New Info Pages On RugSale.com

RugSale.com has produced a whole series of pages with information on different types of area rugs on its web site. They explain everything from shag rugs to braided rugs. They talk about the different materials like wool rugs and sisal rug. They discuss machine made contemporary rugs verses a hand tufted rug. There is even an article describing finished edge carpet rugs. Their parent company specializes in high end oriental rugs and persian rugs but they also talk about things like bath rugs, discount rugs and the kids rugs they carry online. 

An Oval Office Area Rug Accident

I would be curious what the area rug pattern in the Oval Office was at the time (typically, each new administration redecorates the office) but apparently Gerald Ford's dog, Liberty, didn’t care for it.

One day Ford's dog, Liberty, made a mess on the rug in the Oval Office. A Navy steward rushed to clean it up. "I'll do that," Ford said. "No man should have to clean up after another man's dog." WashingtonPost.com

His reaction to Libertys commentary tells us a lot about Fords character. As the saying goes, you know a mans character by the way he treats people he doesn't have to be nice to. I think whatever people thought of his politics the country truly respected this man.

Rudolph Makes For a Bad Rug but a Great Sausage

The Casper Wyoming Star Tribune has a story about how Rudolph doesn’t just “deliver the presents, he is the present”.

"I'll tell them it's Rudolph," Hicks, a retired lawyer who moved to Alaska in 1971 from the Boston area, said with a devilish grin inside the bustling Alaska Sausage and Seafood shop. Behind the counter, workers hustled to fill holiday orders, including the ever-popular all-reindeer package. CasperStarTribune.net

As far as we are concerned reindeer can stay in from of Santa’s sleigh. They may taste good but the make bad rugs.

They (hides and pelts) are ideal for hanging on a wall or sofa back. But reindeer hair is hollow and easily breaks, so it wouldn't last long as a rug. CasperStarTribune.net

I waited to post this until after Christmas, I think if Santa had seen this before then he wouldn’t have come any where near my house.

And You Thought Vacuuming Was Simple

So you bought that all wool Shaw area rug from their W E Poole Collection that you fell in love with. It gets delivered and as you spread it out you vow to take good care of it. The most important step in caring for your carpet is vacuuming and you need to do this thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high traffice areas. Bear in mind that walking on soiled carpet permits the soil particles to work their way below the surface of the pile where they are far more difficult to remove. Frequent vacuuming removes these particles from the surface before this happens.

Now when I am talking about frequent I’m not talking about just spring cleaning or even once a month. For rooms with light traffic you really need to vacuum the traffic lanes twice a week and the entire rug once every week. For those areas with heavier traffic the traffic lanes should really be vacuumed daily and the entire area rug about twice a week.

Now you want to stop thinking in the back and forth, making sure the whole thing is covered mind set. You will want to make up to three passes of the vacuum cleaner will suffice for lightly soiled areas, but you may need five to seven passes for more heavily soiled areas.

We will talk about vacuum cleaners in another post but for now break out that machine you have that is gathering dust in the closet and take care of that Shaw area rug investment you have lying in the middle of the floor.

There is one other alternative, just rope off the room as a friend of mines mother did when we were young. Come to think of it I am probably still not allowed in that room.

An Explanation of Area Rug Fibers

In this blog John Tredor explains the different fibers that area rugs are made from. He goes through each of the most prominent fibers and explains where they are from and there advantages and disadvantages.

“Natural fibers used with carpet are produced either by insects, animals, or even plants. The fibers that are produced by insects or animals are known as protein fibers. Those that are made by plants are known as vegetable fibers.” carpetscentral.blogspot.com

This will help people figure out what type of material they should be looking for before they start to look at area rugs. It is very thorough and well written.

Eco Friendly Inn Uses “bon voyage” Pattern Area Rug

An "eco inn", set to open on first day of spring and Earth Day, features a very interesting area rug.

“A handmade wool rug in a 'bon voyage' pattern leads down a hallway in the Topia Inn in Adams. The eco-friendly building is expected to open in March.” Northern Berkshires MA, TheTranscript.com

The Topia Inn, on Pleasant Street in Adams MA, used eco friendly materials when renovating the abandoned lodge building. The 100 percent New Zealand wool rug they chose is a very interesting “bon voyage” pattern. Here is a good picture of the area rug which they are using as a runner. I have been to Adams many times and it is a beautiful town. This inn could be an interesting place to stay if you go to visit. While there you may want to visit Tanglewood to listen to the BSO.

The New 'Age In Place' Trend Offers Good Advice

As an article in the Pittsburgh, Pa. Post Gazette states the aging baby boomer generation is “…giving rise to an army of experts who are eager to help people age in place.” The article has some practical and sound advice even with respect to area rugs. To keep people who are aging, and whose reactions may not be as fast as they once were, safe they are advised to always “Secure all carpets and area rugs with double-sided tape.” But this is of course sound advice for everyone whether you use double sided tape or a good non-slip padding.