Vacuuming

Regular and thorough vacuuming once a week (more often in heavy traffic areas) is an economical and effective way to remove soil and dirt particles before they become embedded into the pile of the rug. When vacuuming, be careful not to catch the fringe in the cleaner. This can cause separation of the weaving behind the fringe or even damage the rug.

Spot Cleaning

No rug is stain proof. Regardless of whether your rug is made of wool or polypropylene, it is important to respond quickly to spills. However, if you own a wool rug you need to make sure the cleaning product you use is wool safe.

Wools of New Zealand, a marketing organization that promotes the use of New Zealand wool, provides the following expert advice on cleaning wool rugs. These steps also work well on rugs of other fibers.

• Blot up liquids with white paper towels or absorbent cloth; scoop up solids with the end of a knife or spoon.
• Treat the spot according to the cleaning instruction chart below.
• Apply spot removal agent to clean towel or cloth, not directly to the spot. Use small quantities at a time. Always work inwards from the edge to prevent spreading. Do not rub, as this may cause the spot to spread or distort the pile. Do not over-wet the carpet pile.
• Afterwards, blot as dry as possible with clean towel

Warnings

• Some chemicals are hazardous (corrosive, flammable, toxic, etc.) and should be used with great care, strictly in accordance with their use and safety instructions.

• DO NOT apply stain repellent treatments that contain any silicone because they tend to accelerate rug soiling.

• Always pre-test a cleaning agent in an inconspicuous place, such as under a piece of furniture or in the corner of the room, to insure that it does not remove color.

Cleaning Agents For Spot Removal

Our Area Rug Collections are a versatile and beautiful way to accentuate the style of your home. The collection of rugs we offer come in a variety of fibers, namely Wool, Polypropylene, Nylon, Olefin as well as many rugs including additional fibers such as Art Silk for additional accents to the design. Below is a small description pertaining to various fibers used in creating rugs.

Wool:

The natural qualities of wool make it the perfect fiber for weaving rugs. In addition to its innate beauty, strength, and purity, wool boasts a number of additional features that make it an exceptional fiber:

• Excellent dyeing characteristics
• Durability
• Flame retardancy
• Heat and sound insulating properties
• Resilience to matting and crushing
• Natural resistance to soil and dirt
• Easy maintenance

Heat-set Polypropylene:

Polypropylene is a man-made fiber that is created by a process called extrusion. Extrusion involves the pre-dyeing of pellets that are then melted down and extruded into continuous fibers. As a man-made fiber, polypropylene has several built-in features that make it attractive for use in rugs:

• Stain and soil resistance
• Appearance retention
• Durability
• Soft feel
• Rich colorations
• Easy maintenance

Olefin (Polypropylene)

Arbrash  (AB) A change in the shade of a color within a rug which usually appears in a horizontal line.

Aubuson (AU) Fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries. They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of Architects and Artists of the royal court.

Aubuson Weave (AUW)  Fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries. They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of Architects and Artists of the royal court.

Agra (AG) Semi-Worsted New Zealand wool with a Persian knot. Agra, Sultan Abad and other ancient Persian cities have influenced these designs

Angora (AR) Made from the finest blend of imported New Zealand and mohair wool, which is then meticulously designed and finished with a special Kalaty wash that further dramatizes the designs

Antique Finish - A modern chemical washing procedure that produces softer tones or antiques the rug.

Axminster Loom  (AL) The popular choice for duplicating antique oriental rug designs, particularly Caucasian geometrics, because of the flexibility in color and design.

Backing/Backing Material (BM) To protect the back of hooked rugs, heavy fabric is secured with latex glue. Also called a "scrim cloth."

Banded Braid (BB) A style of braided rug in which wide bands of solid or variegated braid form a predetermined pattern which is consistent from rug to rug.

Border (B) The design which forms the outside edge of a rug and surrounds the field.

Bordered Rug (BR) This rug will have a solid or patterned border surrounding a solid color field.

Bahar (BH) Rich high quality hand tufted which is densely made of Blended New Zealand wool with the addition of silk highlights which is then double washed to create an exciting look

Bashir (BA) Hand knotted New Zealand wool blended with Mohair which the exclusive wash creates interesting effects adding splendor in creating our Indo-Peshawar

Braided Rug (BR) Yarn or fabric is braided to form a continuous rope or braid which is sewn in a spiral to form a reversible rug.

