Please educate me about area rugs

[expectantsteelerfan]

Please educate me about area rugs, because I think I'm doing them wrong.

I grew up in a house with wall to wall carpet.  Then we rented for a long time as adults as dh was military.  Our first house that we owned had hardwood downstairs, and carpet upstairs.  In that house, we had an area rug in the living room and in the dining room.  The one in the living room was shag (is that what it's called where it's a non-patterned rug with high pile that is sort of individual pieces that could snag occasionally?) and it looked ok for a few years I think...it was from Home Goods.  The one in the dining room was a short-pile synthetic from Target that got stained and trashed...looked terrible when we got rid of it.

Our current house is all hardwood, and I'm really struggling for an area rug in our living room.  We need it to be big (at least 9x12), but it's a high traffic area and we have 2 dogs.  And I enjoy using the rug to bring the colors of the open floor plan together, so I didn't go with just a shag but a patterned synthetic rug the first time around.  It had a white background with a gray and blue pattern, and after 2 years, it was so dingy looking I decided to replace it with something similar colors but less white.

It's now only been a year with the new rug, and it looks just as bad as the first one does.  It's short pile to begin with, but the areas that get high traffic are all smushed down and significantly worse looking than the areas that don't get high traffic.  

Both of these rugs were from places like rugs.com/Wayfair/overstock/Amazon (I looked at all of them, they all had similar options or even the same options so I picked which had the best price).  

Are there any rugs that have color/pattern that will hold up to high traffic and frequent vacuuming (due to the 2 dogs) and not look trashed after 1 year?  
I'm willing to go up significantly in price if it's really going to last a lot longer, but I don't know what to look for.  And I'd be super annoyed to pay a ton for a much nicer rug to only have it still look really worn quickly.  
Or do I just need to keep getting cheap rugs (although for 9x12 it's still not *cheap*, I think they were like $500) and resign myself to replacing them every year or so?  That seems so wasteful (although I did give away my last one, someone still wanted it even though I thought it was shot).  

[starburst604]

Have you considered a washable one like Ruggable? I had one in my last home with 2 dogs and it always came clean in the wash. I have 2 high traffic runners from them that still look great after 1.5 years.

[glw]

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Sept 27, 2024 14:43:27 GMT -5 starburst604 said:

Have you considered a washable one like Ruggable? I had one in my last home with 2 dogs and it always came clean in the wash. I have 2 high traffic runners from them that still look great after 1.5 years.

I have, but for that size (and the amount of furniture I'd have to move to get the rug up and put it down), I decided it wasn't practical.  

[archiethedragon]

You can go all wool which will hold up significantly better but cost much more. Or you can just keep buying synthetic and replace as needed.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Sept 27, 2024 14:44:56 GMT -5 glw said:

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

[sdlaura]

We have this area rug in our living room and LOVE it. We’ve had it almost five years in a family with four kids (including 3 little boys) and now a dog. It is super soft and shows nothing in terms of dirt or stains. Highly recommend.

www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/brayden-studio-jamari-blue-area-rug-bray4592.html?refid=TEM_WF178294&mmid=3620177152&csnid=946AD5EF-A784-460A-8E73-0831CA83D79A&libra_c=&libra_d=&libra_g=&cltr=&piid=21599643

[deadwing]

Have you gone to an actual furniture store? The area rug in my living room (high traffic) came from a real furniture store and it's holding up great. I think it's wool, not synthetic. It gets vacuumed 3x a week. There's one area where my cat used to like to scratch that shows some wear, but otherwise it's held up very well.

I also have a Home Goods area rug in my bedroom (low traffic) that is holding up OK, and a very cheap (Overstock?) one in my home office that is showing it's wear. I wanted cheap for the home office because I know my office chair is going to destroy it. I expect to need to replace it every few years.

[glw]

Sept 27, 2024 14:47:34 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Sept 27, 2024 14:44:56 GMT -5 glw said:

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

Oh definitely. You can rent a carpet cleaner from Home Depot, or see if a local friend owns one you can borrow. It's basically a vacuum cleaner + soap and water, very easy to use. 

[starburst604]

Sept 27, 2024 14:47:34 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Sept 27, 2024 14:44:56 GMT -5 glw said:

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

I’ve shampooed area rugs many times. That being said, I’ve learned that with dogs, nothing in a light color will survive very long in my home. I recently bought new living room furniture with this carpet and it shows nothing, which I love. I’ve already cleaned both pee and puke off it.
ETA: this rug is synthetic. My last one was wool and I couldn't take the shedding on top of the dog fur. 

[shopgirl07]

Sept 27, 2024 14:47:34 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Sept 27, 2024 14:44:56 GMT -5 glw said:

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

You can totally shampoo them! You can do it yourself or just hire a carpet/upholstery cleaning service.

For durability, I like a plain jute rug.

[deadwing]

Sept 27, 2024 14:47:34 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

Sept 27, 2024 14:44:56 GMT -5 glw said:

Have you shampooed the rugs? You likely don't need to trash them, just clean them.

