It is a common occurrence for our in home area rugs to develop different patterns of wear and tear over the years. Whether your area rug is natural fiber or synthetic, it is still typically subjected to usage that will inevitably cause some form of visual wear across the surface of the rug pile. Any professional will recommend that you regularly maintain your area rug with weekly vacuuming, tending to spills immediately and having a professional rug cleaning performed annually. Following those steps, along with doing your best to keep foot traffic across the rug limited, keeping it out of extended direct sunlight exposure and away from a beloved pet, will help to keep your rug looking and feeling as fresh as possible, for as long as possible. It is an unfortunate fact that no matter how well you take care of your natural or synthetic fiber area rug, it will eventually give way to some type of wear. The most common types of wear that form across the surface pile of an area rug are Wear Patterns, Traffic Lanes and Pile Distortion. You might ask what these issues are, what causes them and how to help prevent them. We are here to provide some information that will help to explain the answers to your questions and hopefully help to guide you along in the personal maintenance of your area rug.
Wear Patterns on area rugs are areas across the pile that are easily visible and typically large. They consist of fibers worn down or eroded due to constant, heavy usage. Rugs used in doorways or halls most typically fit this description. High Traffic Lanes on a rug that do not get enough regular maintenance will eventually develop wear patterns. Weaker fibers will typically break down completely when subjected to excessive foot traffic, which in itself causes permanent Wear Patterns. Wear Patterns cannot be washed out, like normal traffic lanes might be able to, due to the permanent damage caused. The areas with the most wear can eventually break all the way down to the foundation weave, with no pile, if not taken care of.
Never hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have! You can find a good about on information on our blog page, but we are also here to happily help!