Boteh - A teardrop shaped motif used in rug designs, characteristic of the paisley pattern. The boteh may represent a leaf, pear or pine cone.

Carding/Carded Wool - The wool fibers have been opened, cleaned, aligned and formed into a continuous, untwisted strand yarn (called a sliver). Carded wool has a larger and coarser denier than worsted wool.

Cartoon - A colored drawing on graph paper that a weaver follows to craft a rug design.

Carving - Handheld carving tools are used to accentuate details of hooked, tufted and hand knotted rugs, or to create a 3-D effect on solid color rugs.

Caucasian - A generic name describing boldly colored geometric designs originating from the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia.

Chain stitch - A crochet stitch used in rug construction that consists of successive loops to lock the final weft in place at the end of a rug.

Chemical Wash - Produces an overall lustre by reacting to the dye stuffs in the design and by removing short staple yarns from the face of the rug.

Chenille Braid - Fabric is first woven, then cut into strips which are braided.

Chrome Dyes - A quality feature because these synthetic dyes use potassium bichromate to form a permanent bond between the dye and the rug's fiber.

Colorfast - If a rug has colorfast dyes, the colors are stable and will not run when washed.

Controlled Center Braid - The center of each rug is of a predetermined color and design, while the rest of the rug is variegated.

Cornrowing - This refers to when areas of a rug's foundation show between hooked stitches. The rug design is worked in a crescent pattern rather than straight rows to discourage this.

Cross Woven - This refers to a rug woven horizontally on a Wilton loom as opposed to vertically, which is more common. This allows more colors to be used, and the rugs are more pliable than standard Wilton weaves.

Cut Pile - After the yarn is pushed through the canvas in the hooking technique, the loops formed by the yarn are but to leave an open pile.

Delustered - A fabric treatment which washes the shine from the yarn, producing a softer overall appearance in an Oriental rug.

Denier - In reference to yarn size, the lower the denier, the smaller the yarn size; the higher the denier, the larger the yarn size.

Density - This measure of quality in a rug is determined by the amount of yarn and the pile height in a given area of the rug.

Dhurrie - Called a flat woven rug, dhurries are usually made of cotton or wool in India using the warp-sharing, kelim method.

Endless knot - A Buddhist emblem symbolizing long duration, often used with other symbols.

Field - The part of a rug's design surrounded by the border. The field may be solid or contain medallions, or an overall pattern.

Flat Braid - A braided rug produced with yarns that are braided around two parallel cores.

Flat-Weave - Describes a rug that has a flat pile, which includes Dhurrie, Jajim, Kilim and Soumak

Foundation - The combination of warps and wefts in the body of a rug.

Fringe - The ends of the rug. Warps extending from each end of a rug which are treated in several ways to prevent the wefts and knots from unraveling.

Gul - A medallion either octagonal or angular in shape, used in Turkmen design rugs. It is often repeated to form an allover pattern in the field. An example of this is the small repeating elephant foot design found in Bohkara rugs.

Hooked Rug - Yarns are pushed through the back of a canvas cloth and pulled back through to form a design.

Jade (JD) 100% New Zealand Wool with silky Mohair wool highlights. Nepali weave in subtle earth tone designs

Jaipura (JP) Blended New Zealand wool creating a hand-spun feeling. The rugs are infused with the spirit of the Pink City, Agra, Amristar, and Persian cities

Kabir (KB) All New Zealand yarn with lustrous silk highlights, which has been specially washed for maximum crispness of pattern and color

Kelim - A tapestry-like flat woven rug.

Kilim - A tapestry-like woven rug. It is a flat rug with no pile.

Knot - Each yarn is knotted through the back of an Oriental rug. The number of knots per square inch is a quality factor in an Oriental rug.

Knots per square inch - Number of knots per square inch rates the knot quality.

Latex - This glue is used to secure a heavy cloth backing to hooked rugs, and to secure face yarns. Latex backed rugs must not be cleaned using petroleum based solvents.

Lateef (LT) Distinctive Persian designs hand knotted with New Zealand wool. Designs adapted from West Anatolia, Sultan Abad and Agra. High pile & dense quality

Le Palais (PS) 100% Semi-Worsted New Zealand wool. Nepali weave with delicate and luxurious carving, which is influenced by classic French designs.

