I've been shopping around for an area rug for my dining room (I'm looking at 8X10 ft. "oriental" rugs).

The room itself gets a lot of traffic, you have to go through it to get to where we keep the TV, and theres a large window in the dining room, so it gets some direct sun dispite the fact we use awnings in the summer. I've also got two dogs, who will be laying on the rug (may as well factor that into it, theres no way of stopping it!).

I can afford wool, I've heard wool is best for cleaning and holding up well for the long term, but I've also heard that wool fades. I like the way a wool rug seem to hold the detail of fine line work in the carpet's design.

I guess my next option would be nylon. Do any of you have any experiences with rugs (or carpets), and can offer comments about how well your rugs are holding up, or what I should be looking for and considering before I buy? I want this purchase to last a good many years!

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

-- Patti (cl.p@rcn.com), April 28, 2002

Answers

We love wool and it wears well. But maybe a cotton one that is less substantial, but more easily washed would suit you better? We buy ours at a local discount store. Just recently paid $75 for an 8 X 11 wool rug. Not always that cheap, often $200, but be sure to check there. And the sisal/jute rugs are very practical, but less attractive for a dressier room. They do hose off and vacuum nicely. We use one on our covered deck.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), April 28, 2002.

Definitely wool!! Mine do not show wear or fading. I have old antique wool rugs that are in wonderful shape also.

-- Suzanne (weir@frontiernet.net), April 28, 2002.

my parents had wall to wall wool carpet in their livingroom, it got alot of traffic, it was pink,it was thirty five years old when it was replaced, we lived on a large working farm and there were seven children in the family it had turned a beige when we replaced it and it was worn in the traffic areas. It saw children and grandchildren come and go large partys and holidays it resisted red koolaid stains when it was replaced it was still stain free. There is nothing bad I can say about that carpet except it lasted to long and we got bored with it. I vote for wool.

-- ronda (the johnsons@localaccess.com), April 28, 2002.

Yeppers, definately wool! I have one in front of my front door and it REALLY gets the traffic. Still looks brand new!

Watch QVC for when they have thier rug shows. I the same rug I was going to purchase for less than half the price in the department store - same brand, same size, same color, and same pattern.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), April 28, 2002.

Wool. But I have had trouble with a blue wool rug that has faded a LOT. But blue is well known for fading in sunlight, so I don't know that it is the fault of wool.

One really nice thing about wool is, if your place got on fire, there would be no toxic fumes off a wool rug.

My two dogs sleep on mine all the time. :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), April 29, 2002.

I kow what you mean !! We have a rug on our wood floor in the kitchen. In front of the wood stove, dog, cats too. I bought it at Lowe's home supply store. Not expensive...$90 ?? It's mostly nylon. Have had it cleaned professionally and it really didn't do much for it. Just freshen it up out in the snow and with the carpet cleaner myself now. Figure when it gets too bad will just either cut it up for the animals or trunk of the car and purchase another inexpensive one. Sometimes it doesn't pay to buy something that cost too much. You will drive yourself nuts trying to keep it clean and be on the family and pets all of the time. You could also get several throw carpets that you can toss in the washer also. Good Luck !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), April 29, 2002.

I'd go with wool too if you can afford it. It will wear like iron and wont fade if you are careful. My grandma used to put a cotton crumb cloth down under the table to catch the worst of the spills and then take it up after the meals and shake it out like the table cloth. I can remember her taking the carpets up after the first big snow of the year and she would lay them face down in the snow and leave them for an hour or so and then take them into the back kitchen and sweep them clean..the snow would take out all the built up dirt and wash them slightly and take out any stray stains....It was always a treat to stretch out on those freshly snow cleaned rugs as they were nice and fluffy and smelt of the outdoors.

mark

-- mark chenail (chenail@uiuc.edu), April 29, 2002.

How bizarre! I was just reaing in some book very recently about this with the rugs in the snow. I thought it was the corny-est thing I hade ever heard in my life. And people really did that?

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), April 29, 2002.

novina:

yeah lots of folks cleaned their rugs with snow. In fact, I think I remember it being mentioned in the Little House books. Another method was to sprinkle used tea leaves on the rugs and then sweep them all up. Cant say I ever tried that one though. But I still use the snow method now and then on my own rugs.

mark

-- mark chenail (chenail@uiuc.edu), May 01, 2002.