5X7 Rugs - Best Area Rugs to Buy in USA
Posted by ANUJ JAIN
A 5x7 area rug will significantly decrease the noise in your space. Not only is carpet quieter to walk on than a hard surface floor, it also absorbs sound from the air. Do you notice that your room has a slight echo? That is because the hard surface floor does not absorb sound in the same way that carpet does. Lay down a 5x7 area rug, and listen to the difference.
The best thing about them is the Comfort
It's no secret that carpet is a lot softer than hardwood or tile, and most people will agree with the statement that carpet is more comfortable to stand on than is a hard surface floor. Not only does the carpet feel softer to the touch on your skin, but its softness gives it flexibility, which allows the carpet to absorb some of the impacts of your footstep. This literally takes some of the pressure off your body.
• They feel Warm
In addition to being softer, carpet is warmer than hard surface flooring. It has a greater insulating value, especially if it has a pad under the 5x7 rug. This applies throughout the home but is particularly welcomed in basements, where the floor can be downright cold.
• Grounding Aspect
Many people intuitively know that a 5x7 area rug helps space feel grounded, even if they don't know how or why. There are actually a couple of reasons for this.The first is that, when properly placed, an area rug can help anchor the furniture in a room, which helps to create a cozy, intimate space. For example, a living room or family room rug should be large enough that the main pieces of furniture (sofa, loveseat, chair, coffee table) are all sitting on the rug, or at minimum have the front legs on the rug. Without the 5x7 rug, it can feel as though the furniture is 'floating' in the room. The second reason that area rugs help ground a space is that they provide a resting place for both body and energy. If you subscribe to feng shui or similar beliefs, or even if you just intuitively sense it, a 5x7 area rug slows down the energy that flows through the home. Energy travels quickly over hard surfaces, and more slowly over soft surfaces. Fast-flowing energy can create feelings of excitability or anxiety, so with nothing to slow down the energy flow, space can feel somewhat chaotic. A 5x7 rug introduces a sense of calm into the space by slowing the energy.
• Allergies
While it may seem counter-intuitive, carpet can actually have a positive effect on allergens in the home. For years, those with allergies were advised to remove all carpeting from the home, on the basis that carpet traps allergens. Numerous recent studies have shown that carpet is beneficial to allergy sufferers because it traps allergens – thereby keeping them out of the air, where they will be breathed in. If you have no carpet in your home and suffer from allergies or other breathing conditions, you may find that a 5x7 area rug will help alleviate some of those problems.
Look for these indicators for authenticity of your 5X7 rug quality
1. Weaving Techniques:
There are majorly three techniques of weaving as Machine made, Hand tufted and Hand-woven/hand knotted. But even a high quality machine rug is not as good as handmade rugs, for which this is must to clear out that hand tufted rugs are not exactly hand made. The title Hand woven/hand knotted is the thing to look for.
2. Quality of rugs :
In rugs, like in most things, one must start with high quality materials to end up with a high-quality product. In rugs, this means first-grade, unadulterated wools or silks, hand-spun if you can find it. In simple terms, the better the wool or silk, the better the 5x7 rug. How can one recognize good wool? It should have a certain lustre or sheen, but it should not shine. If you see Huge color shift from end-to-end, and it's not silk, safest bet is to avoid it, it's likely at least part rayon or olefin. Synthetics don't wear like wool, and a rug that uses synthetics, even in addition to wool, is to be avoided. It is commonplace in today's world to see poor quality wools blended with petroleum-based artificial materials to approximate the sheen of good quality wool. This is to be avoided at all cost, as bad wools will become brittle and fall apart, and petroleum-based materials (besides being ecologically-unfriendly) can sometimes take on an odd smell over time, especially if laid on a heated flooring surface. A second way to recognize substandard wool is to watch for shedding. A small amount of shedding is to be expected from a natural fiber; however, coprious amounts of shedding on a short-pile rug indicates a problem. The most common culprit in excessive shedding is the use of "dead wool" (e.g. not shorn from live animals, but rather soaked off the hide of deceased animals using chemicals). While technically the fiber is wool, it isn't made up of long strands of hair, so it bears none of the hallmark traits of beauty and longevity of the long-coat wools shorn from live sheep.
3. Dyes (Chemical or Vegetable):
There are three main classifications of wools used in 5x7 rug production: Chemically-dyed, Vegetal-dyed, and Natural (or no-dye) wools. No question about it, natural or vegetal-dyed wools are preferred over wools dyed with chemical substances. The reasons for this are myriad, but the biggest one is this: vegetable-dyed wools are simply more aesthetically pleasing (and therefore more valuable) than their chemical counterparts. However, less than 20% of the rugs made in the world today (and less than 5% of kilims) actually use vegetal dyes.