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

You can rent a rug shampooer from Lowes or Home Depot by the day.  They're easy to use.  You want to go back and forth over the carpet a few times when it's clean without holding down the button/lever for releasing water.  This should extract water from the carpet.  It should be damp when you are done and air dry within a few hours.

[mccallister84]

Honestly with dogs I would just buy a carpet cleaner. We just have the one dog and made it like a month with her before we bought it. It’s great. I just did the carpet earlier today and part of the couch.

ETA: I think ours was like $150 on Amazon.

[waverly]

We have a wool rug which was pretty pricey, but it does clean well, doesn't wear down. We do own a carpet cleaner and do the rugs around 1-2 times a year.

[EvieEthelGarland]

I've had a wool rug for 10+ years and I'm just about to replace it because with dogs and a kid it's just now getting trashed. I could salvage it for a few more years but I'm ready for something new. The one I have now is from West Elm and their pricing for 9*12 doesn't seem crazy.

I've also had FLOR and it held up well. One of their selling points is being able to replace just a tile, but even with a dog and kid, I never did that. Once it was set, it was set. They are a pain to tape up and seem way too pricey for it is. I am not considering it for my new rug.

My friend has large carpet remnants for her area rugs. She doesn't even get them banded and they've been fine-maybe require a bit of trimming when it unravels? For under $250 for a 10*16, its a bargain.

I'm most likely going to buy a HomeGoods cheapie and if I need to replace it in a year of so, then go back to wool. The kid is in high school and the dog is 5 so fingers crossed that their destruction is in the past?

[moreace01]

I would be careful of certain synthetics - particularly any area rug that has viscose in it - you will likely end up with spots if you attempt to clean. Viscose rugs are the worst and I will never buy one again.

I don't have dogs, but I do have a cat that barfs up his food a lot. I have a cream colored, wool rug in my office (wfh, cat likes to hang near me). The color went with the decor and I was convinced he wouldn't throw up on it because he tended to do that in the basement (well, he did, prior to owning the rug). I've had the rug a year and roll over it all day with my office chair and it's definitely been spot cleaned a lot cause of the cat (less so now, but he's probably puked on it 20-30 times).

tl;dr - wool has held up better for me than synthetics. it is easier to clean and doesn't show as much wear.

[MrsDarcy]

I love my ruggable. Comes out of the washer looking great. And we have kids and two dogs.

[Susie]

We have a wool rug in our family room, and it sheds a lot (still, after 2? years) but it still looks pretty good.  Definitely not entertaining replacement any time soon.  I promise it is prettier colors IRL than online:  

www.wayfair.com/rugs/pdp/mercury-row-sevan-abstract-handmade-tufted-wool-aqua-area-rug-w005578402.html?piid=936815797&utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

We have a 9x12 Ruggable in our dining room, and it's fine for that.  If it gets food dropped on it we can take it to a laundromat, and in the meantime the relative thinness is not a problem under chairs/table.  I am not currently thinking of putting a Ruggable in a family room type space though.  The feel underfoot is not at all plush.

[VillainV]

Ditto all-wool rugs, especially hand-knotted. These can be quite pricey, especially the large ones, but they hold up so much better. I have a few from Afghanistan/Pakistan (most bought when I was deployed) and one from Turkey, and they’re pretty much indestructible.

We have had a few synthetic rugs when we wanted a different color or pattern, and those never held up to traffic. Even after shampooing, the pile was crushed in the high traffic areas.

[mommyatty]

We got a very nice Ralph Lauren 9x12 for our dining room from Marshall’s I think (may have been Homegoods) that’s wool. It’s held up well but not high traffic. We had an 8x10 in our living room and only had it in basically under our coffee table/in front of our couches. We didn’t want to pay for the gigantic rug in an area where we knew it would get gross fast but we still wanted warm feet in the winter.

[maudefindlay]

We have a wool rug from Arhaus that has held up well for 3 years so far, looks brand new, but we do not have pets and are a no shoes in the house family.

[wildrice]

Sept 27, 2024 15:56:16 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Ditto all-wool rugs, especially hand-knotted. These can be quite pricey, especially the large ones, but they hold up so much better. I have a few from Afghanistan/Pakistan (most bought when I was deployed) and one from Turkey, and they’re pretty much indestructible.

We have had a few synthetic rugs when we wanted a different color or pattern, and those never held up to traffic. Even after shampooing, the pile was crushed in the high traffic areas.

We have only had our Moroccan Berber wool rug for a few months, but I am expecting it to last years based on what I've read about them. We paid $800 for ours but I think it's a bit smaller than what OP was looking for. You can find them online if you are interested! I do think that mass produced rugs tend to have a shorter life than handmade, but of course handmade can be very pricey depending on what you get (I would have loved a Turkish rug, but it was too expensive so I accidentally bought an expensive vase instead...)