Line Count - The number of horizontal knots in a linear foot.

Loom - A wooden structure that holds the warp and weft threads for weaving the rug. It can be vertical and horizontal. The height and width of the loom determines the rug size.

Loop Hooked - A type of hooked rug where the loops formed by the yarn are left uncut.

Madras (MS) Imported Wool – Double washed, and moth proofed. This dense high quality allows for very intricate Persian designs

Majestic (MJ) Premium Wool with silk highlights, with an updated 19th Century Sophistication

Medallion - If a design has a large enclosed portion, usually in the center, it is called the medallion. Typical shapes are circles, diamonds, octagons and hexagons.

Modacrylic - Acrylic yarns that have been modified for added quality and to resist fire.

Nap - Top or body of the rug where the knot ends are cut, normally made of wool or silk.

Nomad B (NB) Antique reproductions in four distinctive qualities and price points utilizing contemporary colors and woven with Semi-Worsted & New Zealand wool.

Oushak (OU) Authentic designs that emulate antique Oushak rugs. Hand knotted with hand spun yarn

Oxidation - The chemical reaction that occurs when excess sunlight exposure and age can change rug colors. The colors usually affected are brown or black. Generally occurs in vegetable dyed rugs.

Patina - The mellowing of the surface appearance of a rug usually with age or use.

Pencilling - Part of the finishing process, colors are separated to add clarity and straighten lines of color, such as in the border.

Persian Knot - An asymmetrical knot that is looped around one thread with only a loose half-turn around the other thread.

Pile - The surface of the rug, it is sometimes called the "nap" or "face."

Pile Height - The height of the face yarns from the backing to the tip of the piece of yarn.

Ply - One or more yarns are twisted together to form a larger piece of yarn. Ply counts the number of individual yarn pieces comprising the whole.

Polypropylene - A synthetic fiber that is colorfast, mold and mildew resistant, with excellent wearability and is easily cleaned.

Printed Rugs - Solid or multi-colored pile rugs on which a design has been stenciled.

Primrose (PR) All Wool Soumak weave with exciting patterns in floral, stripes and floral geometric

Programmed Rugs - City woven rugs that have the same design in different sizes.

Riviera (RV) 100% Semi-Worsted New Zealand wool. Nepali weave with delicate and luxurious carving. Influenced by the classic French Aubusson & Savonnerie designs.

Royale (RL) Semi-Worsted New Zealand wool, incorporating South East Persian designs with contemporary colors and styles

Red Desert (GB) All Wool Hand knotted bright cheerful coloring in transitional and south western designs

Savonnerie  French design rug hand woven with a thick pile and pastel colors.

Spanish Needlepoint - Woven on computerized looms programmed to imitate the handmade needlepoint rugs of Portugal, these rugs have jute backs and are not reversible. Also called Spanish berber.

Sprouting - During initial use of a braided rug, excess sprouts of yarn may work their way to the surface of the rug. These sprouts should be clipped off at the base with scissors.

Staple - The average length of fibers in a piece of yarn.

Symmetric Knot - A knot tied over two warps; a Giordes or Turkish knot.

Soumak (SU) Distinctive Soumak double-sided weave, using the finest quality imported wool producing a herringbone effect. Inspiration derived from Sultan Abad, Mahal and Nomad Designs.

Tape Braid - Thirteen two-ply yarns are braided to make a tape, then three tapes are braided around two parallel guide yarns.

Tubular Braid - Yarns are woven in a circular fashion and surround a core of miscellaneous fibers.

Tufting - A form of hooking, yarns are pushed through the foundation of a rug with an electric tufting gun to form a pattern.

Tabernacle (TK) Designed for the discriminating collector with an unusual blend of silk and wool. The entire pattern is exquisitely woven of silk

Tabriz (TR) New Zealand Wool with silk highlights which has a semi-luster wash to bring out the robust jewel tones

Variegated - Using multiple colors.

Vegetable Dyes - Natural dyes produced from berries, roots and bark. They are not as colorfast as chrome dyes.

Warp - Forming the backbone of a rug, warp yarns are attached to a loom and run the length of a rug.

