Do all your visitors have wrinkled noses? How to freshen up your rugs

Does my house smell is something that most people worry about from time to time. In this day and age there isn’t much excuse for a smelly home because there are so many different products on the market to keep it smelling nice but most of them tend to mask rather than remove and prevention is very much better than cure. It is difficult to avoid cooking smells while the dinner is actually in the oven and indeed, the smell is a large part of the enjoyment of any meal so no one wants to get rid of it altogether. It is when it is still hanging around two days later the trouble begins and the problem is that smells linger in fabrics and most especially in carpeting and rugs. Buying cheaper rugs and carpets and replacing them is one option, but keeping them clean isn’t too difficult however it is important to treat some fibres with care.

Never soak a wool rug

Wool rugs are lovely but they are difficult to clean if they get a really bad spill on them because they should never be soaked with any liquid. If something like wine is spilled on a wool rug it should be blotted as far as possible and any cleaning fluid should be tried on an inconspicuous area first. But for simply freshening up, you can dust some bicarbonate of soda into the pile and leave for a few hours or overnight. After that, the wool rug should be vacuumed gently and if possible given a thorough shake outside. The bicarb will have soaked up any stale smells and the rug will smell like new again. Some people like to sprinkle some lavender on the rug at this point and this will certainly make it smell nice, but this is not recommended for light colours, because the oils from even dried lavender can stain.

If you can wash your hall runner, then do

Some rugs are of course much more prone to being smelly than others and in particular these are bathroom rugs, kitchen rugs and hall runners. Hall runners have to take whatever the visiting feet throw at them and grubby shoes can carry all kinds of things into the house on them, which can get ground in and smell quite nasty. The trouble is that few people are aware of the smell of their own house and it is a bit ironic that the smelliest rug – the hall runner – is the one that people encounter first. Ideally, these rugs should be washed weekly and if you have two to change around regularly then so much the better because you should always make sure they are completely dry before putting them down again – if they are damp, they will smell musty after a while and so the matter will be even worse. Bathroom rugs should certainly be washed or aired at least once a week and more if the family is large. Natural rugs are a good choice in the kitchen, being easy to vacuum and also easy on the feet on the usually hard floors in that room.

Keep muddy paw prints off your best carpets with a hall runner

And that doesn’t just mean dog prints either. Everyone has had the experience of opening the door to someone and realising to their horror that the visitor intends to tramp through the house will all manner of yuck adhering to their feet. It’s very rude of course, but many of us don’t feel comfortable asking guests to take their shoes off, especially if the visit is just a short one, for example reading the meter. However, no one likes to spend good money on lovely rugs through the house to have them trampled on by grubby feet, especially if they have splashed out on some expensive silk traditional rugs or some lovely shaggy wool rugs which really can trap the crap. So, what’s to be done?

Buy a natural fibre hall runner

If you have a farmhouse style interior there is nothing better in the hall than a natural coir or raffia hall runner. They look the part and they really trap the dirt. Not only that, the dirt, when dry, falls through and so you don’t pick it up on the return trip and traipse it all through the rest of the house. There is also a chance that the visitor, realising that you have taken steps to protect the floor, will at least wipe their feet – but that may be just a dream! Natural rugs are easy to keep clean as well; you should vacuum all floor coverings regularly anyway but coir really responds to daily cleaning and a damp mop (not sopping, just damp) will take away the surface dirt very well. They also like a good shake outside but be careful – a long hall runner made of coir or any natural material can be quite heavy, so it isn’t a job for one.

Dogs are the worst, though!

Although thoughtless people do tend to drag dirt in on their feet at least as a rule they have watched where the step. It goes without saying that by and large dogs don’t give a hoot where they put their feet; in fact, they can pretty much be relied upon to find anything smelly, sticky and gruesome that is around when they are out for a walk. If you have dogs or have friends with them, a hall runner that can be washed easily at regular intervals might be more the kind of thing that would help you keep the rest of the house dog-yuck free. Whether you use a smaller one which will pop in the washing machine daily or a larger one that you can hose down outside, a washable hall runner will help you keep the house cleaner and fresher and without the pervading air of not just dog but everywhere the dog has been. Hall runners don’t have to look as if they are there just to keep dirt at bay, either. Whether washable or natural fibre, they can also look very handsome while they work!

Mixing and matching shapes and sizes of rugs for a co-ordinated look

When you move into somewhere new or just fancy a change, using rugs to stamp your personality is a really easy thing to do. Are you a bit of an old-fashioned person who likes to hang on to family pieces and memorabilia? Traditional rugs will probably suit you best. Do you like to chop and change and move the furniture around? Looking for rugs for sale at bargain prices will probably be your best choice, because you can make a difference without spending a fortune. If you like minimalist designs and not too much clutter, you can make a statement with a shaggy rug in an accent colour. But to stop it all looking a bit like a ‘bulk buy’ you can use different shapes and sizes in the same overall style.

