Rug Repair 101: Protecting Rug from UV Rays

In places such as Houston where the weather remains warm year round, people will be looking to sit outside and catch some rays. Of course, it’s important to stay in the shade as much as possible and protect yourself with sunblock so that you don’t get sunburned or worse. But it’s not just your body that needs protection—just like UV rays can have harmful effects on humans, they can also damage rugs. In fact, rugs that have prolonged contact with direct sunlight could lead to colors that fade and result in decreasing the rug’s value.

It should be noted that UV rays affect each rug differently. For instance, some rug fabrics, such as wool, acrylic, and polyester, show a greater degree of resistance to the sun’s rays. By contrast, fine antique rugs are so old and fragile that even limited exposure to direct light can cause significant damage. Sunlight can also a negative effect on rugs that are predominantly red due to the ways in which red dyes fade under UV rays.

As a rug owner, shielding your rug from UV ray damage should be a top priority. On the whole, it’s preferable to take extra precautions now in order to avoid an expensive rug repair bill down the road. With that in mind, here are some effective and inexpensive means of protecting your rug:

1. Draw your window blinds, curtains or shades, particularly during daytime hours and periods that are primarily sunny (such as summer). Blackout shades offer the best protection against UV rays but can may make the room too dark; as an alternate solution, you can purchase window sheers that let natural light in without allowing it to beam directly on your rug, which will be further discussed in #3.

2. Rotate your rug on a recurring basis so that no one side is overexposed to sunlight. On average we recommend rotating your rug biannually, but your rotation schedule may vary depending on your unique circumstances. For instance, you might consider rotating your rug every quarter if your rug is particularly susceptible to sunlight or if the windows in the room where your rug lies gets an excessive amount of light.

3. Acquire transparent or semi-transparent UV window films for your home, especially if your windows currently provide adequate protection from the sun and/or directly face open areas where sunlight can beam through. The primary benefit of window films is that they protect your rug from the harsh effects of UV rays without adding a dark tint that affects the transparency of your home windows.

4. Consider building or buying a window awning to shield against the light if, for whatever reason, window blinds/curtains/shades and/or window film is unavailable to you. Retractable awnings provide homeowners with the best of both worlds: they provide UV protection when they’re open and can be drawn back when not in use.