Months of pinning ideas for your new décor. Countless hours searching for the rug that will tie it all together. And then success — just the right thing for just the right price. But when you get it home, there’s a problem. The rug sheds. And sheds. And sheds. And no amount of vacuuming or brushing seems to alleviate the problem.
Sometimes, shedding happens briefly with a new rug and will stop within a couple of months, after light vacuuming and normal wear. If your rug is still shedding, then there are two main contributing factors:
Poor quality material is one of the most common causes of shedding rugs. It breaks, wears or sloughs apart. Even among wool, there can be a drastic difference in quality. Sheep reared high in the mountains have long hair, naturally rich with lanolin wool to keep them warm and comfortable in high altitudes. Wool from these high-altitude sheep is used to weave rugs of a very high, durable quality. Wool from the sheep in lower lands tends to be coarser than their highland cousins and is of a lesser quality. If these sheep are sheered too often and the wool is left short, in order to make the yarn usable, adhesives will be added to bring these short wool pieces together. The adhesive breaks down over time, and these little pieces begin to shed.
How do you know if the rug you like uses poor materials?
The first indicator is whether they're natural fibers. Natural fibers like wool wear better over time and are easier to clean and repair. The second indicator is price. Finer materials cost more to source, which is often reflected in the price of the rug. A very inexpensive rug is usually made of inexpensive — and ofter lower quality — materials.
The second most common cause in shedding is how a rug is actually constructed. There are a number of different ways to make a rug, and the difference in quality comes down to whether a rug is:
Hand-made rugs are crafted from techniques that give structural integrity to pieces: hand-knotted rugs are made from hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of threads knotted to the rug’s cotton or wool foundation. Hand-woven rugs are made by repeatedly passing a warp through the carpet’s weft. These techniques insure that every part of the rug is integral to the rug’s structure, and therefore, less likely to come apart.
More modern techniques are more about assembling pieces than weaving strong, durable rugs. For example, in hand-tufting, a tufting gun is used to shoot fabric “tufts” through a plastic grid. These rugs need to be backed with a polymer or glue to keep the tufts in place. Not only is the wool of lesser quality, the backing material can deteriorate and both the backing and pile will begin to shed. Machine-made rugs are made at incredible speed on a machine similar to a newspaper ream, and usually from polymer-based materials to survive this process. These synthetic materials breakdown as would other petroleum-based materials.
When you combine lower quality wool or synthetic materials with modern rug-making techniques, it’s not uncommon for your rug to shed.
Shop Hand-Made Rugs with Natural Materials
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Give your room an all-natural feel with the Edge Collection. These earthy rugs are hand woven in India of alternating strips of leather and jute for a unique tactile feel...
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The flatwoven Oakwood Collection is an earthy neutral that benefits from natural, dye-free wool. The handwoven rugs have an intricate speckled look, thanks to the nature of pure, fine wool....
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Hand-woven of jute, wool and cotton in India, the Omen Collection is a timeless series. The subtle chevron waves add beautiful dimension and create a truly unique look that is...
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Hand-woven in India with a luxurious blend of wool, cotton, viscose, viscose from bamboo, chenille, acrylic and linen, this calming collection of contemporary neutral tones will add balance and warmth...
$179 $229 Why this price?
Hand-woven in India with a luxurious blend of wool, cotton, viscose, viscose from bamboo, chenille, acrylic and linen, this calming collection of contemporary neutral tones will add balance and warmth...
$179 $229 Why this price?
Hand-woven in India with a luxurious blend of wool, cotton, viscose, viscose from bamboo, chenille, acrylic and linen, this calming collection of contemporary neutral tones will add balance and warmth...
$179 $229 Why this price?
Hand-woven in India with a luxurious blend of wool, cotton, viscose, viscose from bamboo, chenille, acrylic and linen, this calming collection of contemporary neutral tones will add balance and warmth...
$429 $539 Why this price?
Breathe order, balance and calm into any setting with the new, hand-loomed Barkley Collection. These linear, tonal designs in wool and shimmery viscose are at once casual, chic and ultra...
