Household Question

Try the store you bought the rug from ;)

BTW, and this is just me personally, I would NEVER buy something I didn't want my kids to destroy. I bought a new couch a year ago... hello 5 year warranty!! After that, we'll need a new one anyway!!

Ok..my 2 cents. Like Rachel..why would you buy something you can not use and enjoy in your own home? Seems odd to me to spend the money on it, then not really use it. I knew people when I was a kid who had whole front living rooms like this. No one ever went in them. My family was far to big for that! Lots of people and pets in a small house for us!

Do you allow your kids to eat and drink in this room? If so, make that stop ASAP..no sippys or anything. Takes care of spilling issues. Shoes off in this room...cuts down on dirt, etc. I would rather buy a cheap $50 rug at Menards or Lowes and USE it, if thats what I needed to do, then to spend $500 on one I had to put funky crinkly plastic or a sheet over it. Whats the point of buying it then?

I don't mean to offend...just my opinion. Best wishes.

Dear S.,
I completely understand wanting to protect your new rug. However, covering it with plastic will only make it look tacky. It will never look good to have plastic covered sofas or floor coverings. I would insist that they don't wear shoes in the house, eating/drinking only in the kitchen/dining room, and just enjoy living. I know people buy things like china that sit in the cabinets year after year because they are afraid it will break if they use it. It is all just wood, hay, and stubble. In the end, it will all burn up and be destroyed. In other words, it's just stuff. Enjoy it while you have been blessed with it, but don't idolize it above your family. Live. Let your children live and enjoy the things you have. Yes, they should do so with respect and care to make sure things aren't needlessly destroyed. But, please don't cover your rug in plastic. I think that would look way worse than a stain on your carpet.

Wait a minute, are you kidding? You want to put a piece of plastic over your rug to keep it clean?

This idea is back with the days when women used to cover their sofas with plastic to keep them clean, or not allow the kids to enter the living room, which was saved for company.

As an interior design fanatic -- let me give you this tip: Life is meant to be lived, furniture is meant to be used, rugs are meant to be stepped on. There is a thing in decorating called "patina" -- that means when an object shows signs of life, of having been used and loved. An object with patina is considered to be a GOOD thing. Things that are "perfect" are sterile, and lack character. Things with a few flaws are interesting.

Hopefully you didn't make the stupid mistake I did, and buy a white shag rug. Dumb idea, people! However, with a little caution, and taking off your shoes here and there, even a white shag rug can remain relatively clean. I've had mine about 4 years and it still looks clean and I've never cleaned it (it has to be dry-cleaned, and that would cost almost as much as the stupid rug). I wouldn't DREAM of covering it in plastic -- that defeats the whole purpose of having a nice-looking rug!!!

If your rug is wool, and not shag, it is very easily cleaned. You can hand clean them with a scrub brush and Woolite and a hose. You can also spot clean them with an enzyme product like Nature's Miracle and a wet rag. There are many other good rug-cleaning products, also.

If your rug is synthetic, it's probably not that expensive, and not meant to last forever anyway, but it's also easily cleaned.

Don't cover your rug with plastic, it's tacky!! Show off and use your beautiful rug. Things are meant to be used, not shrouded.

Momofmany below, well said!

I don't buy anything for an area where kids may play that I expect to stay perfect.

People worry too much, it like those plastic cover people used to put on furniture to keep it nice....who are you keeping it nice for? Enjoy it as it is and deal with what ever happens happens.

We just moved and put down new carpet. I expected when I bought It that it would be replaced within 5 to 7 years. Therefore I ought the cheaper pad. Life happens!

Have you seen something like this before and you know it exists? I've never heard of something like what you describe. Honestly, it will be pretty hard to keep the rug clean ALL the time, especially with kids playing on it. See if you can get the rug treated to repel stains. Vaccuum it often to prevent buildup of dirt. And make some ground rules, like no food or drink on the rug, take your shoes off before playing on the rug (or wear slippers), etc. Good luck, I hope it's not an expensive antique or something :)

You sound like my mother. We had a whole room in our house we didn't get to go into except on Christmas Eve, when we'd go in to open presents. The room was open on one side to the rest of the house...so you could see it, but heaven forbid if she saw (socked) footprints on the rug. I always wanted to buy velvet ropes as a joke.

I honestly don't think you can SAFELY cover a rug with plastic unless you find a gigantic piece that's meant to go under a desk (like, for rolling desk chairs) and that would just look ugly.

Also...please don't put down a plastic table cloth and make your children play on it. Let them play on the comfortable rug.

Take off your shoes, and don't let people eat in the living room. That should keep it clean enough! :)

You can get clear vinyl yardage at the fabric store, though I'm not sure if you can get it in an 8 foot width cut in 11 foot lengths, you may have to get two cuts and place them side by side... which would be a hassle to keep on right.

I bought vinyl backed table cloths from the dollar store to put down on the floors. They don't soak through like regular sheets and are more sturdy than sheets of plastic. Plus, they can be chucked in the washer and dryer several times without falling apart. They are worth their weight in gold. I used to buy at least 5 at a time. When the kids were done playing, I took the tablecloths up.
Carpet stores make runners and rug guards. You could look into that.
My carpets were saved by such a simple solution.

I hope you find what works.

Best wishes.

You might check an office supply store for a "runner" - i.e., something that an office chair could roll on.

They're not usually super clear (tend to be opaque), but they are clear enough that you can see colors, etc.

Try the rug store.
OR what about keeping the kids out of that room? :)

I'm sorry, I just don't get it. Why would you buy a rug just to cover it up?

You may want to try a painting store, and they may have drop cloths made of plastic.

I don't know if the rug you bought was wool or synthetic, but if it is synthetic, did you know that you can actually clean it by putting it out on the driveway or patio and either pressure washing it or using the spray nozzle on your hose? No joke! Rather than the plastic, just spot clean the thing as needed, and then a few times a year, hose it off and let it dry. That's what I do with all my area rugs. (Now, if it's a wool rug, obviously getting it wet is not what you should do...) Just an idea!

We adopted our two kids from a foster home with plastic on everything: sofas, chairs, rug runners, etc. Our daughter still wasn't walking well at 22 months. They thought she had cerebral palsy. You might want to put off getting anything that the kids cannot use. Our daughter didn't have cerebral palsy. She just didn't develop muscles because her activities were SO restricted. Use your stuff. Let the kids destroy it and then when they leave home, buy stuff for adults only.

At Menards or Home Depot or any of those stores you can buy an adhesive plastic runner like contractors use to keep carpets clean when they are finishing work or showing the house to be sold. It comes on a big roll for about $30 but is only maybe 24 inches wide so you would have to put down lots of strips. we use it in the winter down our stairs to keep them from getting muddy and nasty....doesn't look super great after you have walked on it lots, but it does keep the carpet clean.