money to afford them, and if companies have cleaning specials.

At this point you may start to feel overwhelmed, don't despair it is a small hurdle, don't look at the whole picture just at the task at hand.

I wrote each task in my sample, but it is best if you cut out small pieces of paper and write each task from your list so it is easier to move the tasks around.

Place each task on a month that works best and write, if possible, the day or week the cleaning will be done. If the cleaning coincides with an event or special day write it down as well.
In my march entry I wrote to take in area rugs for cleaning during March Break/ Spring Break.

When you are planning to use a cleaning company try to schedule it in their slow periods. For instance book your blind or curtain cleaning in February or March before the spring cleaning rush starts.

The next step is to assign each task to who is going to do it. Whether it is to book the pickup of your area rugs, be at home when the cleaners come to clean your furniture, or do the actual task.

Also if you know how long a cleaning job will take write that down too. An example would be carpet cleaning 2 hours, area rug cleaning 5-7 days. The more information you have pre-planned out the less stressful the task will be.

Under my January entry of buying storage boxes and reorganize Christmas decorations I have mom and daughter doing that task. If you live alone get a few friends together and make a chart like this where you all help one another get everything clean.

Work with everyone strengths, for instance if you don't like to scrub walls but like to vacuum assign that task to someone else.

As we all know life has a way of throwing us curve balls, don't panic if you cannot get a task done when you had schedule it. Keep your list short and within reason and if need be break each cleaning task into smaller tasks.

If you need to clean out the garage and your garage is packed full start with the small job of removing all the boxes or tools. If you take everything out of the garage at once all you have accomplished is moving the mess to another area.  When you are writing your plan down take into consider the size of the cleaning job, the time it will take to do and how many people are needed.

This outlined plan is to make it easier to get the big jobs done, but it may not take you a whole year to get them done.The first time you do this space things out until you know the time and resources needed for each cleaning task. Each year you do the planned cleaning it will get easier and quicker.

For area rug cleaning, repair, blind cleaning, cushion, sail, and boat canvas cleaning call us at Luv-A-Rug 250-590-6210 or toll free 1-800-886-2802 or e-mail us at luvvie@shaw.ca
We offer pick up and delivery of large rugs and multiple rugs.

Area rugs and Internet searches

This blog post is for anyone who has a business, doesn't matter the type of business, and uses the internet to get clients. If you say that you don't use the Internet to get clients you really should. The Pew Research Center did a study and 58% of people do an online search for products and services they are considering buying or using. That is 1 out of 4 Americans, can you afford to not have an online presence?

Two years ago Luv-A-Rug had to move from our previous location and because of our strong internet presence our clients are still finding us for area rug cleaning. We are still finding directory websites that have our old address, just today I found some old information floating around. Clients find our old address online and get frustrated when they go to the wrong location. Even if you haven't changed locations, like we did, is your companies information correct on all the online business directories?

To find out type your company name or address into a Google, a Yahoo, a Bing, and all the other search engines and see what comes up. With new business directories popping up almost everyday it is good to check to see if your listing is correct. Depending on what source the directory is using it could have the incorrect information and then you could be losing clients.

With other companies doing the same thing as you are, you need to make sure perspective clients can find YOU first.

When someone does a search for where to buy area rugs, I want them to also find Luv-A-Rug even though we clean rugs not sell them. Why? Because then when it is time for them to get their rugs cleaned they remember our name. Plus we give advice the different types of rugs and where to buy them in Victoria, BC. If you keep your business focus too narrow then you could be losing out on a huge audience of clients.

People like to find out about companies before they call or visit. It saves a lot of time when they can compare products and services at the same time instead of calling. Make sure that they find you when they do an Internet search.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary-not just for area rug cleaning.

A Green Disposable Society?

I was chatting with a client today when she came to pick up her clean rugs. She was telling me how her friends said for the amount of money she paid for cleaning she could just get two new rugs. They were right for the $50.00 she paid to get her two small rugs cleaned and protected she could have replaced them with new ones, but.......................