$429 $539 Why this price?
Breathe order, balance and calm into any setting with the new, hand-loomed Barkley Collection. These linear, tonal designs in wool and shimmery viscose are at once casual, chic and ultra...
$429 $539 Why this price?
Breathe order, balance and calm into any setting with the new, hand-loomed Barkley Collection. These linear, tonal designs in wool and shimmery viscose are at once casual, chic and ultra...
$349
$439
Why this price?
Sold Out
Hand woven in India, the Akina Collection sets a rugged and worldly foundation. Each piece is deliberately crafted with textural highs and lows, accentuating the all-over geometric pattern. And because...
$349 $439 Why this price?
Hand woven in India, the Akina Collection sets a rugged and worldly foundation. Each piece is deliberately crafted with textural highs and lows, accentuating the all-over geometric pattern. And because...
$349 $439 Why this price?
Hand woven in India, the Akina Collection sets a rugged and worldly foundation. Each piece is deliberately crafted with textural highs and lows, accentuating the all-over geometric pattern. And because...
$99 $129 Why this price?
Give your room an all-natural feel with the Edge Collection. These earthy rugs are hand woven in India of alternating strips of leather and jute for a unique tactile feel...
$99 $129 Why this price?
Give your room an all-natural feel with the Edge Collection. These earthy rugs are hand woven in India of alternating strips of leather and jute for a unique tactile feel...
$569
Why this price?
Sold Out
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$569 Why this price?
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$569
Why this price?
Sold Out
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$569
Why this price?
Sold Out
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$99 $129 Why this price?
Give your room an all-natural feel with the Edge Collection. These earthy rugs are hand woven in India of alternating strips of leather and jute for a unique tactile feel...
$569
Why this price?
Sold Out
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$569
Why this price?
Sold Out
Known for her colorful bohemian style, designer Justina Blakeney's hand-woven Fable Collection from India is an imaginative spin on the regular flat weave rug. These pieces are crafted of viscose...
$435
Why this price?
Sold Out
Designed by the vibrant bohemian designer and New York Times best-selling author, Justina Blakeney, the Folklore Collection is an artful expression of her wild and colorful style. Hand-tufted in India...
$179 $229 Why this price?
The flatwoven Oakwood Collection is an earthy neutral that benefits from natural, dye-free wool. The handwoven rugs have an intricate speckled look, thanks to the nature of pure, fine wool....
$179
$229
Why this price?
Sold Out
The flatwoven Oakwood Collection is an earthy neutral that benefits from natural, dye-free wool. The handwoven rugs have an intricate speckled look, thanks to the nature of pure, fine wool....
$329
Why this price?
Sold Out
Inspired by old Ben Ourian rugs, we've collaborated with Designer Justina Blakeney to transform the look with her signature 'Jungalow' style. The result is a series of wild patterns and...
$179
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Why this price?
Sold Out
The flatwoven Oakwood Collection is an earthy neutral that benefits from natural, dye-free wool. The handwoven rugs have an intricate speckled look, thanks to the nature of pure, fine wool....
$179
$229
Why this price?
Sold Out
The flatwoven Oakwood Collection is an earthy neutral that benefits from natural, dye-free wool. The handwoven rugs have an intricate speckled look, thanks to the nature of pure, fine wool....
$209 Why this price?
Sometimes you want a rug to play a supporting role in the design of a room rather than take center stage. Enter, the Harper Collection. Hand-loomed of 100% wool in...
$349 $439 Why this price?
Hand-woven of jute, wool and cotton in India, the Omen Collection is a timeless series. The subtle chevron waves add beautiful dimension and create a truly unique look that is...
$209
Why this price?
Sold Out
Sometimes you want a rug to play a supporting role in the design of a room rather than take center stage. Enter, the Harper Collection. Hand-loomed of 100% wool in...
Erin Eisinger
Author
Floorplan CEO and Co-Founder. Designer. Storyteller. Entrepreneur.