I just got off the phone with a lady who called to inquire about getting a rug picked up and repairing some corner damage. Not only did I mention that we can pick her rug up as early as tomorrow (Saturday we offer no-charge pick up and delivery in most areas of Victoria and surrounding areas) but also that we could repair the damage. She than mentioned that her rug was too big you her new home and that she also has one in her bedroom folded in half to fit the room.
I mentioned that depending on the type of rug she has we can trim them down to a usable size for her. She was thrilled that this could be done because it never occurred to her to have them trimmed down.
Here is my video on making your rug perfect by trimming it to the right size and getting it re-edged.
Now this is best to do on machine woven rugs, more so than hand-knotted rugs. Bring your rug in to Luv-A-Rug at 445 Beta St Victoria BC and we can let you know if your rug can be trimmed down to fit your room. We can also trim wall to wall carpet ends into any shape you need to fit around a fireplace, boat, or vents.
Luv-A-Rug does more than just clean area rugs. Thanks for reading RugloverMary
After a dull, wet winter our area rugs have taken a beating. They have trapped in lot of loose dirty, salt, sand, and mud and after a few months of this they look really grubby. At Luv-A-Rug, in Victoria BC, we clean area rugs that barely look dirty to ones that are more dirt than rug.
Here is one runner that came in very dirty, you can barely see the original colours of the rug. This rug will get a lot of badgering (which is where we vibrate your rugs upside down to remove the deep down dirt), and many cleanings to restore this rug.
After we clean this rug I will do a follow-up blog post to show how it cleans up.
Luv-A-Rug understands that you can be embarrassing by the shape of your rugs, don’t be, we have seen rugs in all states of dirtiness. We care about restoring your rugs to a lovable state and making you happy. We take care of every type of spill, pet accident, moth damage, mold, odours, and dirt.
A couple of weeks ago Luv-A-Rug receives an e-mail from a lady in Victoria, BC about her rug that she bought on the Internet. She included a couple of photos of her issue with it. The back cotton binding was not completely glued down so someone just slapped on some latex glue and didn’t make it look professional or pretty.
Now you may be thinking that it is the back of the rug, who should care about that. Let me ask you this: if you just bought a new rug would you want to have it looking like that straight from store? The online store she bought it from was not the place that shipped it. When she called the store and told them about the issue, they were not impressed either. They called the shipper/manufacturer and told them that they had shipped an imperfect rug.
The rug owner is hoping the rug manufacturer will pay for the whole repair and not just part of it, since it was their issue to begin with. This is an easy fix for Luv-A-Rug to do. We can just use proper latex glue to re-attach the back binding.
Back edge lifting off from rug
Here is the rug unrolled a bit and you can see the back binding is lifting from the rug. This is not just in this one spot, it is all around the edging on the back. Plus you can also see that the cotton backing on the rug is rippling. Sometimes the backing can be pulled off the rug and replaced, but it can be more than the owner is willingly to invest.
Luv-A-Rug is not a fan of this type of construction because of the lack of quality control by the manufacturers. Some hand tufted rugs have a foul odour, which is permanent, the wool sheds excessively, and the latex glue holding the rug together breaks down and causes white dust to fall out.
I wrote an article about hand tufted rugs on our website. The biggest reason why I don’t like these rugs is they walk a very grey line by calling them hand-made which gets confused with hand-knotted. Not all hand tufted rugs have issues, just enough of them do to give them a bad reputation. If you smell the rug first and test to make sure it doesn’t shed excessively you can enjoy a hand tufted rugs for years. Unfortunately there isn’t anything that can be done once it starts shedding the white dust.
Another thing you may be asking is why didn’t she just send the rug back and buy a another one. The answer is simple, she likes the rug and it took her a long time to find the right colours and size. This happens a lot when you need a rug a certain size and has particular colours or design.You may have to invest in repairs because you cannot replace the rug. Last week we had our hand repair lady fix a tufted rug because the wool had fallen out in little clumps. She had bought the rug here in Victoria last year and when she went back to re-order the same rug, she got an unpleasant surprise.
The rug she owns is not made any more and there is nothing that had the same colours. Since she had decorated around the rug it is not an option to replace it. This is why people put up with imperfections, and pay for repairs and work around them because when you find the perfect rug it is not always replaceable.
