RUGS - GENERAL INFORMATION

by latifrugs.com

Whether you are thinking about buying a new rug or are already the proud owner of one, there are things which are useful to know.

Below you will find useful information from the professionals, covering all the most frequently asked questions on the subject:-

Abrash (Colour matching)

Rug wool is produced in batches, and with village type rugs, these batches can be rather small. Whilst the recipe used by the dyer most often remains constant (as possible), and followed almost flawlessly, there are sometimes differences in colour from one batch to the next. This is to a large extent due to the wool, which being basically an animal’s hair, will dye differently to the next, and also due to the natural dyes being used, which again will cause varying results. This is not actually a fault in the rug in anyway. Some people will find the abrash an intriguing and attractive aspect of the rug, whereas others will not.

In terms of village and tribal rugs, it certainly does add a certain charm to some, but in terms of extremely fine pieces, and workshop rugs, this would realistically reduce the value of the item and can detract from the beauty of the rug sometimes.

Judgement must be used when buying a fine or workshop item with abrash as full price should never be paid in this instance.

This process is not an exact science, is subjective and usually down to the judgement of the dyer based on his/her experience.

rug

Shedding

All pile rugs will lose short fibre very quickly when new, which is created during production when the pile is cut to required height. These fibres fall onto the surface of the pile and appear as ‘fluff’.

The effect varies with material type, pile height and knot density and may be removed by vacuum cleaning several times. This excess fibre is only a small fraction of the total fibre contained in the rug. Note that a rug will shed consistently over the period of its lifetime in any case, due to the effects of wear. This is one of the most common questions we are asked about in relation to modern hand tufted and shaggy rugs. These two are most susceptible due to the method of construction and pile height.

Shaggy pile rugs will suffer this effect quite obviously as the pile is a tall height and the strands are quite loose. For the first few weeks at least, it is very easy to gather handfuls of wool by stroking the pile of the shaggy rug with even medium force. For this reason we feel that care and attention should be used when considering a Shaggy rug for a young child's bedroom as they may inadvertently pull out strands or large amounts of fibre.

Pulled Loops

Pulled loops occur only in looped pile rug where one or more loops in the continuous pile is pulled though the primary backing of the rug. This is usually due to some local condition, possibly some sharp object which has caught in a loop in situ and has resulted in pull. Pulled loops are easily dealt with by trimming the offending end level with the rest of the pile. They should not be left as this could result on further loops being pulled and developing a ladder.

Sprouting

Occasionally an odd tuft or strand or two can work its way to the surface and stand proud of the rest of the pile. This is probably due to one end of the tuft being longer than the other i.e. J shaped tuft instead of V shaped. Remedial action merely requires that the offending tufts be scissor trimmed level with the rest of the pile. They should never be pulled.

Shading

Shading occurs because the pile of the rug has become crushed, flattened or brushed in a different direction to the natural lie of the pile whilst in situ. This causes light reflection at differing angles resulting in the creation of light and dark patches on the rug. This will occur on all pile fabrics but can be more noticeable on plainer rugs because the shadows created on pile pressure will not be disguised by a heavy pattern or design.

This can be remedied on wool rugs by using an clothes iron, a fine cloth and sprinkles of water. Do not use the iron on a steam or hot setting and it is preferred if the iron does not come in direct contact with the rug. Do not use this method for anything other than wool pile rugs.

(1) Sprinkle small amounts of water (preferably using a spray to give a fine mist distributed evenly and well) over the affected area.

(2) Heat the iron to the correct, mild setting for wool.

(3) Place the fine cloth over the affected area and use the iron to heat the cloth, move both the cloth and the iron in the correct direction that the pile should lie.

(4) Some people use the iron directly but it is not recommended as the cloth gives a safety barrier in case of any possible damage (i.e. underside of iron being dirty or having any burnt particles from other fibres, or even the iron being too hot to use among other possibilities).

See also Pile Reversal below.

Static

Rugs do not actually produce static but like other fabrics and objects have the capacity to store it. Static is caused by the build up of static electricity on persons in a dry environment and is discharged when a person makes contact with an object, which can conduct electricity.

