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irislover7b

2 new rugs, which vacuum to use?

irislover7b
15 years ago

I've never had area rugs before. I now have have a used Karastan wool, a new, inexpensive Oriental-looking synthetic, and a new hand-tufted wool. I have an Electrolux Silverado Deluxe canister vac w/ power nozzle from the 1980's, and an Electrolux Regency upright (it was used when I got it). The switch on the upright shows "off", "floor", and "carpet". I used it on the Karastan when I first brought it home. I think I set it to "carpet" and it ended up getting clogged by wool fibers. The rug looks fine though. Is either of these vacuums ok to use on the rugs? The rugs weren't expensive but I want them to last as long as possible. I put the waffle looking pads under the rugs. The package says they're guaranteed not to damage wood floors. I hope that's correct.

Comments (7)

  • geguymw
    15 years ago

    Your vacuum cleaner is going to collect rug fibers for a while. The two Electrolux vacuum cleaners are not that aggressive, so you should not have a problem. Over time, if you still have a problem with carpet fuzz, you might just use the tank vacuum with the combination rug/floor attachment.

  • irislover7b
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    If I use the upright, should I set it to "carpet"? For the rug/floor attachment for the tank vacuum, is that the piece I use to vacuum my vinyl floors now? It has two narrow rows of short bristles on the bottom (the side I use), and it will flip over and has no bristles on the other side.

  • geguymw
    15 years ago

    How often are you vacuuming your rug? How long have you been using the vacuum on the rug? If it has only been a few months, you might want to continue using it with the brush on. Sometimes, the previous owner's vacuum does not pick up the accumulated loose fibers from the carpeting. If you continue to pick up large amounts of fibers, switch your routine. If you vacuum once a week, use the the rug and floor attachment with the Electrolux tank. On every fourth week, use the power nozzle of the tank or the Electrolux upright set to "carpet".

    Yes, the attachment for your floors can be used for rugs. Just squeeze the tabs on both sides of the elbow and remove the head. Then turn it over to the rug side and reinsert into the elbow.

  • irislover7b
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks! So far I've just vacuumed them once, because I just got them. I'm not living in that house right now, so I probably won't be vacuuming them too often, until I move in. I'll do as you said. I have a question about the Electrolux upright. I don't use that vacuum at the house I'm currently in, it's at the house with the rugs. After I vacuumed the rugs with it, I took it to another room and set it on the floor. A few days later, I picked it up to move it, and I saw a bunch of rug fibers on the hardwood, where the vacuum cleaner had been. Is it normal for stuff to come out of the upright while it's just sitting there? The bag was new before I used it that one time on the 2 new rugs so I don't think it got full. I didn't think to check the bag though.

  • grainlady_ks
    15 years ago

    Avoid using a beater-bar (rotating brushes) style vacuum designed for wall-to-wall carpet on area rugs - or turn that feature off (if possible - use the bare floor setting).

    Suction from a hose and head attachment used for bare floors is fine. You may want to diffuse the air-flow if you have a really powerful vacuum. A high amount of suction can actually stretch your rug. So if you notice the vacuum is sucking up the rug itself, there's too much suction.

    -Grainlady

  • geguymw
    15 years ago

    Grainlady,

    A brushroll will not damage all area or roomsize rugs. And, high suction will not stretch your rug. What can happen to some rugs is that a very aggressive brushroll can bunch up or pull the loose rug. That is not stretching. Remember, All one has to do is grab an end and tug the rug back into place. I had to do this for a very senior friend occasionally. The rug can even start "creaping" if the carpet is continually walked on. I know this for fact. This will not happen with all rugs, but I have seen it happen with a very old oriental rug. I have also seen many other rugs that are very stiff . They will not budge. I have also been vacuuming two small, modern, oriental rugs in my hall for almost 20 years with no degradation or stretching.

    The OP most likely will not have any problems. I also gave her some suggestions.

  • gina_in_fl
    15 years ago

    First off, I'd flip the used rug and do a really slow sweep on highest setting to get the accumulated junk out. Really slow means at a snail's pace over the entire rug to get the underlaying junk out that was left by previous owners.

    Next, I'd beg, borrow an upright with one of those collection units that you can empty. (Can't remember what brand I had since I got rid of carpets years ago, but it might have been a Bissell)

    Run it at a snail's pace and it should take out most of the loose fibers.

    I had an electrolux at one point... my upright quit and the salesman showed up at my door the next day! The worst $500 I ever spent.

    Lots of uprights w/ the canister you can empty end up in thrift shops because people don't know to clean the various filters.

    That's all I have to say right now.

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