When you are looking to buy a new rug in Victoria, BC call us at Luv-A-Rug 250-590-6210/ 800-886-2802, and we can give you a list of reputable rug galleries we trust. Thanks for reading, RugloverMary- rug repair knowledgeable
If you never had to hire a carpet or rug cleaner, it can be hard to sort through the countless companies in your city.
How can you choose one that is reputable, does a professional job, stands behind what they do, and won’t price scam you?
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place to find a list of pre-screened rug and carpet cleaning companies?
Well I am here to tell you that such a place exists.
Your first place to search for a rug and carpet cleaner in the USA, Canada and even the UK is the Persian Carpet Guide, scroll down the page until you find your city.
Barry O’Connell from SpongoBongo.com has done the hard work for you. He has chosen the best cleaners in many cities using a strict list of guidelines. The companies must be ethical, have the correct training to clean rugs, have a functional website, professional, and clean with the correct methods.
If you don’t find a cleaner in your city, call one from a city close to you to see if they also clean in your area.
In Victoria BC, Luv-A-Rug is your Wool Safe certified area rug cleaners. We care about your rugs and are trained to care for them, making your rugs clean and healthy for your home.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary- passionate about your rugs
I just got off the phone with a lady from Vancouver BC, which is just across the water from Victoria BC. She was a bit frustrated at the lack of information and companies that take care of moth infested rugs in her area. One short 8 minute call with me, RugloverMary, and she feels much better that her rug can be saved. She has an Indu-Gabbeh that was purchased at the Swedish Home store and it is in the perfect colours for her new home, unfortunately it has moth damage.
I told her that Gabbeh rugs are my favorite all time rugs. I explained to her how the life cycle and feeding needs of the moths works, and what we do to eliminate moth infestations here at Luv-A-Rug, and I gave her a couple of names of companies in Vancouver area that might be able to help her.
Because I was very helpful, friendly and knew how to care for her rug, we are getting her rug brought over to us by courier for cleaning and moth control. Just because we are not in her immediate neighbourhood doesn’t mean that we cannot care for her rug.
If you do not live on Vancouver Island, or near Victoria, BC Luv-A-Rug can still clean and repair your rugs. Our courier is safe, insured and does overnight or next day delivery to most areas.
Here is my video showing a different Gabbeh rug that was a moth feast:
It is nice being the wool moth expert. We all have to be good at something and I like the odd stuff. Moths gross people out, but for me they help me educate clients and the world about how to care, store, and save their beloved rugs
Here is the latest victim of moths to come to our shop. This rug had huge sentimental value to the client, but it was peed on by their dog and then rolled up and stored away without being cleaned. The moth larva had a good feast and were still feasting when I filmed them. This rug was unfortunately too far gone to be saved, so please always get pet accidents professionally cleaned right away.
So if you don’t live in Victoria BC, but find me, RugloverMary, or anything I wrote/filmed about moths contact me. I can help. Either we can get the rug to us here at Luv-A-rug or help you find the right professionals in your area.
Here are a few tips to protect your rugs from moth infestations:
Always clean your rugs after a pet accident and storing for even a short time.
Vacuum your entire rug and under the edges to eliminate the dirt moths need to survive.
Clean your air ducts every year before using them.
Clean away any old wasp, bird, rodent nests from outside your home and the attic.
Get your rugs professionally cleaned by a Wool Safe Certified company every 1-3 years.
To contact Luv-A-Rug you can call us at 250-590-6210/800-886-2802 or e-mail me directly at mary.luvarug@shaw.ca or luvvie@shaw.ca
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary-helping protect wool rugs from Moths!
…but I am not a fan of Modern Shag rugs and here’s why.
The longer I work at Luv-A-Rug the more I get annoyed. I am annoyed at all the rug manufactures that make rugs out of fibers that cannot be cleaned. Some rugs once they get dirty and stained that is it they cannot be cleaned to look new and clean again.
I was looking at some rug selling websites this week and I was shocked at what they are using as fibers on some of these rugs. It looks like someone went to a craft store and bought all the fancy string, ribbon, felt, and cloth and then went and made rugs with it.
Don’t get me wrong the rugs look amazing, beautiful and modern, but they aren’t made to be walked on.
Shag rugs are not a bad rug choice when they are used properly. It would also be nice if not all shag rugs were off white, cream, or beige, at least the ones sold in Victoria BC.
I call Shag rugs the Divas of the rug world. They need to vacuumed and cleaned more often that other rugs, they are also sensitive to spills and pet urine. Plus some don’t like to be walked on.
