How to tell when to have your rugs cleaned?

How to tell when to have your rugs cleaned?

Rugs, whether wool or synthetic, are often overlooked when it comes to having them cleaned regularly.  Usually they don't get cleaned until they are full of soil or other contaminates.  How do you tell, though, when your rugs need cleaning?

One thing you can do is to flip the rug over on a smooth hard surface.  Then take a vacuum cleaner with a brush bar and place it on the back of the rug and turn it on.  Do not move the vacuum cleaner and leave it in one place for 8 - 10 seconds.  When you are done then flip over the rug and look on the hard surface to see if there is some soil where you had the vacuum cleaner.  If there is then it is time to have your rug cleaned by a professional rug cleaner.  

If your rug is too big and heavy to be flipping it over then here is another method to try.  Pick up a corner of the rug,  slap the back of the rug with your other hand and watch the front side of the rug to see if soil is coming out as you slap the back of the rug.  This method is a little more difficult to actually determine how much soil is coming out of the rug, but if you see soil coming out with this method then you need to have the rug cleaned.  

Hopefully, this will help you determine when it is time to have your rugs cleaned.