From How to Keep Your Natural Area Rugs Looking Green and Great
by Mike Dennis

There are many advantages to decorating your home using natural fiber area rugs. Not only do they look fantastic with virtually any décor style, they are non-toxic to the environment. Natural accent rugs made from sustainable plant fibers are hard-wearing, add to the comfort of your home by reducing noise and static electricity and are very economical.

Sisal rugs remain a top choice for those who want to support the earth by using all natural, sustainable products in the home. Along with remarkable flame resistant properties, sisal rugs come in a wide range of attractive weaves. The gorgeous textures and unique earthy colors of sisal rugs keep those who love the look and feel of natural fiber area rugs coming back for more.

One of the most cost-effective natural area rugs is the seagrass rug. Along with that attractive sheen and smooth surface, seagrass rugs are remarkably long lasting, making them a perfect floor covering solution for a busy household.

Although not as resilient, jute rugs are very inexpensive and can be dyed in a wide array of bold, lively colors. Jute rugs are so soft to walk on; you’ll want one in every room!

Bamboo rugs are made from highly sustainable bamboo and are exceptionally easy to care for. Simply wipe them clean with a damp cloth or mop. Bamboo rugs can be scratched, though so to prevent scratching add protective felt pads under chair and table legs.

Bamboo rugs, like many jute rugs, seagrass rugs and sisal rugs will fade if exposed to direct sunlight for long periods. Add life to your natural area rugs by keeping them out of direct sunlight and rotating them every few months, especially if portions of your rug are under furniture.

There are lots of great reasons to buy a sisal rug instead of one made with manufactured ingredients – Sisal Rugs are made from natural fibers, they won’t pollute your home with chemicals like manufactured rugs, and they’re much more attractive, too.

One area where you might think manufactured rugs have sisal rugs beat is in ease of cleaning but not anymore. We’ve come up with easy-to-follow guidelines for how to take care of sisal rugs so they stay looking like new. We’re pretty sure that takes care of the last reason you would ever consider a manufactured material over our beautiful natural home rugs.

Blot, Don’t Scrub

With plastic and manufactured materials, you may have gotten accustomed to scrubbing the stain out of the fabric. With sisal rugs, scrubbing isn’t necessary – and it may actually make the stain more permanent. Instead, use a cloth and a half-water, half-vinegar solution to gently blot the stain. You may need to repeat several times, but that stain will come out, leaving your beautiful rug looking like new again.

Use a Vacuum

Area rugs get stained or dingy looking when dirt and dust accumulates and is ground in by your feet as you walk across it. Prevent that problem by passing a vacuum over your sisal rug regularly – it will suck up all the excess dirt without harming your rug, and that will prevent the staining problem from happening in the first place.

Prevent Mold

Sisal rugs are made of natural fibers, which means they can mold just cotton does in the damp. To avoid the problem of mold, use sisal rugs only in rooms that aren’t subject to moisture. For example, your kitchen and your bathroom are not good places, but your living room or study are perfect. If you have your sisal rug in a dry place but accidentally spill a lot of moisture on it by dropping a glass of water or a similar situation, dry it as quickly as possible so it doesn’t warp the material.

Now that you know how to maintain one, we’d like to invite you to take a look at our wonderful selection of Sisal Rugs. We hope you’ll find the perfect one to accent your home.

Seagrass rugs are remarkably easy to clean and to maintain. Their reed-like fibers don’t absorb stains or spills unless you let the rug soak in liquid for several days – and we can’t imagine you’d ever do anything like that.

For most owners, you’ll be able to keep your seagrass rug looking like new with just a few passes with the vacuum as you do your regular cleaning. This will keep dirt from building up on the surface of your rug, making it look dingy or discoloring it.

When you vacuum, make sure to vacuum from both directions: left to right, and top to bottom. The way that seagrass rugs are woven means that they have raised edges throughout the weave, and if you only vacuum from one direction, you will likely miss quite a bit of dirt that is trapped under those raised edges.

