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Happy Holidays from The Ivy House | our showroom is closed until 13 January 25 when shipping of orders resumes
Armadillo rugs are infused with a rich history of ancient craftsmanship. To preserve their beauty and prolong their life, follow these suggestions for rug care.
Every six months, rotate rugs from end to end or place them in different parts of the house to share the wear.
Direct sunlight and heat sources, such as gas heaters and fireplaces, can cause the natural fibres to dry out and fade. Position your rug away from both.
Reduce bacteria build-up with sunlight. Every few months, turn your rug over and place it in the sun for an hour. Vacuum the back of your rug before repositioning.
Keep rugs dry and out of dark places, such as tucked tightly under lounge suites or furniture.
Clean hard floors regularly with microfibre mops and water only (no detergents), or use a steam mop if appropriate. Detergent and soap residues can become sticky and collect other dirt, which is then walked onto your rug. By keeping your hard floors clean, your rug will stay cleaner for longer.
Move rugs a few centimetres every month to soften any fading on carpet or timber floors underneath. When the rugs are eventually moved from the room, the fading on the floor will be graduated and less noticeable.
To ensure the longevity of your Armadillo rug, please vacuum your rug regularly. Shedding of loose fibres will occur with a new rug. We do not recommend using rotating or brush head vacuum cleaners on our rugs if possible.
Even with regular vacuuming and careful use, you may find dirt and debris will build up on your rug. It is possible to refresh your rug with gentle treatment or professional cleaning suitable for handmade rugs.
Carefully scrape up as much of the spill as possible with a spoon or dustpan, and blot any liquid residue with damp chamois or other colourfast absorbent material. Do not rub.
Take a clean piece of the absorbent material and fold it into a thick wad. Cover the spill with this and add a weight (such as a heavy book) on top to help draw the liquid upward. Leave it for ten minutes.
If the spill has left a stain, decide if it is water-based or oil-based and treat it as below.
Water-based spills include beer, wine, soft drink, cordial, fruit juice, tea, coffee and urine. They are treated with lukewarm water. Oil-based spills contain some type of oil, fat or greasy substance and include ice cream, gravy, mayonnaise, cream, makeup and lotions. They are treated with detergent in lukewarm water. As our rugs are crafted from natural fibres, we recommend only using a WoolSafe Approved detergent. Look for the WoolSafe logo when selecting a cleaning product for use on your Armadillo rug.
For both types of spills, the process is the same: Blot – Dilute – Blot…
Water-based spills: Blot the spill as described previously. If some stain remains, dilute it with water. Blot this using absorbent material. Repeat this step until no more stain can be removed.
Oil-based spills: Blot the spill as described previously. If some stain remains, dilute it with the detergent solution. Blot this using absorbent material. Now dilute the stain with clean water and blot again. Repeat these steps until no more stain can be removed.
For both types of spills, finish with a final treatment. In a small trigger spray bottle, mix 1 part of white vinegar and about 5 to 10 parts of clean water. Spray this onto the affected area. Cover it with a thick wad of absorbent material and add a weight on top. Leave it for 24 hours before removing the weight and wad and allow the rug to dry completely.
Soak a clean white cloth in warm water and rub in one direction only, following the pile. Where possible, attend to any spillages before they dry. Once dry, stains can be difficult to remove.
Place several sheets of paper towel underneath the stained area and then carefully pour a small amount of warm water on top to dilute the stain until it has disappeared. Replace the paper towel underneath the rug and then place a few sheets of paper towel on the top side of the rug and gently step to dry the stained area. Make sure to properly dry with a hairdryer or if possible in the sun.
Use clear acetone for spot cleaning of any stubborn stains. We recommend that no detergent be used as it can be very hard to completely remove detergent from the rug.
Highly-coloured products, such as paint, nail polish, shoe polish, lipstick and glue, will not respond to these simple treatments. We advise you not to treat these spills yourself, as doing so may create a larger or permanent stain. These types of spills are best treated by a professional WoolSafe Approved Rug Cleaner.
Red cordial and other coloured drinks contain food colouring. Food colouring is an acid dye that is also used to dye wool and nylon fibres. Putting detergent on this will simply carry it into the fibres of your rug faster and set the stain. If after treating with water the dye stains persist, contact a professional WoolSafe Approved Rug Cleaner.
Sand, grit, dust, clothing fibres and hair are examples of dry particle soils. Most of these will be removed with regular vacuuming. For those that remain deep within the fibres, a thorough vacuuming should remove them and restore the original beauty of your rug.
Vacuum the front of the rug, then turn it over and vacuum the reverse side. You may find some dirt loosens from the weave as the rug bends. Turn the rug over and vacuum the front again. To ensure even wear and minimise the natural fading that occurs from sunlight, rotate your rug end-to-end when repositioning.
A build-up of oily soils can result in your rug looking dull and grey, despite regular vacuuming. Pollution, cooking fumes and road grime are examples of this soiling, which is resistant to cleaning with water alone.
To clean this type of build-up, use a gentle, WoolSafe Approved treatment, such as the Host Dry Carpet Cleaning Kit, or contact a WoolSafe Approved Service Rug Cleaner.
Some spills that are left untreated over time can affect the natural fibres of your rug. These include those that contain natural and synthetic dyes (like cordial and other coloured drinks) and those that change the chemistry in the fibre (fruit juice, urine, bi-carb soda, bleach and other cleaning products). This chemistry-changing group can adversely affect the natural proteins in wool and the cellulose in natural fibres such as cotton, jute and other plant-based fibres.
For this reason, any treatment needs to be extremely gentle. Wet the stain with lukewarm water. Then treat for water-based spills, stopping at the final blotting stage. Do not finish with the vinegar treatment.
It is important not to use any other treatments, as these may cause physical damage or carry the stain deeper into the fibre.
An optional rug protection treatment is available for your rug and this can be applied after delivery at your home or premises. This will help to increase its life and provide protection against stains, mould, mildew and sun fade.
Fibre ProTector is an environmentally-friendly treatment that can be used on all types of natural and synthetic fibres. Independently laboratory tested, it is the only WoolSafe Enviroseal Approved textile sealant and will not change the colour or texture of the rug.
Non-toxic, non-allergenic and biodegradable, Fibre ProTector has no lasting smell and does not give off VOCs. The treatment is ideal for rugs in residential or commercial settings. Find an authorised applicator, obtain a quote or make a booking.
Premium Surface Protection parent company of MicroSeal.
To prolong the beauty and life of your rug, we recommend that you use a ‘Woolmark approved’ cleaner.
'Pop-ups' are a very natural part of the settling period of a hand-knotted rug, more common in the first 2 months. Due to the hand-crafted nature of our products, sometimes tightly spun yarn is hiding beneath the surface of the pile. With vacuuming, foot traction and general use, these strands of yarn can begin to unfurl and lengthen themselves, causing them to ‘pop-up’ above the usual pile height. These pop ups can be carefully trimmed to be level with the rest of the pile, or pushed back through without affecting the integrity of the rug.