Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1910 — CARE OF THE RUGS [ARTICLE]

CARE OF THE RUGS

THEIR WELFARE IN SUMMER 18 ALL IMPORTANT. Should Be Thoroughly Cleaned and Aired Before Putting Into Stor-age-Some of the Best Methods of Caring for Them. The good housewife Is naturally concerned about the summer welfare of line rugs, and she realizes that If they are used in the hot months they won’t be so resplendent In winter. Simply putting rugs away in the proper manner for the summer will sometimes renew fading colors to an astonishing extent. Before sending the rugs on their storeroom vacation the chamber itself Bhould be well cleaned. Use perfectly cold water for the scrubbing and naphtha soap; then when floor shelves and painted walls are dry»go over all the woodwork with clean rags smeared with kerosene. The mothmiller has no fondness for petroleum and so this device alone will keep it out of the storeroom. The rugs themselves must be’thoroughly beaten, cleaned of spots and hung in the broad air for some hours. A Turkish rug will stand a soap and water scrub admirably and where it is feasible a light one may be put entirely in a tub and washed like a sheet. After the airing beat the rugs again, using a strong rattan beater, then spread l smoothly and spray with a strong black pepper tea. Have prepared some wooden rollers about two inches through and as long as the rug is wide. First put over the rug a sheet made of newspapers pasted together, then place the roller on top of this at one end of the rug and begin to roll, keeping the wooden prop straight all the time. Cover the roll with more paper pasted together, then insert it in a round bag made.of tough j manila paper and paste all the loose j ends securely. As long as there are i no loose seams in this outer bag no j moths can get in, but a further pre- ! caution would be to spray the bag lightly all over with pepper tea. <■ Cheap rugs and old carpets will not need quite so much care, but if they are to be kept entirely free of moths they should be looked after. Beat, sunbrush and spray these in the same way as rugs, then roll them between newspapers, with a thick sprinkle of gum camphor between the folds. Cover the piles of loose rugs or carpets with burlap, or more newspapers, to keep off dust.