<p>Just bought a rather pricey handmade wool rug. Before we put furniture on it, I thought about treating it with some protectant. Have tried similar products on furniture and it never seems to work. Any suggestions? Anythig really help spills bead up and not stain the rug?</p>
<p>Anyone tried vectra?</p>
<p>What do you need to protect from? Wool rugs are sturdy in my experience.</p>
<p>Its the family room, so could be food, wine, coffee…</p>
<p>We have “unprotected” wool rugs all over our house. The key is to clean up any spills IMMEDIATELY. We also chose colors that really wouldn’t show if something got spilled. I think that is the key in a high traffic area like a family room. Our family room rugs are wool braided rugs that are at least 30 years old.</p>
<p>Your rug is beautiful but pretty light in color.
We have wool area rugs that are darker and they are rarely cleaned and look great. I have other rugs that are synthetic with all the fancy stain protectant that I think really doesn’t work. In my old house we had cream wool carpet in the bedrooms. I was always amazed at how well the wool carpet cleaned up. </p>
<p>I learned on Alpha House, that you can use salt to soak up fluids then vacuum.
Havent tried it though.</p>
<p>Real wool rugs survive a lot of beating - if the spills are cleaned up quickly. This will be TMI - when I was a kid, my cat barfed on a corner of the beautiful handmade wool rug that we had on the floor in the living room, and we did not notice until it was too late. The acid and/or enzymes in the barf dissolved part of the rug leaving a boldish spot. Mom was livid to the point of banning the cat from ever entering the house! Being a math and science nerd, I quickly found a logical solution - the rug was square, and one of the other corners was tucked under a piece of furniture, so a 90-degree flip of the rug magically hid the ruined corner 
The cat continued to luxuriate in the house, periodically barfing on said rug, until she died of the old age issues.
Long story short, the takeaway point is to always have a bottle of SpotShot and some Oxiclean handy! Enjoy your rug, jym!</p>
<p>Ugh pets are worse then kids in trying to have a presentable house.
At least kids dont have nails that scratch the floor, and they don’t generally puke or poop on the rugs, even if they dont feel well.
They also only leave their hair in the bathroom, not on the couch and the floor and the table.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. This rug has a "light"and "dark"side, meaning when you look at it from one direction its light, and from the other its dark. So flipping wouldnt work :(</p>
<p>What would it look like if you turned it? </p>
<p>jym626, I have the same dilemma. I bought a wool rug that is light gray, and I knew I was taking a chance as I have pets. I wondered the same thing about treating it.</p>
<p>So do you all prefer the oxyclean, spotshot (never heard of it) or woolite on wool rugs? </p>
<p>The rug wouldn look right turned the other way. It would look faded…??</p>
<p>Wool is very sturdy. What works is blotting up spills immediately with white towels. Blot, blot, blot, Then XO cleaner, which is a miracle product. Spray thoroughly with XO (make sure you get the one with cleaner in it, not just the deordorizer.) Blot, blot, blot. I have made anything that can possibly come out of a dog disappear from wool carpet.</p>
<p>@jym626, I think they mean rotated not turned over. It’s a cool rug, but I have to admit I’d never dare get one like it! My house is full of hand-me-down orientals which do a pretty good job of hiding accidents. (The one in the dining room has a piece that doesn’t quite match because we had a dog growing up that went crazy every time my Dad was out of town and he took a bit out of it.)</p>
<p>I do turn my two wool rugs over to even out the wear and extend the life (just like I flip all the couch cushions). One rug is from morocco, and when we bought it we were told that was what they do in Morocco. Who knows if it’s true. The “summer” side, the side without the nap, looks like needlepoint. Another thing about wool is that it’s self-extinguishing - does not catch fire. I suppose anything would burn in an inferno, but the Moroccan rug demo included a man dropping lit cigarettes on the rug. You want it to stop so badly you’ll buy the rug. </p>
<p>Mathmom-- I mean rotated- that was correct. Not talking about flipping it over/ upside down. It only looks right looking down from one end. Look down from the other end and it looks totally different. Like this: <a href=“What is the Light and Dark Side of an Oriental Rug?”>http://www.igotyourrug.com/oriental-rug-blog/what-is-the-light-and-dark-side-of-an-oriental-rug/</a></p>
<p>We have wool rugs and hardwood floors all through the house. Most of the spills have occurred during parties while people are milling around drinking wine. Second the recommendation for Spot Shot. It works really well, especially if you get to the spill right away. Get it online on Amazon if you can’t find it at your grocery store.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Spot-Shot-Professional-Instant-Remover/dp/B00578XFFW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_indust_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TEKDBM7WYT274KEWHDK”>http://www.amazon.com/Spot-Shot-Professional-Instant-Remover/dp/B00578XFFW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_indust_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TEKDBM7WYT274KEWHDK</a></p>
<p>as others have stated- hand made wool rugs are very sturdy.
the way it is loomed makes it look lighter or darker, depending on which angle it is viewed from.
thats how you know its hand loomed, not machine made.
if someone spills red wine on it , immediately dilute it with lots of white wine. then put towels underneath the wet area and blot, blot, blot. If possible, elevate the wet spot by draping it on chairs outside so it can air dry.
if a thorough cleaning is really necessary -a quality wool rug cleaner can clean it. they normally charge by the sq ft.
I’ve had numerous hand made wool rugs for 30+ years and have only had them cleaned once when we had a flood.
relax and enjoy it!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!</p>