The Rug Is Lying to You (Politely)

This is the part no one warns you about when you bring a rug home. Area rugs are excellent actors. They can look spotless while quietly hoarding years of invisible debris like a cozy little scrapbook of your life.

Spilled coffee from 2019.
Dog paws fresh from a Victoria sidewalk.
Bare feet. Boots. Snacks that “didn’t spill.”
Moisture. Always moisture.

So if you’ve ever wondered why rugs smell but can’t see anything wrong, congratulations—you’re sane. The problem lives below the surface, where vacuums fear to tread.

Candles Are Not a Solution (They’re a Distraction)

Most people respond to a smelly rug with the classic three-step plan:

1. Light a candle

2. Open a window

3. Hope for the best

Now your rug smells like vanilla rainstorm disappointment. Which is festive, but not helpful.

That’s because old rugs don’t just collect dirt. They collect oils, humidity, and microscopic bits of everyday life that bind themselves to the fibers. Over time, those fibers become a very polite, very absorbent sponge.

This is a big reason why rugs smell worse as they age—even if you’re vacuuming regularly and living your best “clean house” life.

Area Rugs Are Built Differently
(And That’s the Problem)

Area rugs aren’t wall-to-wall carpet. They’re thicker. Denser. Often made with natural fibers like wool that are fantastic at holding color… and odors.

The smell sinks deep.
Way deep.
Down where your vacuum can’t reach and baking soda is merely whispering encouragement.

That’s why DIY fixes usually fail. You’re cleaning the face of the rug, while the smell is having a full-blown party in the foundation.

Why Victoria Rugs Get Funky Faster

Victoria, we love you—but you are not kind to rugs.

Between the coastal humidity, rainy seasons, and shoes that never quite dry, area rugs here absorb moisture like it’s their side hustle. Add pets, kids, and real life, and suddenly the answer to why rugs smell becomes painfully obvious.

It’s not neglect.
It’s geography.

What Professional Area Rug Cleaning Actually Does

Professional area rug cleaning doesn’t mask smells. It evicts them.

At Luv-A-Rug Services Inc., rugs are properly washed, flushed, and dried in a way that removes the trapped odor-causing debris without damaging fibers or dyes. The stuff causing the smell doesn’t get perfumed—it gets removed.

Which is the only real solution if you’re serious about solving why rugs smell instead of just pretending they don’t.

When “Looks Clean” Isn’t Enough Anymore

If your rug:

• Smells musty on humid days

• Gets worse after vacuuming

• Makes you light candles before guests arrive

…it’s time.

Call (778) 533-7847 or visit https://luvarug.com to book professional area rug cleaning in Victoria, BC. Your rug will still have memories—just not the aromatic kind.

Luv-A-Rug Services Inc.
Turning years of “how did that get there?” into a rug that smells like nothing at all… which is exactly the goal.

Luv-A-Rug answers a question that reveals why you should NEVER let your antique or vintage rug be cleaned in a tub with other rugs.

Dear Dusty,

I recently inherited a Persian rug that my great grandfather bought when he was stationed in Persia during the early 1900’s.

According to my Grandmother who gave me this rug, it’s a hand-knotted Kerman and quite valuable. Because this is such a special family heirloom, I want to be really careful about who I get to clean it.

After doing a bit of research, I discovered there are places that clean rugs in a tub - calling it a “rug bath”.

Dusty, is it safe to wash my antique vintage rug in a tub filled with water and other dirty rugs?

Loving my Kerman Rug

Dear Kerman Rug Lover,

You’re extremely wise to question if a rug bath would be an appropriate way to clean your Persian rug.

On paper the idea sounds like a day at the spa for your rugs, but the reality is a bit more shocking.

1) The truth is your antique or vintage rug will be soaking in a tub with other people’s rugs many of which are filled with pet accidents and other filth. It would be like you taking a bath in someone else’s dirty, urine filled, feces laden bathwater.

And if you’ve ever had to clean a bathtub ring after someone had a bath, can you imagine how much filth must be in a tub after dozens of dirty rugs were soaking in the same water?

