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Care Instructions — Rugs

Daily Routine

Our pieces are woven using doubled yarn, allowing us to get a thicker and tighter structure. The wool fiber is more compact than the traditional flat weave, making it more stain-resistant and durable.

We recommend the following weekly steps to prolong the life of your rug.

1. Vacuum regularly, 2-3 times a week. If the rug is in a high traffic area, we recommend vacuuming 3x a week. This will help you preserve your rug fibers. If possible, flip the rug and vacuum both sides.

2. Flip your rug at least once a month to use each side, equally. You can use each side of the rug.

Tips & Recomendations

Avoid Sun: Try to keep your rug out strong & direct sunlight. All colors have been handdyed and tend to fade slightly over time. Keeping your rug out of direct light will prolong the intensity of the color.

Do Not Wash: Do not wash using a washing machine or dry clean. We also don't recommend hand-washing. Wool rugs are not meant to be washed completely, only spot cleaned as needed. The key to keeping your rug beautiful is regular vacuuming, this would help preserve the fibers.

For Light Stains: Wet the stained area with a white and clean cloth using warm water and soap. Always rub from left to right in the direction of the weave. Leave the wet stain for 10-15 minutes and then softly dry it from both sides with a dry and clean white cloth.

Thick liquids: If you drop any thick liquids, foods or sauces: first carefully use a spoon to remove excess so the stain does not spread. Only after removing the excess liquids, spot clean with water and a clean cloth.

Stains

Wool is a highly stain-resistant material that’s fairly easy to clean. The natural coating of wax on every wool fiber automatically protects moisture from penetrating the surface. When a spill occurs, always be sure to consider the type of stain before taking action.

1. Spray Water
Spray water on the stain. The first and most intuitive treatment is to apply water to the stain. Soak a clean rag in warm water and gently dab the stain, making sure that the entire area affected has been doused in water. Work from the outside of the stain to the middle in order to avoid spreading the stain to other parts of your rug. Continue to blot to see if some of the stains will lift. It’s always best to treat the stain as quickly as possible, rather than have the stain dry and potentially cause permanent damage.

Simply fill up an empty spray bottle with warm water and wet the affected area. Most importantly, do not scrub the rug harshly with a brush or broom, primarily because this action can cause significant damage to the wool fibers. Use a gentle vacuum or a soft bristle brush to lift dirt or residue if needed in a circular motion, but be careful not to be too forceful.

2. Use Vinegar
If you think your stain may require more than just a bit of water to fix, try vinegar. This common household cleaning agent is moderately gentle on most materials, including wool. In particu- lar, vinegar is great for cleaning up pet stains since it neutralizes urine odor. Also, you can consider vinegar for light food stains.

Always mix vinegar with warm water for best results. A good proportion is 1⁄4 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups water. Again, use a spray bottle and a clean rag to apply and blot the stain thoroughly. Once you can see that the stain is lifting, start blotting with a dry cloth. You can wait up to 15 minutes with a wet rag on the wool, but longer than that can risk the chance of mold and mildew growth. Be sure that the area is blotted as dry as possible, and then allow your rug to air dry.

3. Apply Rubbing Alcohol
If you accidentally dropped your liquid makeup on the rug use rubbing alcohol for stains that include nail polish, any kind of makeup, ink, or shoe polish. As mentioned above, you’ll want to use vinegar for food and pet stains, but for the more stubborn stains that come from artificial products like nail polish, paint or a similar material, rubbing alcohol is recom- mended as the best solution to fight these.

Start by soaking a cotton ball or a clean rag with the rubbing alcohol and apply to your wool rug delicately. Repeat until you begin to see the stain lift. These types of stains can be stubborn, so if you fail to see good results quickly, it may be best to let the rag sit overnight. As long as your rug is not completely drenched in liquid, you can try leaving the rag sit on the stained area for a couple hours. When you come back to the stain later, you should see most of the stain on the rag instead of your wool rug. If not, it may be best to seek profession- al assistance.

4. Seek professional assistance
Last but not least, you may need to seek professional assistance to clean your wool rug once every so often. Professional cleaning is well worth the investment. In particular, if a stain is tough or has been untreated for more than a couple of days. Likewise, if the stain covers most of your rug instead of just one or two spots, a thorough, professional cleaning is advisable. Your rug specialist will know how to care for your rug without the risk of potentially damaging it.

The life of your rug will be unmistakably extended by routine cleanings by professionals who know how to care for precious wool rugs and treat the toughest stains. Consider this alternative if all options above have failed you!

Alambre — Series