How to wrap and store a rug

Wrapping a rug for storage, step by step

1. Clean it Pest specialists at Washington State University advise putting only items that are properly cleaned and free of pests into storage. Moth larvae feed on wool and avoid light, so a dark storage place suits them.
2. Dry it completely Roll up only a completely dry rug. Moisture wrapped up with the rug can stay in the packaging, and mould in a porous material often cannot be fully cleaned.
3. Roll, do not fold Folds leave marks, and threads can break there. Roll in the direction of the pile onto a wide tube.
4. Cover it Conservators advise unbleached cotton fabric (muslin) or acid-free paper.
5. Place it properly Keep the rug off the floor, in a dry place and out of direct sunlight. A cellar and an attic are not suitable.
6. Carry, do not drag Do not lift the rug by one edge and do not drag it across the floor. The same goes for furniture: do not drag it across the rug.

Plastic film, box or breathable cover

The sources differ. The Canadian Conservation Institute advises a breathable cover: unbleached cotton or acid-free paper. Washington State University mentions airtight containers against moths. Both kinds are used, and in both cases the risk is the same: a damp place and a damp rug.

If you choose plastic film or a closed box, wrap only a completely dry rug and keep it in a dry room.

Moths in storage

Clothes moth larvae feed on wool and other materials of animal origin, and among the items at risk WSU mentions rugs and curtains. The larvae avoid light, so items kept in a dark place are more at risk.

• Vacuum regularly and clean the places where rugs stand and are stored.
• Pesticides are not an effective fix. In the long term, finding and removing the source helps.
• If there are live moth larvae in the rug, it is a pest control job.

Storing rugs in summer

If you take a rug off the floor for several months in summer, the main risks are light and moisture. The Canadian Conservation Institute writes that light dries the fibres and fades the colours, while high humidity damages the fibres and can make the dyes bleed. For comfortable humidity indoors, the Health Inspectorate (Veselības inspekcija) cites a relative humidity of 40–60%, and above 80% the risk of mould is high.

If you keep the rug in a room, choose a place out of direct sunlight and with indoor humidity of about 40–60%.

What not to do

• Do not fold a rug for a long time: the fold marks stay, and threads can break.
• Do not wrap a damp or freshly washed rug.
• Do not store a rug directly on the floor, in a cellar or in an attic.
• Do not put a dirty wool rug into storage.

Cleaning before storage

We do not store rugs, but they can be cleaned before storage: if you order rug cleaning with pick-up and return, the rug is cleaned in a workshop and brought back.

• Wool or cotton rug (with pick-up): from €10/m².
• Rug with pick-up, cleaning in a workshop and return (synthetics): from €10/m².
• Silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up): from €15/m², the price is given from a photo.
• Pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added.

Example: a 2 × 3 m wool rug with pick-up in Riga is 6 m² × €10 = from €60, plus pick-up and return €10, so from €70 in total. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. All prices: carpet and rug cleaning prices.