The intensity of the static charge will vary depending upon the individual, air humidity and the contact material. Static is usually associated with synthetic materials (especially common in Acrylic hand tufted rugs) as they are not very good at retaining moisture but it is possible to occur with wool in very dry room conditions, although rare in any case.

rug depicting cartoon characters

Preventative measures include the introduction of moisture into the room or in situ treatment.

Fading On Wool

Rugs made from wool can fade in use. The degree of fading can vary depending on the colour chosen and the local conditions in which the rug is sited.

Fading can be caused by the exposure to ultra violet light which is found in daylight, but is accelerated when sunlight shines directly onto the rug. This has the effect of lightening or “Bleaching” the colour just as exposure to sunlight will lighten human hair. Wool is animal hair.

Protection should be given to rugs exposed to such conditions just as you would protect other furniture or fabrics.

Pile Reversal

This occurs when the pile (nap) of the rug changes direction and as such reflects light at different angles showing the effects of shading which can become permanent. It is also described as ‘watermarking’. This can happen to any carpet or rug construction be it Axminster, Wilton, Tufted, Hand Woven, Persian, Chinese, Indian or even Coir Matting. As with shading, it can be more apparent on plain rugs because heavy patterns can disguise the effects. It can occur at anytime during a rug's life. A tremendous amount of research has been carried out over many years by many institutes to determine the cause of this phenomenon and it is not considered a manufacturing fault. As with shading, using a clothes iron set to a mild temperature appropriate for wool, and gently heating the pile and brushing it into the correct direction can sometimes remedy this.

Do not use the iron on a steam or hot setting and it is preferred if the iron does not come in direct contact with the rug. Do not use this method for anything other than wool pile rugs. You can also use a hairdryer and a comb or brush

Using a clothes iron

(1) Sprinkle small amounts of water (preferably using a spray to give a fine mist distributed evenly and well) over the affected area.

(2) Heat the iron to the correct, mild setting for wool.

(3) Place the cloth over the affected area taking lines at a time and trying to get the cloth as far down into the pile as possible, and use the iron to heat the cloth, move both the cloth and the iron stroke the pile into the correct direction. You can bend the rug slightly to expose the roots of the pile more.

Using a hairdryer and comb

(1) Sprinkle small amounts of water (again preferably using a spray with a fine mist) over the affected area.

(2) Using a comb or brush, expose the roots of the pile as much as possible by parting the pile (you can also bend the rug slightly at the affected area to help).

(3) Using the hairdryer on a mild, warm only setting, comb or brush the pile in the correct direction. Ensure you are not getting the pile too hot and do not have the hairdryer pointed at the rug for too long. Repeat, patiently, for the remainder of the affected area.

Note that starting right from the base and having a good deal of patience will give the best results!

Indentations

When a rug is subjected to a heavy point load, such as under the legs of furniture, it is unreasonable to expect the rug not to indent. Usually, the longer the load is in place, the longer will be the time for the pile to recover. In the case of very heavy loads in place for a considerable time, the recovery time can be very considerable.

rug with contemporary design

It must be remembered that it is not only the pile of the rug that becomes indented, the underlay will also indent and the backing of the rug may also distort into the indentation in the underlay.

Some underlays will recover better than others depending on their composition, thickness, density etc.

By placing cups or spacers below furniture legs to spread the load, the effect is minimised by creating a larger area with a less deep indent.

Often normal maintenance (vacuum cleaning with a rotating machine) will speed up recovery but in the case of serious indentations the use of an iron and damp cloth or a steam iron together with a blunt darning needle to carefully tease up the pile can be beneficial. Care must be taken not over wet the rug, of course.

Flattening

Flattening will occur as result of traffic, which eventually flattens the pile particularly in the main areas of use. All pile fabrics will flatten to greater or lesser degree dependant on the amount of traffic to which it is subjected and the construction (tuft density / pile fibre / height / weight) of the product concerned.

Soiling

Soiling is usually the result of some local condition to which the rug has been subjected to, or maintenance, or lack of maintenance programme. There is nothing we as manufacturers can do to prevent soiling in use. There are several types of soiling which are quite common:

Spillages – Liquids such as soft drinks, cordials or any drink which contains sugar, particularly hot drinks, is likely to leave a stain. In such instances, professional help should be sought.

Shampoo – if incorrectly applied, can leave sticky soap residues in the fibres, which can result in the soiling reappearing quite rapidly.

Dust – which is carried on draughts can soil rugs in various ways.

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