Care & Craftsmanship Promise
A rug is one of the longest-lived objects in a home. Cared for properly, it outlasts the room it sits in. Here is everything we know about keeping yours that way — and the commitment we make when you buy one from us.
Weekly care
- Vacuum on a low or pile setting — never the beater bar at full power. Beater bars are designed for cut-loop carpet, not pile rugs; on a hand-knotted or high-density machine-woven piece, they break fibers at the tip and create the dull haze that looks like fading.
- Vacuum the underside once a month — flip the rug; vacuum the back; flip it back. This pulls out grit that has settled below the pile, which is the main cause of accelerated wear.
- Rotate 180° every three to six months — especially in rooms with strong directional sunlight or heavy foot-traffic lanes. Rotation evens out fade and crush, both of which are otherwise irreversible.
If something spills
- Blot, do not rub. A clean white cloth or paper towel, pressed down firmly, then lifted. Rubbing drives the liquid deeper into the pile and the warp.
- Cold water only for most spills. Warm water sets stains. Skip the dish soap for the first few blots — pure water lifts more than people expect.
- For wine, coffee, or pet accidents — blot first, then a mild solution: one teaspoon white vinegar to a cup of cold water, applied to the cloth (not poured on the rug), blotted in. Test on a hidden corner first.
- Air-dry, never heat-dry. Open windows or run a fan. Hair dryers, space heaters, and direct sun will set whatever's left and warp the foundation.
Professional cleaning
Every three to five years for most homes — sooner with pets, small children, or heavy entertaining. We refer Sacramento customers to two professional rug cleaners we trust; ask the concierge for a current recommendation by zip code.
Avoid: in-home steam cleaners, supermarket carpet cleaners, and "all surfaces" upholstery machines. They use too much water, which the foundation cannot release fast enough — leading to mildew, dye bleed, and dry-rot of the cotton or wool warp.
Sun, light, and fade
Direct sun, especially through south- and west-facing windows in California, fades natural and synthetic dyes alike. The honest mitigations:
- UV-filtering window film on rooms with strong afternoon light
- Sheer curtains pulled across the peak-light hours
- Quarterly rotation (covered above)
- Accepting that some fade is part of how rugs age — and that an even patina is desirable in the long run
Indentation and crush
Furniture leaves marks. To minimize them: rotate the rug, use furniture cups under heavy legs, and let a freshly-vacuumed pile breathe overnight before pushing it back under a sofa. Most pile crush will release with a steam iron held two inches above the pile (not touching) and a vacuum pass.
Our craftsmanship promise
What we commit to, in writing
30-day satisfaction. If the rug doesn't fit your room — too small, wrong tone in your light, wrong scale for your furniture — return it for a full refund within 30 days. Customer pays return shipping; everything else is on us.
Honest representation. Every rug we list is described accurately for fiber, construction, density, and origin. If something arrives materially different from the listing, we replace it or refund — no questions asked.
Free repair referral. For the lifetime of any rug bought from us, send us a photo of damage and we'll connect you with a vetted rug repair specialist near you. Re-fringing, re-binding, and small re-knot work are all common services they handle.
Trade-in and re-sale guidance. If you ever decide to part with a piece purchased from us, we'll either credit it against a new purchase or refer it to our network of consignment buyers. We want our rugs to keep moving through homes, not into landfills.
What we don't claim
We don't claim every rug is hand-knotted. Most pieces in our standing collection are high-quality machine-woven on luxury looms at 800 to 1500 reeds, with hand-finished edges. Hand-knotted pieces are reserved for our collector tier and custom commissions — and we say so on those listings.
We don't claim "lifetime warranty." Warranties on textiles that pass through human use, sun, pets, children, and decades of vacuuming are not honest products. What we offer instead is repair access, honest representation, and a 30-day return — which together do more than a paper warranty ever could.
Questions about a specific rug
If you have a rug at home — purchased from us or elsewhere — that needs care advice, write to info@stylishrugs.us with a photograph and a description of what's happening. We answer the same business day.
For Sacramento and Bay Area customers, you're welcome to bring the rug to our showroom for a hands-on assessment. There's no charge for the assessment itself.