Weft - Yarns that are woven horizontally across the warp of a rug.

Wilton Loom - Automated looms popular for producing authentic Oriental rug designs.

Worsted - Before wool is spun into yarn, it is combed, then worsted to improve its quality by leaving only the longer pieces of fiber for final spinning. It is used for more intricate patterns.

Yarn Braid - A braided rug made from several 3-ply yarns braided together.Arbrash  (AB) A change in the shade of a color within a rug which usually appears in a horizontal line.

Aubuson (AU) Fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries. They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of Architects and Artists of the royal court.

Aubuson Weave (AUW)  Fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries. They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of Architects and Artists of the royal court.

Agra (AG) Semi-Worsted New Zealand wool with a Persian knot. Agra, Sultan Abad and other ancient Persian cities have influenced these designs

Angora (AR) Made from the finest blend of imported New Zealand and mohair wool, which is then meticulously designed and finished with a special Kalaty wash that further dramatizes the designs

Antique Finish - A modern chemical washing procedure that produces softer tones or antiques the rug.

Axminster Loom  (AL) The popular choice for duplicating antique oriental rug designs, particularly Caucasian geometrics, because of the flexibility in color and design.

Area Rugs are a beautiful way to add color, warmth and design to any home. Whether you are designing a new home from the beginning stages and looking to start with rugs or adding to an already decorated room and desire to add an additional accent to change the rooms motif, Just Rugs is here to help you will all your design needs. The information listed here will help better your general understanding of the various qualities and styles we refer to in our rug descriptions as well as the products we display through out our store.

Area Rug Qualities:

Hand Knotted - This term refers to a wool rug woven by hand from various origins of the world such as India, Nepal, Tibet, Pakistan, Turkey and China to name a few. The word "Knot" refers to a process where each yarn is knotted through the back of an Oriental rug. The number of knots per square inch is a quality factor in a hand made rug. The back of hand knotted rugs generally consist what what is referred to as the Warp and Weft. The term Warp describes forming the backbone of a rug, warp yarns are attached to a loom and run the length of a rug. The Weft describes the yarns that are woven horizontally across the warp of a rug. Additional elements may be woven through out rugs which may be percentages or specific shades of colors through out the pattern woven in silk. Typically due to the labor and time involved in creating hand made rugs the price points are generally higher than Tufted and Machine Made rugs.

Hand Tufted - The term Tufting refers to a form of hooking, where yarns are pushed through the foundation of a rug by hand with the use of an electric tufting gun to form a pattern. A hand-tufted rug can be made with many types of fibers including wool, silk, acrylic or a combination. Hand-tufted rugs are generally less expensive than hand-knotted rugs and offer a tremendous value to the customer. To construct a hand-tufted rug, a cotton canvas is stretched on a frame to form the foundation of the rug. The design is drawn on the canvas in stencil or in outline form. Using the described tufting gun, pile yarns are pushed through the foundation, making a loop, which is then cut giving the finished rug a plush or cut pile surface. The back of the foundation is given a latex coating to lock the pile yarns in place. A secondary canvas backing is applied to the rug to give it more stiffness and to cover the latex. In a Hi/Lo hand-tufted rug, the pile of the rug is a combination of cut and loop pile, which is used to create a three-dimensional effect. Hand Tufted rugs offer an incredible value due to price points ranging in the middle, above machine made and less expensive than hand knotted.

Machine Made - Machine-made rugs can be made of various materials, including heat-set polypropylene, faux silk viscose and wool. Machine-made rugs are crafted on automated looms for yarn placement and weaving, where the pile yarns and the backing yarns are threaded into the machine ahead of time. A computer controls which colors are woven into certain parts of the fabric, creating the original design. Power loom weaving is very fast, but usually only allows for a limited number of colors at a time.  By the use of machine looms the process of crafting these rugs  becomes a much less labor intensive product to produce allowing for incredible quality and beauty at affordable price points. Fringe varies by either being sewn directly into the rug or added after production.