4. KPI Value (Knot per Inch):
KPI is calculated by multiplying the horizontal knot count times the vertical knot count in a one-inch area of the carpet. Rugs are often classified according to knot-count as ranging from "coarse" to "super fine." This is a helpful measurement in terms of evaluating the work that went into creating the pile on a 5x7 rug.
Symmetry in size
Is the rug symmetrical? Or is one side markedly longer than the other? While slight variations in symmetry are to be expected, large variations in size indicates the work of a novice weaver.
Symmetry in image
Compare the back of the rug to the front. Does it look the same? Or are the colors or the patterns difficult to discern from the back? A good weaver's "picture" will remain the same, and in the work of a truly gifted weaver, there will be so little difference one could even flip a knotted rug over for use! (though we don't really recommend that) Some would also say symmetry in design is also a factor and it is, in formal rugs. However, we're not as enamored of absolute symmetry in design as some more exacting rug experts may be. For us, small quirks in symmetry, whether intentional or not, allow us to get a little glimpse of the weaver's personality in the pieces she creates.
Symmetry in knot construction
Does the back of the 5x7 rug feel smooth to the touch? Or can you feel small bumps when you rub your hand over the back? Are the fringe ends of the rug smooth, or do they pucker? Is the surface visually smooth? Or can you see numerous visible breaks in the base structure of the rug? A good weaver's knots will be smooth, with few bumps, bulges or puckers. Does the edge of the rug generally lie flat when placed on the ground, or do the edges roll under or up? Good quality weaving should lay flat, without rolling or curling along the edges.
Don't worry you can clean them at home
Set Up an Outdoor Station
Summer is an excellent time to clean your 5x7 rug because you'll need to do it outdoors. Pick a day when the forecast is clear and sunny (preferably for the next few days), and set up a station to clean your rugs. It shouldn't be on the lawn, if possible (you don't want any cleaners soaking into the grass), and the support system you choose needs to be a lot stronger than a clothesline, as rugs are usually quite heavy. If you have two trees, you can stretch bungee cords or thick rope between them. Benches and any sort of sturdy wall can also work.
Vacuum Thoroughly On Both Sides
Start with a thorough vacuuming. First vacuum the fibers, then flip the 5x7 rug over and vacuum the other side to remove any lingering dust. When it's clean, it's time to roll it up carefully and take the rug outside to your cleaning station. Prop it up at the station with the right side facing you. If your rug is still dusty at this stage, you can take a page out of the old frontier book and beat it with a broom handle or similar tool to knock even more dust
out. Don't whack too hard, but give the rug a few firm knocks to see if clouds of dust come out. If they do, keep whacking.
Test Out Carpet Shampoos
As a general rule, when finding out how to clean area rugs, always test out the carpet shampoo before you apply it to the whole rug. Apply a little to a small corner or patch, mix in some water, and let it settle for a few hours. Go back and rinse that spot off. Check carefully to see if there is any color damage or fiber damage. It's a good idea to look for carpet shampoos designed for the materials that your rug is made with. Don't try to make your own or use other cleaners not intended for rugs and carpet!
Wash the Rug and Apply Shampoo
With a safe shampoo chosen, it's time to pull out the garden hose and give your rug a good rinse. Don't worry about getting it too wet, you need to prepare it well for the shampoo application. A sturdy brush with a stout handle is usually the best way to work the shampoo deep into the carpet fiber, but make no mistake, this step will require a lot of scrubbing and foam. Dress accordingly, and focus on any stains.
Rinse the Rug
Read the directions and leave the shampoo on your rug for as long as indicated. When the time comes, hose down the rug again. It's important to rinse all the shampoo out, so you aren't left with any residue.
Help the Rug Dry
This step requires patience. Try to wring the rug as much as possible to get rid of all the excess water. A squeegee can help with this step. After that, your rug will still be very wet and you'll need to wait for it to dry completely before moving it back inside your house. This may take longer than a day—or even the weekend. Consider moving the rug to the laundry room or garage for more protected drying. When the rug is fully dry you won't be able to feel any water even when you squeeze hard, and it will probably be a bit stiff.
Vacuum One Last Time
Put the area rug back in its place, and then give it one last vacuuming. The carpet fibers will probably be flattened and odd-looking after a washing. A thorough vacuuming is like combing your rug to restore its proper appearance.