Maintenance advice

Cleaning and maintaining a rug

Rug

Textile rugs are generally easy to clean. The application of the right cleaning products with the right chemical composition is important for the success of the cleaning, as well as the way or method in which this cleaning product is used. James tests its stain removers and professional maintenance products in its own laboratory on many brands of carpet and rugs for colour and material resistance. This information can be found on this page.

The maintenance of rugs can be done in various ways. It is important to choose methods that are appropriate to the material and construction. Always test everything you ever apply (even water) in an inconspicuous place first, for color and material resistance.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

Preventive measures lead to fewer complaints

A good clean walking mat at the front and back door prevents excess sand from getting in. It is also important to vacuum your rug at least once a week from the day it was purchased. This is also important for a healthy indoor environment; a rug filters the air and small dust particles are retained. Regular vacuuming ensures that the rug continues to filter the air. To do so, preferably use an electrically driven brushing vacuum cleaner (if applicable to your quality). A brush vacuum cleaner removes dust and dirt more effectively than a vacuum cleaner fitted with a normal nozzle (combination nozzle). Do not use a vacuuming robot; they are not powerful enough and can therefore damage your rug irreparably. At least once a month, check whether the dust filter has been cleaned or if the dust bag needs to be replaced.

Your rug is undoubtedly placed on a hard floor. Attention! When you have cleaned the hard floor with soap (such as All Purpose Cleaner), wipe it clean with clean water. Dried-up soap residue is carried to the rug with the soles of your feet. These sticky residues cause rapid soiling. This results in black streaks and stains on your rug. You can remove this soiling using James Interior Cleaner. Since prevention is better than cure, you can also choose to mop with James Floor Cleaner Clean & Quick Dry; this product doesn’t contain soap and you only have to mop once (without having to wipe it dry after). This will save you a lot of trouble and work!

Further tips:

  • Colors may fade under the influence of (sun) light. If you place the rug in a place where it is exposed to direct sunlight, make sure curtains or blinds protect the rug
  • Turn the rug 180° every three months. This will prevent the rug from wearing out / discolouring on one side and make it last longer
  • Use carpet underlayment under your rug. This ensures that the rug remains in place and does not warp
  • Make sure the humidity in your home is between 50% and 60%, these are the optimal conditions for a (woollen) rug and your own health

Protection, Maintenance and Stain Removal

PREVENTIVE PROTECTION

JAMES FIBRE PROTECTOR ECO

To protect your rug preventively against all kinds of harmful external influences, we have developed James Fibre Protector Eco. This is a unique, invisible, odorless, human, animal and environmentally friendly fibre protector, which is free of hazardous substances (such as fluorocarbons). It protects all textiles, microfibre and (artificial) leather and makes them water, oil and dirt repellent. Cleaning with the James products mentioned below remains possible for the persistent stains and smudges

PERIODIC MAINTENANCE AND FRESHEN UP

JAMES INTERIOR CLEANER

If you clean your rug regularly with James Interior Cleaner from the day of purchase, your rug will stay beautiful for much longer. It is a maintenance product you can use to freshen up your rug; you will therefore enjoy a fresh look for longer, because you are effectively removing smudginess. You can check if it is necessary to clean your rug yourself (locally): spray James Interior Cleaner on a dry, white cotton cloth and wipe in long sweeping strokes over the rug. If the cloth becomes dirty, repeat the procedure on a clean spot on the cloth until no more dirt comes off the rug. Read the instruction manual for further instructions.

STAIN REMOVAL

Stains should preferably be treated immediately. Did you know that 90% of fresh stains can be removed using water? For the remaining fresh stains and persistent stains, we have developed two products. Follow the instructions on our famous James Staindisc to see which product you need, or use our Stain Search Engine (with more than 1500 stain solutions!) for your specific stain for extensive advice.

With James Stainwonder and James Stainspray you can easily remove persistent or dried stains from your rug.

JAMES STAINWONDER

James Stainwonder is for water-based stains; think for example of red wine, coffee and tea. Follow the instructions on the bottle and/or search for your specific stain in our Stain Search Engine!

JAMES STAINSPRAY

James Stainspray is for oil and grease based stains, such as shoe polish, oil, paint and glue residue. Follow the instructions on the bottle and/or look up your specific stain in our Stain Search Engine!

EXTENSIVE MAINTENANCE (USING A SPRAY EXTRACTION MACHINE)

In addition to freshening up your rug, the purpose of this cleaning is to remove wear-inducing dirt particles such as sand and dust that are deeply embedded in the pile fibres. This can be done exclusively and most effectively with a spray extraction machine. You can do this maintenance yourself or have it done by a professional cleaning company. Always use one of our products below that are specially formulated for this method, this way you can be sure that there will be no resoinling and your rug will still look nice and fresh in three months (products sold with a rental machine are almost always soap-based).

JAMES CLEANMASTER

James Cleanmaster (pH 7) is a suitable cleaning agent for synthetic fibres and all natural fibres except wool and goat hair. Follow the instructions for use on the bottle.

JAMES CLEANSOFT

James Cleansoft (pH 6) is a suitable detergent for wool and goat hair. Follow the instructions for use on the bottle.

With these products you get the professional cleaning at home!

The James products are exclusively available via our webshop, the better home furnishing shops or specialist shops.

Read more

Maintenance of your rug

And how do you maintain your rug correctly? Proper maintenance allows you to enjoy your rug every day because it looks perfect. The beauty is that it is not difficult at all, but the right products and steps are key here. Your average household products are not the answer, which is why the most famous brands advise James: your floor looks beautiful and it stays that way. Tomorrow as well. Clean using James products and enjoy a fresh interior every day.

Louis de Poortere
Brink & Campman
CS rugs
Ligne Pure
Brinker Carpets
De Munk Carpets

Tailor-made maintenance advice

James has a service in the form of the unique James Personal Maintenance Advice. Using this service, the customer receives a unique, tailor-made advice for a certain rug quality, tailored to the personal home situation. It only takes 2 minutes to get this advice, provided the exact quality of that particular manufacturer is in our database. A one-off!

If you visit the page behind this link, you can request customised advice for all available brands and their tested qualities. So you know exactly what can and cannot be used on your rug, because we have tested it in our laboratory.

You can request a specific Interfloor maintenance advice via this link. This advice for Interfloor rugs has been expanded with additional information from Interfloor via this link.

You can request a specific CS Rugs maintenance advice via the link above. This advice for CS Rugs rugs via this link is extended with additional information from CS Rugs.

You can request a specific Desso maintenance advice via the link above. This advice for Desso rugs has been extended with additional information from Desso via this link.

You can apply for a specific Parade maintenance advice via this link. This advice for Parade rugs has been expanded with additional information from Parade via this link.

You can request a specific Bonaparte maintenance advice via this link. This advice for Bonaparte rugs has been expanded with additional information from Bonaparte via this link.

Click on the link above for a specific Best Wool Carpets maintenance advice. This advice for Best Wool Carpets rugs is supplemented by additional information from Best Wool Carpets via this link.

Popular products for your rug

The products below are crucial for keeping your rug clean and fresh. You can find more products in our webshop.