Rugs are long term investments, and like any other long term investment, they need to be cared for and cleaned. Kid’s rugs are no different either. Even though they are designed to handle the many abuses of children and constant use as more than just a rug, they still need to be tended to and maintained during their life; otherwise they will wear faster than they should. This is exactly the reason why routine maintenance is extremely important in prolonging the life expectancy of your kid's rug.

It is no need to worry though, because caring for and maintaining a new rug is an extremely simple process. Now, while there are different types of cleaning for different types of rugs, it is important to pay attention to all kinds, this way you will find out which method is the right one for you and your rug. A schedule of maintenance can be broken down into steps, or a timetable, depending how you look at it. There are three levels of the care and maintenance timetable:

Regular Maintenance

Regular cleaning of your rug is nothing different from what you already do to the existing rugs in your home. This section includes, for the most part, vacuuming and stain removal when necessary. While vacuuming seems simple and unimportant, it is in fact the most crucial part of all the caring you can do for your rug. The rate at which you vacuum your rugs is entirely up to you and the amount of traffic that the rug sees. Obviously if the rug is placed in a high traffic area, such as a classroom or a doormat, then it will need almost daily vacuuming. If it is in a less traveled on area, such as a child’s room, then twice a week is more of a reasonable schedule, but all rugs should be vacuumed at least twice a week.

Here are some helpful vacuuming tips:

• Keep the vacuum's brushes clean and replace them when they wear down. The beater bar should vibrate the rug, but not cause the vacuum's motor too slow. Raise the beater bar above the rug to just barely skim the fibers of the rug, otherwise pilling may occur.
• It is best to vacuum in the same direction as the pile.
• Be careful of fringes when vacuuming; don't let the vacuum pull them, lest they actually be ripped off over time.
• Make sure that the beater bar actually rotates when it is in contact with the rug; a worn belt in the vacuum may cause the bar to slow down and stop rotating. Belts should be inspected frequently to be certain they are working properly.
• Make sure that the vacuum bag isn't too full. When the bag is over half full the vacuum's efficiency is reduced.
• Always make sure that the vacuum's hoses and attachments are free of airflow obstructions.
• Vacuum across both directions of the traffic pattern to prevent matting.

Occasional Maintenance

• When you first purchase you rug it is a good idea to get a rug pad for it, that will definately help to maintain the liveliness of your rug in the long run. There are, however, several other steps that can and should be taken on a less frequent basis than vacuuming, that are good for your rug.
• One of the most important thing to do at least once a month is airing out your rug. In airing out your rug you are ridding the rug of all the odors that it has obtained over the select period of time. While the rug is being aired out, it is also an excellent idea to turn the rug over several times and pat it down. This will help to release and shake loose dirt that has been building up and worked its way into the carpet loops.
• Finally it is a good idea to rotate your rug every so often, about every 6 months. Once again this is completely dependent on the amount of traffic that your rug sees, the more often it is walked on the more you are going to need to rotate it. This will help from the rug becoming uneven. More walked on areas of the rug will be compressed and warn more than others. This is why rotating the rug to move a high traffic area of the rug away from the traffic area will help to keep it even. Along with vacuuming, this is the best way to keep up the appearance of your rug, and prevent it from getting blemishes, such as footprints, paw prints, etc.
• Another hint to help prevent some unnecessary wear and tear down the road is to place your rug away from a constant exposure to sunlight. If the rug is constantly exposed to sunlight this will cause the fabric and material colors to fade. The fading could lead to an unevenness in the color scheme of the rug, which would lead to a much faster aging time and would also cause the rug to look really warn and old. This is especially important in children's rugs because of their bright and vibrant color schemes, and the importance of the evenness of colors.