These 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 these 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 rug cleaning. You can contact your local Armadillo store for a list of recommended carpet cleaning professionals in your area

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 these 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.

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.

'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.

Vacuuming: Vaccum regularlybon low suction to prevent dust & crumbs fromsettling to the rooots of the fibres.  Avoid using a turbo or brush head withn vacuuing as this will create matting on shaggy rugs, fluffing on tufted and flatweaves, and damage to handmade floor rugs.  Gentle vacuuming or shaking outside is recommended to remove dust and restore the pile.

Colour migration: Avoid placing dare coloured dyed items onto light flooring as colour migration can occur. Use rug underlay to avoid any colour transfer.

This varies according to rug fibre; ensure you check the back of your floor rug for specific details.

The following is general advice;  Do not wash, bleach dry clean or tumble dry. Remove spills immediately.
Blot area with a clean white cloth and a gentle detergent. Gently dab at the mark, never rub. Remove excess moisture by dabbing gently at the area with a dry towel.

For embedded stains and a deep clean, we recommend using a skilled specialist.

Outdoor floor rugs can be cleaned by washing with your garden hose, or with a damp cloth and warm soapy water.  hang outside to dry.  You can also shake your floor rug outside to remove dust and dirt.

If using inside - gently vacuuming or shaking outside is recomended to prevent dust & crumbs from settling to the roots of the fibres. Avoid using a turbo or brush head when vacuuming as this will create matting.  

Spot clean spills immediately, by gently dabbing at the mark.  Use warm soapy water to clean water based stains.  Oil-based spills should be cleaned immediately with textile cleaning solution.  Do not dry clean.
 To ensure product longevity, we recommend bringing the floor rug indoors when not in use. 

Leaving your floor rug in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time may result in colour deterioration. 

Due to the handwoven nature of our floor rugs, you may notice that loops or ends of yarns pop up occasionally. These are common occurrence with woven designs and not considered a fault. Pop-ups happen when fibre ends or loops, wriggle out and appear above the natural pile height of a floor rug.

They can occur in any type of woven rug whether it is wool, jute, or any other type of fibre.

Do not pull design elements or pull-out loose ends.  Watch our short video to see how pop-ups can quickly and easily be mended.

MAINTAINING POP-UPS

Loose fibres occur with most new floor rugs, particularly with products made from natural fibres. Shedding is a normal, inevitable occurrence and is caused by some outside fibres or yarn bundles becoming detached during early wear stages. The good news is that pilling and fluffing isn’t a ‘forever’ thing and should settle down over time.

Take care not to over-agitate the fibres. Careful, gentle vacuuming (NEVER use a brush or turbo head) with low-level suction along the grain of the pile will hasten the removal of any loose fibres, while trimming stubborn areas with scissors will keep your rug looking its best. A de-pilling comb can also be used.

Regular foot traffic or sunlight may fade or wear certain rug areas. We advise rotating rugs every half a year to ensure even wear.

To ensure product longevity, we recommend avoding placing items in direct sunlight. Dyed and printed products made from atural fibres are particularly susceptible to fading in high UV areas, so avoid placing these products in areas of exposed sunlight.