Tips and information on cleaning, care and restoration of your rug

Most importantly, please remember that your rug is only as strong as its foundation. Burlap loses strength as it ages, is susceptible to extremes in temperature, and weakens when it's wet. Linen and cotton are sturdier. However, the tips that follow will assume your rug has a burlap backing. If you treat your rug as lovingly as it was made, it should last for generations!  

HEIRLOOM RUG HOOKING TIPS:

• Use a linen or cotton foundation (for the reasons listed above).
• Avoid masking tape, glue, cardboard, and wood - all these materials contain acids which will damage the fabrics over time. If you have a wooden rug frame, wrap it with rag strips and attach the rug to those.
• Don't do anything you can't undo! (This includes putting latex on the back, for reasons discussed later.)

RUG STORAGE:

• DON'T fold your rug; DO roll it with the pile on the *outside*. This prevents cracking or stretching the fragile backing fabric.
• DON'T wrap your rug in plastic, as any trapped condensation leads to mildew. DO wrap it in a sheet or cloth or heavy acid-free paper. DON'T fasten tightly with rubber bands or the like.
• DON'T leave your rug in an attic, where temperatures may be extreme.
• DO keep your rug out of the sun - UV radiation in sunlight will damage and fade the wool over time.

RUGS ON THE FLOOR:

• DON'T place your rug in high traffic areas that will soil and strain your rug's fibres past their limits.
• DO place a thin pad under your rug to help extend its' life. It should be cut 1/2 inch inside the rug's edges. You can buy such pads from your supplier. One book claims that fibre pads absorb moisture over time, and recommends a synthetic pad instead.
• DON'T paint a latex backing on the back of an heirloom rug. In time the latex will harden and crack, and the rug will be destroyed. In a letter to Rug Hooking magazine (Vol.5, No.5, Mar-May 1994, p.10), Jim Beasley of The Ruggery writes, "The first thing I tell a customer who comes to my shop for a repair is that if we touch a rug with latex, we reduce its value by half as an antique. If the rug is of museum quality, I send my customer to someone whose business is rug restoration. However, if the rug is of sentimental value only and the burlap backing is five minutes away from total disintegration, why not "fix" it with latex and use it for another 15 or 20 years...?"

HANGING RUGS:

• Changes in humidity and temperature cause the fibres in a rug to shrink or swell slightly, and the rug must give to accommodate this. Consequently, DON'T stretch a rug tightly for hanging, as you would stretch a canvas, and DON'T staple, nail, or glue your rug to a frame or board.
• DON'T place a rug behind glass or plastic. If condensation should be trapped inside the frame, your rug will be ruined by mildew.
• If you mat and frame a rug, use only acid-free mats. Use quilt batting on acid-free mounting boards if padding is desired. If your frame is wood, be sure it's covered with mylar (a pH-neutral plastic).
• DO evenly distribute the weight of a rug that is used as a wall hanging, so it won't sag and strain the backing. One technique which will avoid undue strain on any section of a small rug is to sew a cuff of fabric or rug tape to the top finished edge of the rug. Slip a dowel or drapery rod through this sleeve. Use drapery fasteners, cup hooks, or bent nails to attach the rod to the wall. You can also use one of the hardwood quilt- or rug-hangers that are now commercially available. Large rugs will require a full lining to support the weight of the rug: see Pat Hornafius' "Victorian Cottage Rugs" for clear instructions for applying such a lining. (There used to be instructions for hanging your rug using Velcro here, but Pat Hornafius also writes that Velcro can cause cotton to rot - so I've removed that information.)

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE:

• DON'T shake or beat your rug. This strains the backing, and an old rug might disintegrate in your hands.
• DO air your rug outdoors occasionally, especially on damp, foggy days. This will make a dry burlap backing less brittle.
• DON'T hang your rug over a clothesline (for the reasons mentioned above); lay it flat and turn occasionally.
• VACUUMING - Sand and grit will grind down the pile of your rug and weaken its foundation. Some books forbid vacuuming delicate antique rugs, while others say that gentle suction (on the pile side only, with the upholstery attachment of a canister-type vacuum or a hand vacuum - one source suggests covering the suction wand with layers of cheesecloth) is okay for any rug. Also, occasionally place your rug face down and pat it (or sweep it) to dislodge grit which has fallen between the loops.
• Some books suggest placing your rugs face down on newly fallen powdery snow, then (gently!) brushing the snow off, claiming that the moisture makes the burlap less brittle and brightens the colours; others call this method "an old wives' tale".

