Saturday, February 21, 2009

What is your area rug made of? Part one.

Are you the type of person that considers the material used to make a product before actually buying it? Does it matter to you if the material used is man-made or not? If you are an environmental person, then most probably, these are one of your concerns and you prefer choosing natural from the rest. Either that or you can also be a thrifty person that wants to get his money’s worth by choosing a high-quality low-priced material. Brilliant!

If you are wondering where your rug came from and what it is made of, then you better read on. Area rugs differ from one another because they can be made using different materials. There is a wide selection of various materials that help distinguish one rug from another. Part of proper care and maintenance of an area rug is to know what it is made of. Depending on the type of material used, cleaning agents used to sustain a rugs beauty may react differently; either in a positive or negative way. Thus, environmentalist or not, it is important to know this information: What materials are used to make an area rug?

There are two main types of materials for rug making: natural and synthetic. Natural materials are extracted from plant or animal fibers; most commonly wool and silk. Wool, normally comes from sheep, is usually used to make high-end rugs. Besides being extremely soft, this is due to its flexible and tough nature. Wool is a safe material since it does not melt or burn and is, by its quality, fire resistant. Due to its air-moisture-absorbing capability, wool can be a defense against static electricity. Nonetheless, wool can also resist water, stains, and dirt, thus helping it stay cleaner for a long period of time. And so, for those with allergies caused by dust, wool is a good material to consider.

On the other hand, Silk can also be used in high-end Oriental or Persian rugs. It can either be a natural material or synthetic material as there is what they call faux silk or “false silk”, which is commonly made from polyester twine and mercerized cotton. Silk is considered the most high-priced fiber due to its natural luster and polish.

Cotton, naturally absorbent, allows a rug to acquire many dyes, which gives the market a wide range of option in terms of color selection. It is often used with wool to give the rug a nice soft feel, given that both cotton and wool are naturally soft and supple. But unlike wool, cotton can wear out faster.

Made from plant fibers, Jute is primarily from China and India. Because of its density and strength, jute material is commonly used to make long-lasting resilient yarns and fabrics. Same as other fibers that come from plants, jute is most likely prone to stains and so is easily damaged.

Natural fibers can be mixed together with other natural materials or even with synthetic materials to make the rug quality better. These are called blends. Blends allow one fiber characteristic to be complemented by the other so as to create a higher-quality product. Wool, Cotton, Silk and Jute are just some of the natural fibers that can be used to make area rugs. Different countries use different natural materials depending on their taste of preference. Where ever it came from, natural fibers sure have their pros and cons.

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