The most labour-intensive weaving process, conducted by specially-trained artisans
Working off a rug map, artisans tie individual knots to build up the rug’s design one row at a time
The quality of a hand-knotted rug is determined by the number of knots per square inch (KSPI)
A higher KPSI requires greater skill on the part of the weaver and results in a higher-quality rug

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Knotted	5-12 months	20+ years

How To Identify:

Individual, often uneven knots are visible on the back of these rugs, mirroring the pattern visible on the front.

Individual tufts of yarn are punched into a pre-made backing fabric with a special tufting gun
This tool hooks and pulls yarn through the backing to form loops or piles
This process is less skill and labor-intensive than hand-knotting, so rugs can be completed in a shorter amount of time

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Tufted	4-6 months	3-10 years

How To Identify:

These rugs have a canvas backing glued on to hold the knots in place and usually have a cut or cut and loop pile.

Flat-weave rugs are created on a loom, rather than knotted or tufted
These rugs are often reversible, with designs on both sides
Because they only consist of warp and weft threads they don’t have the thickness of knotted and tufted rugs
Flat-weave rugs are lightweight and often require rug pads to stay in place

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Flat-Weave	3-4 months	20+ years

How To Identify:

With their woven construction, these rugs are flat and don’t have a pile.

Weavers use a loom to create these rugs by hand
The loom holds the warp (vertical) threads in place and allows the interweaving of the weft (horizontal)
Different looms are used to produce different types of rugs: including felted textures, shag, naturals or solid and border rugs

Rug Type-5'x8' (150x240cm)	Time to Manufacture	Durability
Hand-Loomed	Construction dependent (3-5 months)	3-10 years

How To Identify:

Hand-loomed rugs usually have a low to medium pile (other than shags, which have a deep pile) and can have a canvas backing added to them.

Vacuuming

Regular vacuuming is important to keep rugs in top condition. It helps to remove any surface dirt before it can be ground into the fibers and prevents discoloration and staining with time.

Vacuuming Tips

Canister vacuums without beater bars are recommended for cleaning rugs
Brooms and other manual sweeping methods are also suitable for cleaning rugs
Hand-held rug-cleaning attachments should be used where possible
Beater bars are not recommended because they can damage rugs
If beater bars must be used then they should be set to the highest setting and care taken not to damage the fibers
Powerful vacuums are not recommended because they can pull fibers from the base of a rug
Reversible rugs should be vacuumed on both sides to prevent build-up of dirt on one side
Avoid running vacuums over edges and fringes repeatedly as this can damage them

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Vacuuming

Vacuuming Tips