Let's look at the bigger picture and impact of throwing out the rugs she had. The small scatter mats she has are pieces of synthetic carpet that have been edged to make rugs, they are not bio-degradable and most likely the rugs she would buy to replace them would also be synthetic and not bio-degradable. So what are the benefits to the environment or to her wallet? There wouldn't be any benefit, but we are a disposable society and if it costs the same to clean a rug as it is to buy new, we tend to buy new. Which is kinda sad.

I recently watched a show on TV about how cities were built around, over and because of trash. It is truly amazing the amount of stuff that we throw away because it is easier to replace than to clean or repair. How can we say we are environmentally minded when most of the things we use are not made to recycle?

If you ever want to try the experiment to see how much trash you generate just stop taking out your trash for 2-3 weeks. See how fast it builds up. After the time period sort through the bags and see how much stuff didn't need to be in the trash due to recycling or buying differently. Make a date to tour your locate landfill site to see what they are doing to control our trash and what you can do to help reduce the amount you contribute. It is eye opening. I stopped buying a particular battery operated toothbrush because there was no way to replace or recharge the battery. That didn't seem like a very environmentally friendly product to me.

Back to area rugs, It happens a lot that people are shocked at the cost of cleaning their rugs, but in the end it is cheaper than buying a new area rug every time the current one gets too dirty. With regular vacuuming, cleaning up spills when they happen, rotating your rugs, and getting your rug cleaned every 1-2 years is better for your wallet and the environment. It is hard to say that we are a "green" society when most of the things we use are disposable.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary, thinking green cleaning for area rugs

Area rug knowledge for everyone in Victoria BC and beyond!

Wouldn't it be nice to know how to tell the different types of area rugs apart, to know the benefits and issues of them and to know what rug works best with kids and pets?

I try to explain that about each rug that I write about, but it isn't all in the same place. You have to go through a lot of blogs to find what I wrote about different kinds of rugs. You can always buy books about rugs, but where do you find the time to read them and then try to understand everything.

On this beautiful sunny day in Victoria, BC a fabulous lady brought in her 3 hand knotted wool area rugs for cleaning. We got talking about area rugs and the different types and she suggested that we give a course on area rugs. Do it at that local college on Saturday mornings she said. What a great idea!

No one offers such a course or seminar that I have heard of. When you go to area rug galleries they will tell you the story behind the rugs, but not all staff know about cleaning and care of the rugs. It isn't after you have used an area rug and take it in for cleaning that you learn anything about your rug.

Here in Victoria at Luv-A-Rug we explain the type of rug you have, where it was made and any other interesting tidbits about it. If more people had our knowledge there would be a lot less rugs that get tossed into the landfills every year.

There are some glitches in doing such a course, but overall it would be a great service to provide. Until there is such a course for area rug knowledge, I am here plugging away about area rugs.

If there is anything you want to know about area rugs do not hesitate to leave a question in the comment box, or if you live in Victoria, Vancouver Island or the Gulf islands give me a call at 250-590-6210/1800-886-2802 and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary, Your Victoria, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands wool area rug cleaning expert.

Area Rug Repairs

Rug repairs includes more than just worn away fringes

Anytime you need to have a repair done to your area rug it can be hard to imagine what it will look like. To take some of guess work away we have added a new page to our website.

As we do more repairs more pictures will be added. Even when we do the same repairs to different types of area rugs the end results look different. Our most popular repair is fringe removal and adding a binding ribbon edge or a serged/overcast edge. Depending on the type of rug you own can determine which works best for your rugs.

Along with removing fringes we can also add machine sewn machines to you rugs. We have three different styles in three colour choices. When your rug is valuable we prefer to do authentic hand repairs to keep the integrity and look of you rug.

We have also shortened rugs to fit in a new room, or to remove moth damage or even where a puppy has chewed a corner off. When you have left over carpet pieces from getting new wall to wall carpet installed we can bind the edges to make little scatter mats for you. When you want left over carpet turned into scatter mats they can be square, rectangle, round and even oval in shape. If you give us the dimensions we can cut it.