WASHING YOUR RUG:

• DO remove stains immediately. Blot LIQUIDS firmly with towels. If necessary, sponge the area gently with cold water; if the stain persists, you can try blotting with a mild solution of cold water and white vinegar or household ammonia or fresh milk. Gently lift SOLIDS out of the fibres, perhaps by spot vacuuming as you loosen the particles with a knife.
• DON'T immerse your rug, because some backings will fall apart in water. DON'T wash your rug in a machine!
• DO gently wash the *surface* of the rug using a mild detergent in cold water. Whip up the foam, gently moisten the spot, and rub very gently to dislodge the dirt. Use a cloth or sponge dipped in clear water to remove the foam. Don't soak it! Blot dry. This method may also be used to surface clean an entire rug. Be sure to overlap sections so you won't leave dirt rings. Also, work quickly so that the foundation won't get wet and any insecure colours won't have a chance to bleed.
• DETERGENTS - Harsh commercial rug cleaners may damage the fibres and set a stain. Ordinary household detergents are usually highly alkaline, contain fillers and brighteners which damage textiles, and leave a residue. One book recommends that you use sodium lauryl sulphate, an extremely mild detergent with a neutral pH which rinses freely and leaves no residue. It's commonly used by textile conservationists, and is sold at tack shops as a horse shampoo (Orvus WA Paste). The book recommends a solution of 1 teaspoon of Orvus WA Paste in 1 quart of water. Another book suggests that you use a new product designed specifically for cleaning hooked rugs called Heirloom Care.
• DON'T wring the rug or hang it to dry. DO roll the rug (pile side out) in a heavy towel to absorb the moisture, then lay it flat to dry in a shaded area (not in the sun!), or away from direct heat.
• ABSOLUTELY DO NOT give your rug to a dry cleaner if it's desperately filthy. The harsh chemicals and rough handling used by conventional dry cleaners are likely to destroy your rug. INSTEAD find a company that specializes in cleaning *hooked* rugs (even companies who regularly clean antique oriental woven rugs may not know how to treat a hooked rug).

RESTORATION:

• Please find a qualified expert to at least assess an antique rug's condition for you (Your local guild or supplier can probably recommend someone). If your rug is particularly delicate, you would be wise to trust a professional to clean it, restore it, and mount it for hanging for you. Restorers often must start by removing previous repairs.
• Remember that "a stitch in time saves nine", and mend damage to your rugs immediately. If you match your colours carefully and use as much of the original material as possible, your repairs should be hard to spot. If you save your notes and extra material when you've finished hooking a rug, you'll make its repair much simpler.
• If a few loops have been pulled out by a pet, just hook them back in place or hook new ones to match.
• If the backing has a weak spot or has been cut, unravel some threads from a matching backing material, and darn them back into the weave and rehook the loops. (You may wish to reinforce this with some diluted white glue.)
• If the backing has a hole in it, sew on a patch of monks-cloth by hand. First, rip out the pile an inch around the hole. Use a patch that's a little bigger than the hole to be covered, and sew it securely to the underside of the foundation using heavy-duty thread. Stitch down the frayed backing to the patch on the top side of the rug, then rehook the area using the wool you pulled out or matching strips.
• Hold your antique rug up to the light. If it's filled with holes, it may have dry rot - in which case it will eventually fall apart. One book suggests that such rugs are "impossible" to fix. Other books suggest that you line the entire rug with monks-cloth. Cut the new backing slightly larger than the rug, and stitch it to the old backing at intervals to hold them together evenly; turn the edges of the lining under when sewing to the rug's edge. Wherever there's a break, remove the loose loops, stitch the frayed backing to the lining, and rehook.
• If your rug has frayed edges, remove the binding and the loose loops, attach a new backing as above, and rehook and rebind the piece.
• If the binding is worn, a new binding can be sewn over the old one. Use two-inch wide binding tape, as close to the border colour as possible, and strong thread. Sew the new binding to the rug through the wool loops on the top side, at least a quarter-inch back from the edge, with your stitches close together. Ease the binding around corners smoothly. Sew the binding in place on the underside. The completed bound edge showing on the right side of the rug should be about a half-inch wide.
• One book suggests that rugs with full linings are best used as wall hangings, because the lining will catch soil and wear against the loops inside if the rug is underfoot.