June 2019 
Rugs make a lovely addition to your home. Whether in the living room, the bedroom or any other room in the house, they offer both protection for your floors and a chance to show off your artistic flare.
However, many people shy away from the task of choosing a rug, simply because there’s so much choice.
Well, you no longer need to fear the big decision, because we can help you pick your perfect rug in just 5 steps.
1. Traffic
The first thing you need to think about is how well used the room is; how much traffic goes through that room on a typical day?
This is important because it will affect your decision in almost every decision you need to make about your rug.
You’ll also need to consider what activities happen in that room.
Dining room
Go for flat-weave and low-tufted where furniture will be moved around and food may be easily spilled.
Bedroom
A bedroom doesn’t see many crumbs (unless you’re partial to breakfast in bed) so you can confidently go for a thicker, shag pile rug.
Hallway
Choose something in a hard wearings material (e.g. wool) and consider something darker in colour or patterned as it will see a lot of wear and also numerous dirty shoes every day.
2. Material
With so many materials available these days it’s hard to know what to chose. Here’s a little key to help you decide the perfect rug for you.
Wool
Benefits: Soft, long-lasting, and easy to clean. Good in all rooms.
Drawbacks: It may shed during its first 3 – 6 months so requires regular vacuuming initially.
Viscose
Benefits: Often paired with wool. Shiny, high-quality look.
Drawbacks: It’s delicate, so no good in high-traffic areas (i.e. hallways).
Nylon
Benefits: Durable, affordable, and very shed-resistant.
Drawbacks: Prone to static electricity if not treated.
Acrylic
Benefits: Cheaper alternative to wool look. Less shedding, hardwearing, and easy to clean.
Drawbacks: Quality varies greatly depending on price.
Polypropylene
Benefits: hardwearing and easy to maintain (great for high-traffic areas like the hallway).
Drawbacks: doesn’t have the same bounce-back abilities as wool.
Cotton
Benefits: Incredibly soft.
Drawbacks: Not very hardwearing.
Jute
Benefits: Low maintenance, durable
Drawbacks: No good in a damp or humid room (i.e. bathroom), can shed fibres
Sisal
Benefits: Hardwearing than jute
Drawbacks: coarser underfoot, must be dry cleaned
3. Weave
Tufted
Benefits: Lush and thick. Great for any room.
Drawbacks: May have a strong odour and a shorter life span.
Shag
Benefits: Deep, thick pile that feels great underfoot. Perfect for adding luxury to your living room or bedroom.
Drawbacks: Can be hard to keep clean, and may shed initially.
Hand-knotted
Benefits: Durable and beautifully crafted.
Drawbacks: Expensive.
Flat-weave
Benefits: Durable and easy to clean – so great for high traffic areas and dining rooms.
Drawbacks: Can move about if you don’t use rug pads.
4. Size
Size matters, and it generally matters depending on which room you plan to put the rug in.
Living room
Leave about 2.5cm space between the rug and the walls.
Dining room
Leave 5 – 7cm on each side of your table for pulling out chairs.
Bedroom
Should cover at least the front 2/3 of the bed and allow at least 7cm on each side of the bed. (Runners can also be used for this)
5. Colour
Your rug has the ability to either pull the room together or completely mess up the décor. Here’s some tips on which colour to chose.
White
YES: Elegant and neutral. Use me in quieter rooms (with less traffic)
NO: Anyone with pets or young children should probably avoid white rugs.
Bright
YES: Brighten up a dull room. Great if you rent and can’t redecorate.
NO: Can be easy to create colour clash.
Match the walls
YES: Makes a room look less busy due to the constancy.
NO: Don’t do this without having furnishings and décor pieces that add contrasting/complementing colours otherwise it’ll look too monotonous.
A neutral tone:
YES: Sophisticated and safe option. Use texture to make the piece of interesting.
NO: Try to add colour to the room in other ways to stop the room looking too bland.
Multi-coloured
YES: These work well in ‘fun’ rooms like children’s bedrooms
NO: Don’t add to a room already full of colour or you could give guests a headache.
Consider the floor
YES: Choose complementing or analogous colours.
NO: It can look too much if you use contrasting colours.
Now that you know how to choose the perfect rug, don’t forget to protect your new purchase by having it cleaned by a professional.
Find out more about our rug cleaning services in Bedfordshire.