While vacuuming should be sufficient for your seagrass rug for years, natural home rugs like ours are sure to last for a very long time, sometimes you may want to do a more extensive cleaning at some point. Here are a few tips to clean your seagrass rug without damaging it.

• For fresh stains, simply blot. Seagrass doesn’t absorb stains easily, so you can usually blot up a stain without any trouble with a paper towel or a clean rag. Don’t scrub; you’ll only work the liquid deeper into the weave.
• For difficult stains, blot with cleaner. A small amount of mild detergent or carpet shampoo can be blotted on and then blotted up again with a clean damp cloth. Do not use lots of water! Soaking the rug will damage it. Just a small amount will do the trick. Dry the spot with a hair dryer afterward.
• See a carpet cleaner. For smaller seagrass rugs, such as an area rug, you can bring your rug to a dry cleaner if you would like an overall extensive cleaning that won’t damage the fibers. Make sure you bring it to a trusted drycleaner – you don’t want your beautiful natural seagreass rug damaged by an untested one!

A word of warning: Never, ever use a steam-cleaner or wet shampoo on seagrass rugs. Seagrass is a natural fiber and if exposed to the amount of heat and moisture in a steam cleaner, it will warp. It will also damage the fibers themselves, making them weak and possibly breaking them. Avoid at all costs!

If you’d like a beautiful, stain-resistant natural seagrass rug for your home, please feel free to browse our collection and contact us with any questions you may have. Enjoy!

Rugs are essential in accentuating beauty of your homes as it is essential for you to put on accessories to accentuate your beauty. All homemakers around the world would agree with me that a rug is one of the most essential accessories in our homes. Rugs are not just something to cushion your feet and keep them warm during the harsh winter chill. Rugs are miniature works of art in which created to be decorative and functional at the same time.

But how would you like it if your beautiful expensive rug emits harmful chemical that does not only cause pollution but can possibly cause harm to your family’s health? Would you feel comfortable if you know that your baby might be rolling around on the rug that possibly emits formaldehyde? Area rugs and carpets can emit chemicals into the surrounding air depending on what material they are made of and how they are manufactured. If you are concerned of your health, most especially, of your family’s health, then you should look beyond the visual beauty and choose materials that are safe for your health as well as the planet earth.

According to the study conducted by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor pollutants are about five times higher that pollutants found outdoors. You might not know this, but many of the chemicals used in synthetic carpets and rugs are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOC vaporize (also known as offgas), or give off easily into the air. Some of these chemicals found in synthetic rugs and carpets include benzene, styrene, toluene, xylene, and formaldehyde. Chemicals mentioned are known to be carcinogens or cancer-causing substance or agents. In addition to that, there are other chemicals in its adhesives and glue strips, the underlay or rug pads. If you are using synthetic carpets and rugs you are actually living and breathing with cancer!

If you love your family and care for your health you should go for “green” rugs. Green rugs or the eco-friendly rugs are generally made of natural fibers such as sisal, wool, seagrass, mountain grass, and bamboo. Sisal fibers are obtained from agave plant which is native to Tanzania and Kenya.

Mountaingrass are durable grass that is native to the high altitude slopes of the Pacific Rim. The Seagrass comes from the coastal regions of China and India and is grown in paddy fields. Bamboo has long been used for flooring in Asian countries and it is abundant in Asian countries like China, Philippines and Vietnam. Whereas the wool is the dense, warm coat of sheep which is also called a fleece. Australia is the biggest supplier of wool in the world.
All these materials are all biodegradable and certified by EPA as earth friendly materials. They do not contain chemicals, pollutants and at the same time natural material rugs tend to be more durable and reliable than synthetic material rugs. They age gracefully, naturally renewing itself and is develops a rich patina through years of use. By using natural rugs you are not just safekeeping the health of your family but you are helping preserving the planet earth as well.

Keep your home beautiful, healthy and “green.”