An example of a ruined rug because it was not properly prepared before washing

2) The water is not changed after each individual rug. Instead of emptying the tub after every wash like your washing machine does, companies who wash rugs in tubs reuse the dirty water over and over again.

It’s cheaper for them to cut corners and use Dichlor (aka pool shock) to “sanitize” the water instead of losing time and money waiting 1.5 hours to drain and refill a 1200 gallon tub each time.

3) Dichlor is not safe on 100% safe for wool rugs. If extreme care is not used with Dichlor, it can cause wool rugs to yellow, lose color and even breakdown their fibers.

Because people make mistakes, get distracted or become careless, it’s easy for concentrations of chemicals put in the water to be high enough to damage your rugs.

It’s for this reason many organizations that promote the best practices & products for wool rug maintenance, do NOT really approve the use of chlorine based bleaches like Dichlor especially on wool antique or vintage rugs.

The Only Local Victoria Company That Cleans Antique and Vintage Rugs Properly

While many companies claim they clean area rugs, the truth is very few have the knowledge, expertise or the equipment to do it right.

To clean your Persian Kerman vintage rug safely, it needs to be carefully hand-washed by itself, from the front, the back and all the way through using a flat sloped floor that guarantees no cross contamination from other rugs can happen.

Also only fresh clean water and gentle cleansers safe for wool and other materials should ever be used on rugs.

This is where Luv-A-Rug Services Inc. comes in.

We here at Luv-A-Rug not only understand all the unique strengths, weaknesses, history and construction of rugs - including your Kerman vintage rug...

...but we‘ve even designed and built special equipment for the industry to clean rugs without compromise.

Luv-A-Rug’s method of washing rugs never exposes your rug to the filth of someone else's rugs or endangers the integrity of your rug with chemicals.

Our process is so amazingly efficient we can confidently promise “You’ll fall in love with your rug all over again.”

In fact, we invite you to watch us cleaning all area rugs including antique and vintage rugs by going to our live webcam over at: Luvarug.com/real

There you will see how each rug is individually inspected and cleaned without exposure to Dichlor, the contaminates of someone else’s dirty rug or any other types of shenanigans lazy rug washers like to use.

You would never willingly do it and neither would I.

Yet did you know there is something in your home right now that may have done exactly that – bathed in water contaminated with all kinds of urine, feces, and revolting who-knows-what else?

I’m talking about your area rugs.

Yes, those very same area rugs in your home you’ve stood on with bare feet.

Rugs your pets, children or grandchildren have played and pressed their faces on.

It’s A Nasty, Cheap & Unsanitary Way To “Wash” Your Area Rugs

They call it a rug bath, or a rug tank or even a rug tub.

Whatever they call it, its where your rugs are placed into a tub filled with 1200 gallons of churning water that supposedly cleans the fibers right down to the core.

On paper the idea sounds like a day at the spa for your rugs, but the reality is a bit more shocking.

1) Your precious rugs are put in the tub with other people’s dirty rugs.

Not only that, the churning water in a rug tank can twist many rugs out of shape preventing them from laying flat on your floor anymore.

2) The water is NOT changed after each load.

Instead of emptying the rug tank after every wash like your washing machine does, companies who wash rugs in tanks reuse the dirty water over and over again.

The Only Local Company That Cleans Area Rugs Properly

Many companies claim to clean area rugs but truth is few have the knowledge, expertise or the equipment to do it right.

To clean an area rugs safely they need to be washed one at a time, from the front, the back and all the way through using a flat sloped floor to guarantee no cross contamination from other rugs or damage can happen.

More Than Just A Rug Washing Company

Luv-A-Rug can not only clean your rugs better than anyone else, but they can also repair and restore rugs that have been damaged by floods, smoke, moths or other types of mishaps.

And over the past few years, Luv-A-Rug has also contributed to the community in ways that are creative, surprising and always appreciated.

For example, when teachers of School District 61 disputed the Division’s decision to not clean the classroom area rugs, Luv-A-Rug stepped in and cleaned them for free (a $90,000 value).

With charitable acts like this, it’s no wonder Luv-A-Rug is the most LOVED area rug washing company on Vancouver Island.