Flat Weave - Similar to hand-knotted rugs, flat-weaves are woven on a foundation typically made up of cotton warps strung on a frame called a loom. Instead of looping around and making a thicker pile, the yarns which form the pile are threaded back and forth, covering all the cotton thread like a blanket or a tapestry, creating a very flat pile. Usually, flat-weaves are the quickest hand-made rugs to produce and therefore, generally the least expensive. Flat-weaves can also be produced on power looms, making the production of these rugs even faster. Some qualities include Dhurrie, Kilim, Soumak and Sozani. Aubusson Weave rugs are also flat woven but due to the complexity involved to create these rugs are typically not considered flat weaves. The beauty of these rugs is the ability to create rugs with incredible design and color with out pile giving a completely different design element.

Hooked Rug - Hand-hooked rugs are made exactly the same way as hand-tufted rugs, except that the hand-hooked rug usually has a short, looped pile instead of a thick, cut pile. Also, the backing on a hand-hooked rug is often a light-weight mesh instead of a heavy canvas backing. Designs range from Country French to Contemporary.

Area Rugs are a beautiful way to add color, warmth and design to any home. Whether you are designing a new home from the beginning stages and looking to start with rugs or adding to an already decorated room and desire to add an additional accent to change the rooms motif, Just Rugs is here to help you will all your design needs. The information listed here will help better your general understanding of the various qualities and styles we refer to in our rug descriptions as well as the products we display through out our store.

Area Rug Styles:

Oriental - This style traditionally consists of Floral, Arts & Crafts, Modern, Contemporary, Primitive, Geometric and decorative designs which have been produced for many generations. General origins may include India, Pakistan, China, Tibet, Nepal, Turkey, Persia, Armenia, and France. Most all qualities we display through out our store will offer Oriental designs from various regions including some not displayed in this list depending on quality.

Tibetan - Transitional, Tribal and Contemporary in design, the genre has become a very popular style in with the design trade and American market. Typically produced in Tibet and Nepal offering 60-100 knot qualities using fine Tibetan wools and  many of the 100 knot quality designs offer wool and silk blends which can range from 10-40 percent depending on design using a wool based pile. Price points vary from moderate to best quality depending on knot counts, wools, origin and silk percentages is applicable.

Traditional - Designs which range from Country to French add a classic look to a more traditional decor. Floral, Trellis, Aubusson and many transitional designs define the style. With color palettes ranging from muted tones to rich luxurious reds, gold, greens and earth tones, the Traditional design adds a sense of class to any formal setting. Available in a wide array of qualities with price points available to meet all design budgets.

Aubusson - The term Aubusson comes from area rugs that are fine flat carpets woven in France from the 15th to 19th Centuries. They were derived from Moorish weaving with the assistance of Architects and Artists of the royal court. Many rug qualities offer Aubusson designs, traditional in nature with a broad color palette ranging from muted pastels to primary tones. A common aspect of the Aubusson is its floral designs centered around an oval or medallion in the middle of the rug. Designs are crafted in Machine Made, Hand Made, Tufted, Hooked and Flat Weave with varying price points to suit all budgets.

Contemporary - Contemporary interiors have a mantra : clean lines, sculptural furnishings, art, neutral elements and bold color. One of the most desired styles of rugs today, transitional colors and smart designs are what sets this genre of rugs apart from the close design category of modern area rugs. Crafted in nearly all qualities imaginable gives a wide selection of choices to add this style to any home decor. With the demand for transitional colors with clean designs ranging from soft palettes, earth tones and primary colors, the Contemporary style offers a wide variety of price and selection to suite all budgets possible.

Transitional - This style offers a wide variety of qualities and styles, allowing the ability to cross genres in any home decor. Styles range from contemporary, traditional, Oriental and more. A cross-blend of design elements allow for an eclectic mix of colors and patterns to be merged to create a complete new look to any room setting. These rugs offer the ability to take a room that was designed with a specific motif in mind and transform the look and feeling in a complete new and fresh direction with out the need to refurnish or make drastic changes to achieve the look and feel you are designing for. Qualities range from inexpensive to best quality offering patterns to meet all budgets.

Modern - Much like Contemporary designs, Modern rugs make use of bold colors, abstract patterns and designs derived from artworks of the genre.  Color, texture and interest define the class with a broad use of stripes, circles, varying textures and non-linear designs. The qualities reach a broad range including nearly all qualities imaginable, with price points ranging from inexpensive to heirloom. In today's market Modern rugs are a very popular choice for home decor as they bring a smart design element to almost any room setting.