10 Ways to Keep Your Shag Rugs Looking New

You finally found a shag rug with just enough attitude to perfectly accentuate your home or apartment features. Now, you’re wondering how to keep that beauty looking and feeling good. Luckily, you can keep keep your new shag beautiful for years to come by following these ten easy tips:

1. Disengage or remove the beater brush from your vacuum to extend the life of your rug even with routine vacuuming.
2. Every three months, roll up your rug, turn it over where the backing is up, and vacuum with the beater bar activated. Vacuuming the back dislodges dirt trapped between the fibers. Roll the rug up again, remove dirt and debris from the floor. Repeat two more times. Finally, reposition the rug with the shag-side up.
3. Remove shoes before walking on your beautiful shag, and ask guests to do the same. It’s only polite!
4. Keep children with liquids (and, adults with beverages that stain, such as wine) away from natural fiber shags. If a spill happens, apply dry carpet cleaning powder immediately. Following package directions for use. If you’re lacking cleaning powder, check out some of our DIY carpet cleaning tips.
5. Use a comb vacuum attachment or hand comb/brush made specifically for routine care.
6. Spot clean acrylic rugs with clean white towels and a spray stain remover. Place one towel under the rug, lightly spray another towel with the stain lifter. Gently wipe each stained fiber. Allow to air dry before using the rug.
7. Never put a shag rug in the washer or dryer!
8. Clean all area rugs once a year.
9. Restore fluff to a hand-knotted wool rug by gently brushing with a soft brush.
10. Hang your rug outdoors for 2-3 hours of sunlight a couple of times a year to kill any mold and bacteria that may harm your fibers.

Return to these ten tips every time your shag rug looks like it needs a pick-me-up, and you’ll be enjoying this timeless style for years!