Area rugs bring color, warmth and a sense of foundation to any room. Once you own an area rug, caring for it is relatively simple but should be performed. If cared for properly, a quality carpet can last a lifetime.

The first thing to consider for is a quality rug pad. Rugs take stress on their pile, their backing and their foundation since they are usually against a hard floor surface. The proper pad will reduce, and in most cases, eliminate the stress. When a rug is walked on, the backing, or the knots, grind against the hard floor. Over time, this creates premature wear. A carpet pad acts as a barrier and absorbs most of this stress, hence prolonging the life of your rug. Although there are several choices in pads, be sure to purchase one that is dense enough to resist pressure and safe enough for your floors. If it is a non slip pad you desire, get one that contains real rubber and not a sprayed on latex rubber since this can break down and harm the floor. One of the best rug pads available is one with a recycled jute and real layer of rubber that prevents slipping as well as protects as it should. You may view the best rug pads at http://www.rugpadcorner.com 

Since air has dust particles, these particles settle within the foundation of a rug. It is important, even if the rug looks clean, to vacuum at least once a week. Vacuuming will help to remove any dust particles that cannot be seen as well as create an air flow circulation. On good quality rugs, you may use a beater bar vacuum or a suction vacuum and try to vacuum with the direction of the pile of the rug. One helpful hint is that if your rug has fringe, or tassels, be sure not to suck them up into the vacuum as this will wear them out sooner.

Inevitably, there is always more of a traffic pattern on some parts of the rug than others. For this reason, it is a great idea to rotate once a year. This will help to maintain more of an even pile. Spreading the wear is important so that one part of your rug does not wear out before another part.

Cleaning rugs is important as well. Handmade wool rugs do not need an annual cleaning like synthetic ones. For those made of wool, once every 3 or 4 years is enough since the wool contains lanolin oils and should retain these oils as much as possible. Have your rug professionally cleaned and make the cleaning company aware of any unusual stains. For spot cleaning, always first try to clean the area with a damp sponge. If this does not work, try adding a little liquid detergent. For acidic stains such as wine and juice, blotting the spill with club soda usually works.

Relatively speaking, area rugs require little care. Provide them with the right pad, vacuum, rotate and clean them regularly and you will find that the rug will be the foundation of your room for years to come.