Rugs aren’t just accessories to tie a room together; they’re an integral part of your decor. A good rug adds visual appeal and color, softens a hard walking surface, absorbs echoes and dampens sound, and helps regulate the temperature. With so many great benefits packed into one convenient package, there’s no excuse not to try a few new rugs. Regardless of which of the following types best fit your decorating style, Embassy Cleaners can provide professional rug cleaning and keep them all like new for you.
1. Machine Woven
The most affordable rugs available today are produced by machine looms. You’ll notice uniformity and decent durability, but there’s obviously less charm and much lower collectible value for a machine woven rug. This makes them a good choice for areas where rugs will only last a few years with routine cleaning and the best of care, such as outside on a porch, in a high traffic hallway, or in a child’s room.
2. Hand Woven
For low traffic areas where a rug is more of a statement piece, only the beauty and value of a hand woven rug will do. There are plenty of handmade rugs still available for just a few hundred dollars, so don’t assume that valuable Persian rugs that took years to weave are your only option. Hand woven rugs tend to last longer, handle cleaning better, and provide you with better resale value.
3. Flat Pile
Want a rug that is easy to keep clean with kids and pets? A flat pile rug is the best option. Designs range from thin canvas mats to textured weaves with unusual patterns worked in. Flat piles are less likely to trip guests and won’t lose their density or shed bits of the pile as the rug gets older.
4. Tufted
For the traditional feeling of sinking your feet into a soft and welcoming rug at the end of the day, only a traditionally tufted rug will do. Your options for pile depth range from a barely visible 1/16th of an inch to a deep shag that is three to four inches deep. Tufted rugs can be made by hand or by machine, and knotted rugs are a unique form of tufted rug that must be made by hand.
5. Knotted
Rugs generally involve a backing material with small holes so that the tufts can loop around them and fluff up together to form a continuous surface, except for flat pile rugs. Knotted rugs use the same principle but involve a backing with larger holes so that large strips of material are used for the tufts instead of bits of wool. Some of the wildest knotted rugs use strips of leather, denim, or exotic plant fibers to create floor coverings as beautiful as they are comfortable. The knotting must be done by hand, and this is a popular DIY project.
6. Braided
Another type of rug commonly handmade is the braided rug. This flat pile design involves braids of scrap fabric that are sewn together in a circle, oval, or another shape. The dense material of the rug makes it very durable, which is why they’re commonly used in kitchens where they’ll need routine cleaning due to spills.
