Fran Sloan asked:

You know what a hassle it can be to deal with mixing, matching and cleaning different fabrics in your wardrobe like chenille, wool, satin and silk. Just imagine the anxiety you’d feel if your silk shirt were to meet a hot fudge sundae cherry to button. Ouch!

So why don’t you worry about the everyday status of your home fabrics as much as you do about the cleanliness and maintenance of your clothes? Think people don’t notice your messy home as much as they notice your messy blouse? Think again. Your appearance says a lot about who you are…and not just the appearance of your clothes but the appearance of your home as well.

A stained area rug says you’re careless as much as a stained sweater but a sweater is much easier to replace and live down than a ruined area rug that’s the talk of your big Christmas party and eventually, the whole town.

So what can you do to keep your home in tip top shape, aside from dusting once a week?

Take your flooring and area rugs for example. These can literally be the most disgusting areas of your home. Your area rug traps dirt, dander and anything that’s spilled or drips. You most likely ignore your area rug on cleaning days unless it’s visibly dirty but this is a huge mistake. Your area rug should be vacuumed at least once weekly, whether it’s a cotton area rug, braided area rug or wool area rug.

Your white area rugs and other light colored area rugs need to be cleaned twice as often since they will show the signs of misuse and abuse before your other fabrics. But don’t neglect the black area rugs and other dark colored area rugs. These can be toughest to clean if you neglect them for too long.

And remember, different fabrics need different treatment. Slamming the vacuum down on your densely piled, tight knit wool area rug may be perfectly fine, but try that on a chenille area rug or loosely woven area rug and you’ll find yourself left with nothing but shreds of fabric. Hardy fabrics like canvas, cotton and wool can and should be vacuumed to lift dirt from the fibers. Light, delicate and loose fabrics like chenille should always be gently beaten over your porch or a chair. In fact, your looser fabrics can most often be shaken out.

In the event your area rugs or other home décor fabrics meet in battle with wine or kool-aid, you should always have a color-safe stain remover and liquid extraction tool handy. Stain removers found at your local craft store are made for all sorts of stains (even oil paints!) and are made fabric and human safe.

Remember, your home says a lot about who you are as a person and a home maker. Get the best of your fabrics before they get the best of you.

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