When you need new carpet cut for your boat we do that too. Bring in your existing piece for a template and a new piece of carpet and we cut to exact size and bind the edges. Luv-A-rug does a lot more than just clean area rugs. Bring us your rug that isn't in perfect condition and we will see what we can do to make it lovable again.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

My Boss HATES Jute!

What is your rug hiding? More than you know

The other day my boss got a call from a women in the View Royal area, in Victoria BC, requesting our free Saturday rug pick-up service for her rug. She bought a 6x9 British India (Indian Aubusson) at Jordan's many years ago.

Well today my boss must have been bored because he came in and asked me if there were any rugs that he could pick up rugs today (Friday) instead of tomorrow. I said sure, how about this order in View Royal it was close to our shop on Wilkinson Rd, so my boss picked up the rug and just brought it in for inspection.

What I found most interesting about this area rug is not that it is rare or valuable, but the material the foundation is made of, JUTE!

This wool rug has jute weft fibers, the foundation fibers going from left to right, and this is a big problem for most inexperienced carpet cleaners.

Fact is that if this rug is "washed" in an immersion process the rug will go all brown and ugly from natural dye from the jute. That is just one of the reasons for why we NEVER clean your rugs without first testing for colourfastness, shrinkage and then examining your rugs fiber types and construction.

At Luv-a-rug we will NEVER clean your rugs with any other rug. They are all cleaned individually and we always use clean water for every rug we clean.

In-fact we custom match your rug to what is safest and most effective for the rug. We have all cleaning processes from full immersion washing to complete dry cleaning with no chemicals.We use wool safe soaps and everything is thoroughly rinsed out.

 Here is the back or the fore-mentioned rug, can you see the jute weft fiber that will leach into the rest of the rug and make a huge mess? (probably no and that's why we are Victoria's Area Rug cleaning experts.

Luv-a-rug is proud to have the only certified "Rug Master" in Canada, the owner and operator, Dusty, plus we are a "Wool-safe" approved firm.

Not all rugs are made the same, even when they are the same type, such as British Indian, so why should they all be cleaned the same?

Feel free to call me anytime for your rug cleaning concerns, 250-590-6210 or 1-800-886-2802

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

Roadside Rug Treasure!

Is your rug worth cleaning?

Treasure can be found every where from the bottom of the oceans to the end of some one's driveway. It all depends on how you define treasure.

Today I got a call from a very nice sounding lady that was delighted that she had found a FREE rug on the side of the road. She went on to say it had a label that said it was an award winning rug! I would have offered to arrange a pick-up service, but as the rug was not big she said she would bring it in herself.

Well, she just dropped off her runner and we are now going to clean her area rug and apply our protective finish to it. I thought I should blog about for several reasons:

1. For a free rug it isn't a bad rug. This rug is in fact a synthetic, Olefin fiber, machine power woven, but still worth cleaning because as she told us, ""it is not too big and the colours are just right for my small living space"  

2. She said,  "I am Dutch and I can't stand to think that it has someone else's dirt in it" so it was imperative that it gets properly cleaned even though it was a free rug.

3. She had phoned around to other companies in Victoria for cleaning pricing, but she chose us because she liked my phone manner (I'm blushing), our cost was lower and our cleaning process is thorough.

We get asked all the time by clients if their rugs are worth cleaning, our answer is, "If you like the rug, if the colours and size fits your space, then any rug is worth cleaning." It doesn't matter if you paid thousands of dollars or zero dollars, any rug is worth cleaning if you use the rug.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary Victoria, BC synthetic rug saver.

Live Moth Larva

On Tuesday of this week, a wool hand tufted area rug came in for cleaning. The client told me that the rug had been stored for awhile.

When I hear that a dirty rug was stored I look for moth activity. I didn't find moth damage, I found something much more exciting.

I found live moth larva eating the rug!

I grabbed my little video camera and taped a great little video showing the little guys at work.

When I went to upload the video I ended up deleting it instead. Yup, I was smart. Since the rug was already in our moth treatment there was no way to re-do the video until next time I get a rug with live larva.

I was really excited to show you the larva because these guys had just hatched. Some of them were very small, smaller than the width of the wool fibers.

This little guy was the biggest one. He was close to cocooning, judging by his size.

