Ottawa Area Rug Cleaning.

If you haven’t noticed already, we love rugs. The time, skill and art that it takes to build them is nothing short of amazing. On some rugs, the manufacturer actually sews on the fringe but hand knotted fringes are actually part of the foundation of the rug. They really give the rug a finished look, a personality of it’s own. Most handknotted or handwoven rugs have the same looking fringe on both ends, however, many are constructed with different styles of fringes. Here are some examples. Longer on one end than the other, braided on one end but unbraided and really long on the other. Some rugs have a normal fringe on the end, but the other end has no fringe at all, just a flat weave finish called a killim.  I personally think it gives the rug fantastic charm and character when there isn’t perfect symmetry.

But what to do when you don’t like the fringes anymore. If it is a hand knotted rug, there are four words we always remember. DO NOT CUT THEM OFF! Ok, five words. Those fringes are the warp yarns, or what the rug is woven on. If you cut them off, the rug WILL fall apart. If you don’t like them, what can you do?  Flip the rug upside down, lay two way tape on the back of it right where the fringe starts. Fold the fringes back onto the tape and voila, those nasty strings will stay under the rug. This also allows the short flat-weave edge of the fringe to stay exposed, leaving a nice finish.  The rug stays in tack, the fringes have disappeared, and if ever you want them back, just pull them off the tape.

It’s a win-win…………win situation.

Finally a little tip. Everybody know not to vacuum fringes for obvious reasons. But many will use the powerhead (beater-bar) of the vacuum over the fringes working outward so the carpet fringe doesn’t get caught. Some reason that this is a good way to groom the fringe. However, using a powerhead will gradually weaken the cotton (or wool, or silk) and the fringes get smaller, thinner, or even completely disintegrate. So, it’s best never to vacuum the fringes.

If you have any comments or questions, please give Peacock Rug Care a call, 613-232-5110,  or south of Ottawa, 613-258-5110.