A large shaggy rug can improve the looks of your room. The exclusive look of a shag rug and its soft, inviting texture can bring a warmer and cozier feeling in your home while keeping it modern and stylish. Unlike other rugs, shag rugs contain a deep mound that makes them softer and eye-catching. Installing a shag rug in your home is the simplest way to add more style, texture, and depth. Shag rugs were quite popular in mid-century designs, minimalist layouts, and contemporary room decor. Whether you like modern designs or not, minimalist and cozy shag rugs are for everyone.
While manufacturing large shaggy rug, people use several materials, such as faux, flokati wool, real fur, acrylic, and leather. Of course, the upper pile of shag rugs requires extra maintenance. If keeping your shag rug clean has become a challenge for you, here are some tips to help you out of your situation.
1. Do Not Vacuum, Use Shaking
Vacuuming your large shaggy rug can cause you numerous troubles. A vacuum can make extra knots within the rug, and it can damage the texture of the pile. You can even rip the fibers off the rug using a vacuum, and you might end up damaging your vacuum too. Rather than using a vacuum, you can shake your rug to get hair, dirt, cat litter, and other unwanted particles out. After shaking, you can use a vacuum to clean the mess from your floor.
You may need to get on your knees and hands to pull out all hard and rough pieces from your shag rug.
2. Dry Bath
Generally, even after shaking and vacuuming, your shag rug possibly will look dirty. It can be because these techniques cannot ensure complete cleanliness. So, you can apply dry shampoo all over the shaggy rug. Grab a brush and start cleaning your shag rug smoothly. Brush the shampoo all over the rug and leave it there for some time. The duration for which you have to leave the shampoo on may differ depending on the brand you are using.
3. Spot Clean Trouble Spots
Occasionally, you will see a lot of spots on your shag rug that require a proper washout. Always begin with gentle soaping followed by washing with water. Apply the soap on the spot instead of rubbing your brush all around the rug. Rubbing in all directions will only make the stain worse and cause it to spread all over the shag rug. First, use soapy water, and then wash with plain water. Repeat this process until the stain is gone. Do not use harsh chemicals because they can make the stain worse and damage the texture of your shag rug.
Before using a product, even if it is a mild soap, be sure to test it on a small area of the rug first. This process is to make sure you do not damage the rug and form a new stain. Besides, leather shag rugs are the toughest to clean, but they do look stunning.
4. Comb & Untangle
It is important to comb your large shaggy rug on a daily basis. Combing a rug is a great habit to maintain the good looks of your shag rug. Brush your shag rug in a single direction and drag through knots. Every type of foot traffic, even bare feet, can cause tangles in your shag rug.
No matter how spotless you keep it, your shag rug will not look good if you do not comb it properly. Combing will keep your shag rug beautiful, fluffy, and soft. You can also use your fingers to untie any knots. The more frequently you comb your shag rug, the easier it will be to comb.
5. Layer Your Rugs
The bottom of a large shaggy rug is also a delicate area, and you need to protect it. If a lot of dirt gets beneath your shag rug, it can damage your shag rug. Layering rugs is an extremely trendy design technique, particularly in modern homes, bohemian designs, and Southern styles. You can protect the underside of your shag rug putting natural fiber area rugs underneath it as a layer. Improvise the overall texture of your room by preferring a natural fiber rug with woven patterns, or tassels.
6. Keep the Floor Clean
One of the easiest methods to clean large shaggy rugs is to keep your house clean, especially the area under and around the shag rug. If your floor is messy, your shag rug will be dirty too. Regularly clean dirt and debris out of your house. You can also occasionally mop the floor near the rug.
Moreover, remind everyone in your home to avoid swiping dirt and crumbs off the counters. Throw all the dirty pieces in the trash. While cleaning the floor near your shag rug, take your shag out and hang it on a wall or table. After cleaning, make sure the whole area is spotless before putting the shag rug back into its place.
7. Steam Cleaning
A steam cleaner might be an excellent option to clean your shag rug systematically. Steam cleaning is an easy technique to get rid of all the dust particles, odors, and other dirt settled deep inside the rug. To make the steam cleaning process successful, you need to hold your vacuum first and start cleaning responsibly.
8. Cool Air Dryer
A cool air dryer is another cleaning method that you can use specifically on small rugs. You can utilize this dryer without heat; all you need to use is air to clean your shag rug. An air dryer can also help you get rid of the soil and dust from the rug. Some professional cleaners carry large air dryers and use them for dusting purposes as well as for brushing the rugs after cleaning.
Bottom Line
Indeed, you may have to pay a lot of attention to maintenance in order to keep your large shaggy rug looking good. We understand if these factors have made you have second thoughts about buying a large shaggy rug. An apt solution to this problem is to purchase a dark color shag rug or look for one with lower piles. They both do not require that much maintenance.