Large rugs

Most rugs come in a variety of sizes and you can use this to your advantage whatever style you choose. Traditional rugs, even totally modern ones, use certain design features which are repeated in a specific way. This means whether you choose a  small, medium  or large size rug, you will always have a common element which ties them together, even if you choose different colourways. Using one large rug in the main room and then continuing the theme round the house using smaller rugs or even carpet runners in the hall and up the stairs will make your home seem very calm, even if you choose bright shades. It is the repetition which makes a cohesive décor look and this is subliminally calming.

Keep all the features except the shape

This is another way of making your rugs all ‘hang together’. Whether you go for shaggy rugs, designer rugs or traditional ones, choosing round rugs in some rooms where you have had square or rectangular in others still has the all-through effect. Shaggy rugs in particular look great in the round option and if you have an open plan lounge/diner you can use different shapes in the different areas, sticking to the same colour (or colour family) and texture. Many coloured rugs come in a palette – keep to just one such as autumnal, blues and greens; red is best kept alone as it clashes with almost everything, even itself!

Designer rugs with carved pile

A very popular choice for an accent in a room is a cut pile designer rug. These often have very bold colours and are best left as a statement, but by taking one of the background colours and buying a neutral rug, you can tie the look together very stylishly. In this particular instance, you can also keep to the same size or proportions – changing too much at once can lose the all-in-one design element in your décor. Whatever you decide, with rugs which share a design feature, you can change rooms as and when you wish without spending any more money.

Noisy neighbours and what to do (and what not to do!)

An Englishman’s home is his castle, or so the saying goes and most people find that they are much happier when they can be in their own home and shut the door for some privacy. But lots of people find that the noise made by neighbours ruins their enjoyment of their own space and increasing numbers are contacting their councils or even the police to make peace. In some extreme cases people have actually resorted to physical violence when a neighbourly dispute gets out of hand.

Simple measures first

Unfortunately, arguments between neighbours are given coverage on the media when they result in horrendous situations involving court cases and even bodily harm. Most are dealt with much more simply and perhaps the easiest thing is just to tap on the door and mention that the noise is not acceptable. Make a joke of it if you can and certainly don't go in all guns blazing. If you live below someone in a flat and they seem to have a herd of elephant up there, why not treat them to a thick modern rug for the lounge or a hall runner if that is the problem area. Choose a neutral rug so it will go with any decor and they should be suitably grateful. Don't make trouble in the first instance should be your watchword.

Don't try tit for tat

If friendly approaches haven’t worked or if you feel it has got worse after your first attempt, don't try and drown the noise with some of your own. This can be used against you if things escalate so it is best to just behave as normal and don't start DIY projects at three in the morning just to get even. Without making an undue fuss about it, visit other neighbours to see if they are affected. If a group of you makes an approach, it might have more impact. If you did try buying your heavy footed neighbour a shaggy rug to try and minimise the noise, don't ask for it back if it doesn’t work – that will only make things worse.

There may be a reason

Find out first whether there is a reason for the noise. There may be problems on the domestic front or perhaps a child who is going through a phase. Although this won't stop the noise, a little understanding makes it all a little easier to bear.

Charity shop chic

Upcycling and charity shop furnishing is all the rage these days but there isn’t really any need to make alterations or do funky things with paint and decoupage if you buy well to start with. There are some things that perhaps are not what you would want in your home without some serious cleaning and detoxing – second-hand shaggy rugs would probably fall into this category – but antique persian rugs along with any furniture with no upholstered parts are often fine after a wipe through with a damp cloth. If drawers or cupboards smell a little musty, it is easy to put that right with a bag of bicarbonate of soda in a corner, perhaps with a few lavender flowers added to perfume the space.

Things to watch for

Believe it or not, woodworm is not an automatic ‘no-no’. If there is no sign of new infestation then the chances are that the piece has been treated already and will be fine to bring into the house. New infestations of woodworm show ‘mealy’ deposits around the holes, which look a little damp and fresh. Even if you have active woodworm, it is easy to treat and as long as it isn’t disfiguring a piece you otherwise like, go for it. If you are buying for fun, you don't really need to worry too much about whether a piece has been stripped or over polished but if you think you have spotted a potential money-spinner, buy with care in these circumstances because with the patina of age gone, you may have said goodbye to the value too.

Buy what you like

Fashions in collectables come and go and it is never worth buying something because you think it is worth money. Apart from the dubious morals of buying something for pence in a charity shop and making money from it – the clue is in the word ‘charity’ after all – buying something you think is pretty hideous because you might make money down the line can come back and bite you. It is fair to say that not many people think Clarice Cliff pieces are ‘beautiful’ because the painting is a bit rough and ready at best and their value is dropping in the marketplace today, so tough luck on all those people who bought as an investment. You have been warned. On the other hand, a lovely mellow traditional rug made by the old knotting method will give much pleasure and they are holding their own, price wise.