Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1913 — Renovating Old Rugs. [ARTICLE]

Renovating Old Rugs.

A dingy, frayed-out rug certainly is not a thing of beauty, however handsome it may once have been. Fortunately it is often possible to brighten up and repair such a rug and make It once more a respectable piece of furnishing. For brightening up the colors, get ordinary package dyes in such colors as may be needed, and two or three small round camel’s hair brushes. Dissolve a portion of each dye in a little boiling water, to which a pinch of salt and a spoonful of vinegar have been added. Clean the rug and lay it on a table, or if large on a smooth floor. When all is ready touch up the colors in the design with the hot strong dyes, using them freely enough to permit them to penetrate well into the fabric. When this is done, lay over the dampened portions a dry cloth and iron until thoroughly dry. This takes the place of boiling and helps to set the dyes. If the rug Is frayed and ragged at the ends, trim and apply a new binding or fringe. It is wonderful what a few cents' worth of a few hours’ work and a new blndffre will do for a shabby rug. Sometimes it is better to give a small, light-colored rug an entire dyebath than to try to restore the original colors. A plain dark-red or brown rug will look well in almost any sitting or dining-room—far better surely than a faded-out, dirty-looklng light one. Flimsy rugs may be given body by pasting to the back a lining of firm cotton-cloth. Lay the rug wrong-side up on the floor, cover well with thick, raw flour paste, lay the lining carefully in place and iron until the paste is thoroughly cooked and dry. Patches if any are needed, should be pasted on rather than sewed.