My lack of appreciation for shag rugs may stem from the fact that even though I was born in the 70’s, I did not grow up with shag carpet in my home. Plus I am now looking at rugs from a cleaning point of view and an environmental one too.
When you are out looking for rugs think about vacuuming and cleaning it. If you don’t know how it can be vacuumed easily or how you would clean up a messy spill, you may want to keep looking for a more useable rug.
I know that in Victoria BC, because shag rugs are not expensive to buy that a lot end up getting tossed out and replaced, usually by another shag. I wrote about how we are a disposable/green society and the shag rugs I see fit right into that.
This is my plea to area rug makers to start making rugs that stand up to being used everyday and from fibers and products that last and are not harmful to humans, pets or the environment, Please!
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary- healthy, beautiful rug and environment lover
I think if we all did this at some point in our adult lives we would see that we turned out pretty damn good, despite the people who tried to keep us down!!!
When you start expanding your online presence, either with Facebook, online directories, blogs, or any other social media don’t just do local ones. Having friends and links to websites in other cities, provinces/states and other countries.
You maybe asking why would this be important since you are a localized company. Well Luv-A-Rug just had a phone call from a lady here in Victoria BC and she found us through a company in England. She has these amazing bags that she bought in the 1970’s here in Victoria and they became victims of moths a year ago.
I am hoping that once we see the bags that we can repair them or at least stabilize them and then clean them. It is sad to hear when beloved items are eaten by moths. This lady was gone one month and that is all it took for moth larva to do a lot of damage.
It is not always easy to find the perfect rug, whether it is the right colour or right shape and size. There are ways to find the perfect rug, or you can make a rug into the perfect rug. when looking for good area rugs don’t forget about going to reputable auction houses.
In Victoria BC we have two very good auction houses where you can get a great deal on area rugs, Lund’s Auction and Kilshaw’s Auctioneer. Luv-A-Rug gets a lot of rugs brought in for cleaning and repairs that were bought at either Auction House. We had one such rug find brought to us by a lady who frequence the auctions a couple of weeks ago, but it wasn’t quite perfect.
Her rug is a 7×11 Turkish rug and it is not in perfect condition, but she got it for a steal of a price. The rug is a bit too big for the space where she wants to use, so Luv-A-Rug is going clean her rug and trim it down to the size that fits. Here is my video showing what we are going to do to her Turkish rug.
Now I will note that Luv-A-Rug will not do this to any old rug. We respect and care about rugs, so if you brought us a valuable rug we would refuse to cut it up, but we can always do an authentic hand repair to restore your antique rugs to a usable and lovable state.
Have you ever found the perfect rug that wasn’t quite the right size or shape? Did you buy it and get it tweaked? I would love to see how you made not so perfect rugs work in your home. Leave me a comment on what you did to make it work or send me pictures to mary.luvarug@shaw.ca with the subject line “How I made my rug perfect”
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary- I look forward to your rugs.
The typical answer is not because your rug is dirty. Area rugs are dirty way before they look dirty.
I am in the dog house
The most common reason why you get your rugs cleaned is pet accidents. Our pets know that the rug will work as a great indoor bathroom, as their napkin or to let you know they are not happy with you. It doesn’t seem to matter if you only have one rug or many rugs, pets know that the rug is the place to use.
I know first hand how frustrating it is when your dog pees on the rug. My sweet little Chihuahua, Texas (see picture) likes to forget why we go outside, that is why I only have one rug in my home.
There is one big mistake that you need to stop doing, especially if you have a new puppy and that is waiting. Waiting for puppy to be fully trained before you get your rugs cleaned.
The longer pet urine is in your rug the harder it is to remove the smell and the stains. Plus when your pet starts using your rugs as bathrooms it is harder to get them to stop. There is a myth that if your dog or cat can smell the urine they will continue to keep going on the rugs. That is marginally true. The truer statement is that once they get away with peeing on the rug they think that it is okay to go their. It is more behavioral than odour, unless another animal comes into your home and then they will mark the rug because they smell the urine. Having pet urine, vomit or feces in your rug is not healthy for you, your home, the air you breath, your pets and your rug.
If your pet did any of those things on an article of clothing you would clean it right away, so why would you want to wait weeks or months before you get your rug cleaned?
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary-pet and rug lover
Fresh & Clean Rugs 