To Have Your Rugs Cleaned The RIGHT Way And Not In A Filthy Tank, Bring Them To...

Easy right?

Now if that seems like a bit too much work or  you're not the type who has the patience for that kind of thing, then there is an easy alternative.

Just bring your shag rug to Luv-A-Rug where it'll be professionally cleaned and looking so good you'll fall in love with it all over again.

How often should you get your shag rug professionally cleaned you ask? 

Well the answer depends on how much traffic it gets. If you walk on it nearly everyday then probably it's best to bring it in every 6 to 9 months. If you only have a light amount of traffic going on it then maybe every 12-15 months.

Best Vacuum for Shag rugs (and every other floor covering in your home)? This one!

Have you ever wondered why area rugs curl?

In this post we'll answer this question and tell you what your best solutions are to preventing it from happening to you.

One of the biggest problems people have with area rugs is the fact that the ends of a rug tend to curl, especially the corners.

Curled area rugs are not only unsightly, they're also a dangerous tripping hazard.

The reasons why area rugs curl depends on many factors such as the the materials used, how the rug was constructed, the kind of traffic it is exposed to and the kind of environment it's in (i.e high humidty).

If, for example, you had a natural fiber rug on the floor and liquid was spilled on a corner of it, the drying process could shrink the once wet fibers and cause the corner to curl.

Many of those factors listed above help explain why a rug would curl on it's own.

However, one of the biggest reasons we come across for why area rugs curl is because they are placed on top of carpet.

As nice as an area rug might look on top of carpet, it does not come without a cost.

Because carpet is not a proper foundation under an area rug, when you step on the rug, the carpet fibers under it will compress which makes a rug move, slip, bunch up, stretch and get deformed.

Once a rug is no longer perfectly flat, it becomes a dangerous tripping hazard.

Once a rug is stretched and deformed, curling is more likely to happen which is why we discourage the idea of placing area rugs on top of carpet.

Now if you *must* put an area rug on top of a carpet then you'll want to put a proper thick felt style rug pad under the rug to give it a more stable foundation.

A proper rug pad will keep an area rug from slipping, bunching up or moving AND help to keep it from deforming, stretching and then curling.

If the rug is on some type of hard surface flooring, the absolute minimum type of a rug pad you should get is the rubber mesh style. (Don't buy the cheap kind, they will breakdown and turn to powder -- and you then risk having the rug scratch your floors).

However, the better solution for area rugs is the thick felt style of rug pad.

It's perfect for hardfloors and is what you should put under your rug if you have it on a carpet.

This style of pad will provide a much better foundation for the area rug and will help prevent it from moving, sliding, bunching up, getting deformed - all of which can lead to curling your rug.

If you do have a rug that has curled up on you, bring it to Luv-A-Rug and we can easily flatten it for you. Even though there are several "cheap" solutions offered all over the internet to fix a rug that has curled on you - they do not take into consideration why an area rug actually curled in the first place.

If you have an area rug with any sort of value (monetary or sentimental) you would be better off having the rug professionally looked at in case there is an underlying structural problem that should be taken care.

Do you have another type of problem with your area rug?

Just use your smartphone to text us here at Luv-A-Rug (778-533-7847) with your name, your question and - if you can - a picture of your rug too.

To get rid of dog urine smell from area rugs is not an easy thing to do.

The problem most people run into is that no matter what products they try, the smell just keeps coming back to haunt them like a guilty conscience.

So why does this happen?

It has to do with the three components that make up dog urine:

• Urea – A colorless, odorless, highly soluble compound.
• Urochrome (urobilin) – The chemical that makes urine yellow.
• Uric acid – The compound that forms crystals with low solubility (they don’t readily dissolve in water) that trap odor-causing compounds.

Now whenever you try to clean up dog pee, any commercial products you use will only remove the Urea and the Urochrome.

However nothing removes the uric acid crystals or “urine salts” that actually cause the odor. Those crystals always get left behind. So when you treat the spot, you're fooled into thinking the urine is gone because the stain and liquid have disappeared and there is no smell (for now).

