It’s common for most people to purchase a new rug and lay it on the floor without a second thought. However, you should give your rug a little more thought. Most people also need a rug pad. There are several reasons that you should pick up a new rug pad before laying your beautiful oriental rug on the floor. We’ll also go over which materials to choose when purchasing a rug pad.
Natural Rubber Pads Prevent Slipping
If your rug does not have heavy furniture sitting on top of it, it’s going to slip across the floor. Your gorgeous hand-knotted rug can quickly become a hazard for elderly family members and small children. It’ll be harder to clean because it doesn’t stay in place as you vacuum or sweep your rug. Purchasing a rug pad now can save you a lot of hassle down the road.
A Rug Pad Protects The Floor
The floor underneath your rug will need additional protection to make sure that it looks new. When drinks spill on your rug, the colors can leach from your rug onto your vinyl plank floors, staining the floor underneath. Sweeping your rug consists of constantly scratching a stiff broom across the underlying floor.
Small particles of dirt and debris will fall through the fibers of your hand-knotted rug and sit on your floor. As time goes on, these pieces of erosive material will slowly scratch your gorgeous hardwood floors. A rug pad provides the perfect buffer between floors and rugs to protect them.
When choosing a rug pad to protect your floor, it’s important to choose a non-slip rug pad that is made of natural materials instead of synthetic materials. The wrong rug pad can leach chemicals onto your hardwood floor, staining the floor and slowly stripping away the varnish. Opt for a natural rubber pad to provide an additional layer of protection that doesn’t damage the underlying floor.
Rug Pads Protect Your Rug
A rug is a major investment. Hand-knotted rugs are often worth thousands of dollars. When they slip across the floor, it puts additional wear and tear on your rug.
When you walk across your rug, it helps decrease the lifespan of your stunning investment. A rug pad keeps your rug from slipping and helps your rug bounce back to its natural shape after people walk on it. Purchasing a high-quality, natural rug pad can help you make sure that your investment continues to appreciate in value.
They Help You Save Money
Because rug pads help protect your rug, you’ll save a large amount of money in the long run. Small fringe repairs can cost hundreds of dollars. If your rug gets a hole in it, artisans will have to carefully weave new fibers into the rug to repair the hole. This can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Comfortable Underfoot Experience
The additional cushion that a rug pad provides is one of the reasons you should purchase one. Doing yoga on stone floors is unbearable, even if you are sitting on a rug. Tile floor surfaces are hard, and most people don’t enjoy walking on them. When you purchase a thick rug pad, you’ll enjoy the plush comfort that your feet need.
Rug Pads Facilitate Air Flow
When a rug is pressed against the floor, it provides an opportunity for bacteria to breed. Allergens and dust get trapped underneath the rug. A buffer between the floor and your rug will help prevent this so that you can enjoy cleaner, healthier air.
Prevent Uneven Wear With A Rug Pad
As rugs slip along the floor, they tend to bunch up. The small wrinkles in your rug will gradually wear away at the fibers of the rug. This will result in a tremendous amount of uneven wear and tear from your rug not staying in place.
A non-slip rug pad can prevent this. Opt for a natural rubber rug pad that has a maximum grip to keep your rug in place. Combination rug pads that have a rubber backing and a plush, felt top can be used to provide both a non-slip grip and the underfoot comfort that you need.
Decrease Dents From Heavy Furniture
Furniture that sits on top of rugs can cause large dents in the rug. This is because the furniture presses onto the hard floor underneath the rug. Rug pads provide a cushion barrier to help prevent denting.
Rug Pads Are Essential For Apartments
If you live in an apartment and have downstairs neighbors, picking up a rug pad can help you be more considerate. Neighbors in apartment buildings often hear every step of the people above them. A thick rug pad will help
Remember That You Still Need To Rotate Your Rug
Rug owners will still need to rotate their rug to prevent uneven wear and tear. Rug pads can help prevent this, but your rug will still have wear and tear from both normal use and heavy furniture over time. Rotating your rug will make sure that your entire rug wears evenly.
Cleaning Rug Pads Is Essential
Dirt will move in between the fibers of your rug onto your rug pad. Because of this, it’s important to clean your rug pad after cleaning your rug. To do this, properly clean your rug, including the underside of your rug. Then, set your rug aside and clean the rug pad according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Rug Pads Should Be Used For All Floor Types
Homeowners can benefit from using rug pads for every type of floor covering. Rug pads for hardwood floors are specially designed to help protect your hardwood flooring. They can prevent rugs from slipping and sliding across vinyl floor material. Carpet owners will appreciate a gridded rubber pad that grips the carpet to keep their rug in place.
Consider Natural Latex Foam Pads
Natural latex is made from the rubber of rubber trees. It is baked and cooled repeatedly to give it a different texture than rubber. Because of this, you might hear these products called natural rubber memory foam pads.
Natural latex foam pads feel similar to memory foam. They provide the ultimate amount of bounce to make sure that you have a walkable floor surface. This extra bounce can help prevent wear and tear more so than thinner felt rug pads, as well. Most people state that natural latex foam pads feel similar to memory foam.
When shopping for these rug pads, it’s important to make sure that there are combinations of rubber and latex used. Rug owners will need the rubber for grip but the latex foam for comfort.
It’s also important to make sure that you are purchasing a natural latex foam pad. Some companies state that they sell rug pads that are made from natural or organic memory foam. This leads customers to believe that they are purchasing an organic product without chemicals when they are not. Memory foam is comprised of several chemicals, and most memory foams undergo various chemical processes before being transformed into rug pads. Make sure that your rug pad is made from natural latex.
Use Rubber Rug Pads In Areas That Are Prone To Spills
Most natural materials, such as jute and felt, don’t handle water well. They can also be a pain to clean if they get wet. That’s why you should choose a natural rubber rug pad for these areas. A few spills will not hurt your rug pad, and these rug pads are well-known for being easy to clean.
Everyone that owns a rug should consider purchasing a rug pad to protect their investment and help them enjoy their rug. The rest of our blogs will help you learn everything that you need to know about both rugs and rug pads.