I found at least 10 larva, but there were more I am sure.

Since it is really hard to find the eggs we must do our moth treatment to all rugs we find with evidence of moth activity. It takes just one male and female egg to hatch and you rug can be damaged.
Here is one of the smaller larva. When I started moving the fibers around with my pen, most of the larva disappeared.

Moth damage isn't usually caught in this early stage. It isn't until they have eaten a noticeable hole or a professional has pointed it out the empty larva casings.

When I unrolled the rug I had disturbed them and they started to move, it is easier to notice them, since dirt doesn't wiggle around.

I noticed the one first and after I found him, finding the smaller ones was easy after that.
There will be no noticeable damage to this rug because they were caught early.

I am glad that the client had mentioned that the rug was in stored. If he hadn't said anything and I forgot to ask, the unhatched eggs would probably have survived the cleaning and damage could have occurred.

How could the eggs survive the badgering and cleaning process?

The female moth attaches the eggs to the bottom of the wool fibers with a glue like fluid. This makes the eggs hard to remove by vibration and vacuuming. The eggs are very small, less than 1 mm in diameter, and up to one hundred can be laid by a single female moth.

Moth's do serious damage to wool area rugs that is why we will not clean an area rug if we find evidence of moth activity.

Remember to vacuum your entire area rug often and get it professionally cleaned at least once a year.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

When is the Best time to Clean your Rugs?

A common question we get here at Luv-A-Rug is: How often should I get my rug cleaned?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency cleaning should be done:

• 3-6 months...with young children and pets

• 4 months...two people smoking in home

• 6 months...young children no pets

• 6-12...two people non-smoking

This is in a ideal world that we would clean all the soft surfaces in our home with that frequency.

Where you use an area rug greatly depends on cleaning frequency.

An area rug used in the kitchen should be cleaned at least every 6 months. A kitchen rug is absorbing lots of spills and food odours, so it should be cleaned often.

Any area rug that is used by children and pets should be cleaned at least once if not twice a year. Every day your area rug is collecting dust, food bits, pets dander and oils, drool, and things you just don't even think about.

Vacuuming doesn't get rid of all the dirt in your rugs. Your needs a good deep thorough cleaning to get rid of the impacted dirt.

A rug in a bedroom can be cleaned every year or two, but the whole rug should be vacuumed at least once a month. If any of the rug in under the bed or has large furniture on it that can become a prime target for Clothes Moth's.

Remember that moth's like dirty, dark, undisturbed areas of wool rugs and that includes under the edges of the rugs. Keeping your rugs as clean as possible saves you money.

You save money by not having to deal with a moth infestation in your home. When your rugs have evidence of moth activity, it costs more to get it cleaned and have a moth treatment done. If the damage is too much you then would have to replace the rug.

Another good time to get your area rugs cleaned is just before you go on vacation. Bring them in a day or two before you leave and when you get back you have clean rugs. That way you are not having to live without your rugs for a week.

Plus if the unthinkable happens and there is a flood or burst water heater or aquarium break down, your rugs won't be damaged.

When you are moving is another great time to clean your rugs. We can pick them up at one address and deliver them to the new address. If you have to store a rug we can wrap it for storage after cleaning it.

Are rugs that are used every day should be cleaned once or twice a year. Rarely used rugs can be at least every two years with regular vacuuming.

If you think that getting your rug cleaned that often is a waste of money, think of your rug as an piece of clothing you that you wear every day. Every day it is collecting spills, dirt, dust. After awhile it is going to start to look and feel gross.

When you need your rugs picked up for cleaning, give Luv-A-rug a call at 250-590-6210 and we can arrange it.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

Using Snow as a Area Rug cleaner?!

Once a week I cruise on over to Google Blog Search and do a search for area rug cleaning blogs.

I find out what others are writing about and find topics I may want to write about as well. A lot of blogs recommend using equipment and cleaning solutions not made for area rugs, especially WOOL area rugs.

It is perceived that rugs are just like synthetic wall to wall carpet. That is true if you had left over carpet made into a rug. Hand knotted and machine made area rugs require specialized care and cleaning.