But because the urine salts are always left behind - they act like a boobytrap waiting for something to trigger it so it can blow up in your nose.

And that "something" is humidity.

When urine salts are dry they are nearly odorless. But when liquid gets spilled on them or the humidity in your house jumps up (from weather, cooking, showering, etc), the moisture in the air reactivates the crystals and the urine odor comes back – bigger and nastier than ever.

How To Get Rid Of Those Dog Urine Salts

The only way to fully get rid of those pesky urine salts locked inside your area rug is to have them physically removed by doing a full wash on the rug.

That means washing your it from the back, the front and in between all the fibers and then rinsing it with lots and lots of fresh clean water.

At Luv-A-Rug we have our pet odor removal down to such an art, we completely guarantee your rug will come back smelling completely neutral. 

No perfumes, no scents, nothing whatsoever to mask or cover up any odor (because the rug will be completely clean!).

Getting your rug washed at Luv-A-Rug means you'll never have to be like other cat owners who wound up replacing rugs. 

Don't Let Your Dogs Pull A Sneaky Wet One On You

Dogs are funny.

After you bring home a freshly washed rug, your dog might realize that it's territory marker is missing and will try to put it back.

Which will make all your attempts to get rid of dog urine smell from your rugs a complete waste of time and moneyl. 

So how do you prevent your canine from making your newly cleaned rug all funky smelling again?

One way is to spread pepper all over the rug. They only need to take one whiff of that strong spice to make them stay away. If pepper is not your thing than just google up natural dog repellents for other ideas.

How To Easily Find Smelly Dog Urine Spots Hidden In Your Area Rugs & Carpets

Why You Shouldn't Attempt Cleaning Dog Urine From Wool Or Other Natural Fiber Area Rugs

Have you ever wondered if area rugs are ok to put on carpet? Or maybe you've wanted to add a splash of color or personality to your boring beige carpeted floors and asked the question will area rugs ruin my carpet?

The truth is there is more of a problem with the area rug getting damaged being on top of a carpet then the carpet being damaged by being under an area rug.

There are products out there that you can put between the carpet and area rug to minimize these problems but they do not work 100% of the time.

Everything depends on the carpet you have, the kind of area rug going on top of it, the sizes involved and the material used. What works on one carpet/area rug combination may not work on another.

Below is an example of the best type of product to place between an area rug and a carpet.

The thickness of the rug pad helps to create a more stable foundation that prevents the carpet from pushing the rugs around.

Now as for the problems area rugs cause carpets.

The main problem happens when you try to save a bit of money and hire an unqualified carpet cleaner to steam clean an area rug in your home.

When a natural fiber rug gets wet, there is a fairly good chance the colors will bleed and transfer to the carpet below.

Also if an area rug doesn't dry quickly enough - especially underneath - you risk having mold grow between the two which can also stain your carpet. (wet rugs on your hardwood floor can become a disaster too!)

Here is the full video for you to watch that goes into much deeper detail about why putting area rugs on carpet may not be a great idea.

To Order Pad For Your Rugs, Visit

That means once you get your rugs back again from Luv-A-Rug they are totally safe for your pets to lay on again.

How to get rid of moths in your area rug

What to do if you find moths in your area rug

The 4 stages of moths you'll find in your rug

How To Spot Moths and Moth Damage In Your Rug

WHY Moths Are Attracted To Wool Rugs With Pet Urine On Them

Moth larva need certain organic dust, spills, and wool to survive.

They do not drink liquids so any food or drink spilled onto the rug along with the natural fibers it is made of (i.e. wool, silk, etc.) will provide the nutrition it needs.

HOWEVER, the combination of pet urine on rug fibers is exceedingly rich in the nutrients a moth larva craves and as a result will do serious damage to your rugs.

Pet urine acts like a high powered beacon to moths and they're attracted to it like sharks are to blood.

And since a female moth can lay anywhere from 50 to 100 eggs at a time, it won’t take long for a major problem to occur if left untreated.

That's why Luv-A-Rug recommends if you have any rugs that are important you, make sure that you have any pet accidents professionally cleaned as soon as possible.