[jane6672]

Wool, hand knotted rugs, with a rug pad underneath (so it doesn’t slip and also keeps down wear and tear on the rug).

You can buy vintage to keep the price down, and then you don’t have to deal with the shedding of a new rug.

Esalerugs.com is good, I’ve bought a couple from them and been very happy, and Etsy has some very affordable options.

Do pay attention to how deep the pile is, because if it’s a flat weave rug or shag rug, you don’t want to vacuum it with the beater bar. I don’t have energy to deal with special vacuum requirements, so something in the 1/3-1/2” pile range for a hand knotted rug is very durable and can be vacuumed with beater bar.

[elleblue]

Sept 27, 2024 14:52:20 GMT -5 shopgirl07 said:

Sept 27, 2024 14:47:34 GMT -5 expectantsteelerfan said:

I honestly didn't know you could shampoo area rugs.  I guess I assumed it would get wet through and damage the hardwoods underneath?  Does it not do that?  We have a thin pad under it, but when I shampooed wall-to-wall, it was wet and needed to dry for like a day.

You can totally shampoo them! You can do it yourself or just hire a carpet/upholstery cleaning service.

For durability, I like a plain jute rug.

Jute is so uncomfortable, but maybe that's just me?

Definitely shampoo your rug as needed. We use a spot carpet cleaner as needed (after pet or kid messes) and then do a deep clean every so often and it works just fine.

[elleblue]

Oh and I'd you're going the wool route, definitely be prepared to spend $$$$$. You can find wool rugs for cheaper, but they won't be hand knotted and will shed like crazy for the entire time you own it (rookie mistake I made as a newlywed). Otherwise do a synthetic with a nice rig pad underneath and it should be just fine.

[jane6672]

Sept 27, 2024 17:25:04 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Oh and I'd you're going the wool route, definitely be prepared to spend $$$$$. You can find wool rugs for cheaper, but they won't be hand knotted and will shed like crazy for the entire time you own it (rookie mistake I made as a newlywed). Otherwise do a synthetic with a nice rig pad underneath and it should be just fine.

I mean, it depends on your definition of $$$$$$, and whether you’re buying new or vintage, but the hand knotted vintage wool rugs I’ve purchased have ranged between $160 (4’x6’) to $640 (7’ x9’). So 🤷🏻‍♀️

[VillainV]

Sept 27, 2024 17:47:03 GMT -5 jane6672 said:

Sept 27, 2024 17:25:04 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Oh and I'd you're going the wool route, definitely be prepared to spend $$$$$. You can find wool rugs for cheaper, but they won't be hand knotted and will shed like crazy for the entire time you own it (rookie mistake I made as a newlywed). Otherwise do a synthetic with a nice rig pad underneath and it should be just fine.

I mean, it depends on your definition of $$$$$$, and whether you’re buying new or vintage, but the hand knotted vintage wool rugs I’ve purchased have ranged between $160 (4’x6’) to $640 (7’ x9’). So 🤷🏻‍♀️

New hand-knotted wool rugs run about $1200 for an 8x10 and $1500+ for a 9x12 depending on the density of the knots, quality of the wool, colors/patterns, and country of origin. I didn’t pay quite as much for mine because I bought them overseas. The oldest one is 17 years old, has been through a half dozen moves, cats, kid, dining room….and still looks brand new.

[devonpow]

Wool rug with a good carpet pad and either get it professionally cleaned or rent/buy a cleaner. We get ours cleaned at the same time as our couch and any other upholstered furniture we need cleaned. Super easy and it’s not that expensive.

I have two boys, we are a shoes on house (sorry to all grossed out by this lol) in the northeast with a dog and our rugs are still looking fine (knock on wood). We do have a dark colored rug in the dining room/under the table because I’m not crazy, but the living room and other area rugs are lighter.

On the other hand we used to have a cream colored couch and that was the biggest mistake we ever made!

[elleblue]

Sept 27, 2024 17:47:03 GMT -5 jane6672 said:

Sept 27, 2024 17:25:04 GMT -5 elleblue said:

Oh and I'd you're going the wool route, definitely be prepared to spend $$$$$. You can find wool rugs for cheaper, but they won't be hand knotted and will shed like crazy for the entire time you own it (rookie mistake I made as a newlywed). Otherwise do a synthetic with a nice rig pad underneath and it should be just fine.

I mean, it depends on your definition of $$$$$$, and whether you’re buying new or vintage, but the hand knotted vintage wool rugs I’ve purchased have ranged between $160 (4’x6’) to $640 (7’ x9’). So 🤷🏻‍♀️

You'll definitely get better prices with vintage, so going that route is certainly best if you have a good source.

[devonpow]

Also I mentioned on here before that we got on of our very large, oddly sized rugs at a local store that has wall to wall carpet remnants and cuts them to specific area rug sizes for you and binds the edges. It was SO GREAT. Significantly less expensive than a standard sized giant area rug and we were able to get a custom size. Highly recommend - if you go to local carpet stores they may be able to do the same.