I know those blog post exists to help save money, but if your rug gets ruined by using unprofessional advice and you have to buy a new one how does that save you money?

Getting your area rugs cleaned by a professional rug company can cost more than you expected, but it is done right and your rug will last longer and be healthy.

Today I read a blog about cleaning your wool area rug in the snow. It is a practiced way of do-it-yourself cleaning in European countries for decades.

The blog describes step by step how to clean your rug with snow, I am confused as to how this process deodorizes the rug. Snow is froze water with no emulsifiers (detergents), degreasers or enzymes to scrub away the causes of odour.

What they show is our first step in rug cleaning, without the snow. Luv-A-Rug turns your area rugs upside down over a grid and vibrates out the loose dirt, debris, allergens. This is done with the Rug Badger an we call it Badgering.

We an just badger your area rugs, but when we do this we also tell you that Badgering doesn't remove spots, stains or odours.

When you do search for ways to clean and care for spills on the Internet, keep in mind that not all information is correct. Not all cleaning products work for every rug.

When a wet spill happens it is best to BLOT it using a WHITE COTTON towel and keep the area damp and get it to your professional rug cleaner as soon as possible. The sooner we can get to a spill the less likely it will become a stain.

Read the labels of the spot cleaners, if it doesn't say wool safe or have the wool safe symbol on it it will not be good for your wool rug. We hear stories where it may have worked once, but there are too many factors to gurantee it will always work every time.

Here is a letter written to Barry O'Connell of www.spongbongo.com about using snow as a great way to get off loose dirt, lint and pet hair. He doesn't say that it will do anything more than that.

The other sites I looked at all say that it is a great way to get rid of the loose dirt without getting the rug too wet. When you remove the loose dirt from your rug it will look brighter because it is the loose dirt that makes a rug look dull, unless it is a synthetic rug.

Synthetic rugs look dull from walking on it regardless of how much cleaning is done to them. The fibers lose their sheen as soon as they are walked on and there is no way to replace it.

If you live in a place that gets a lot of snow and want to freshen up your area rugs, this is a good way. Just keep in mind that for a deep sanitizing clean you need to take your rugs to a professional area rug cleaner.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary

Hand Hooked Rug Cleaning 101

In my last post I talked about a very special rug that was hand hooked. I received a comment from a lovely lady named Julie who writes a rug hooking blog I follow about cleaning hand hooked rugs.
I was just going to post a reply to her comment, but I thought I would do a whole blog about it.
The cleaning concerns about hand hooked area rugs are as follows:

• the colours could bleed

• the backing could shrink, making the rug bumpy and mis-shapened

• stitches could unhook

• the stitches could shrink, causing the design to look funny

These are possible things that can go wrong if hand hooked rugs are improperly cleaned.
Since hand hooked rugs are mostly used as wall hangings they don't need to be cleaned very often, about once a year or Vacuuming them about once a month with the little brush attachment on your vacuum will remove the dust that the rug collects on a daily basis.

Ask your local rug cleaner if they clean hand hooked rugs and how they clean them. It may be best to use a rug that you don't like or make a sample rug with lots of bright colours and get them to clean it.

A reminder if you don't feel comfortable with the way the cleaner is answering your questions, then follow your gut. You put a lot of effort into making your works of art don't leave it to chance that it will be cleaned properly.

When we get in a hand hooked rug for cleaning I explain the following:

• We test the colours to make sure they won't run

• We do try to do a wet clean, but most of the time hand hooked may get dry cleaned depending on the types of fibers used and the delicacy of the rug

• If our cleaning guy has an hesitation about the cleaning results of a rug he simply will not chance it.

When it comes to your hand hooked rugs find a cleaner you feel comfortable with. Again let them clean a sample rug and see if you are happy with the results.

Not cleaning hand hooks rugs can make a rug look dull and make you fall out of love with it. That is not good.

If there are any rug cleaners in the Newfoundland area, Mid West of USA please make it known that you can safely and gently clean precious hand hooked rugs.

Leave your information in my comments area and a link to your website.

Thanks for reading, RugloverMary