Tufted Rugs Scourge of Mankind

Tufted Rugs Scourge of Mankind

Tufted Rugs are really just a disposable rug no matter how much or how little they cost. They can cost from a few dollars a square foot to over $100 a square foot. They are made by shooting a strand of pile yarn from the back with a tufting gun. The loose woven backing was often burlap although other fabrics may be used today. By shooting yarn through so that it laces through the back and then by trimming the tops of the loops they simulate a pile rug. It is not secure like a pile rug knot it is just a loop of yarn. Once the pile is in place the back is painted with a latex coating to lock the pile in place. To protect the latex backing a canvas or other fabric cover is sewn on and bound.

Shantou Dayang Tufting Gun 

The main point of failure is the latex backing. Wool and burlap are inexpensive and 3^rd world labor is cheap, so to save money the latex which does not show is where they cut corners. To cut the cost of the latex they mix in filler. If they don’t add too much filler and it is good quality inert filler it is not that bad.  But limestone is the filler of choice and if the limestone contains sulfur the rug will develop a terrible sulfur dioxide smell. Since the smell is sulfur combining with oxygen to make sulfur dioxide you cannot wash the smell away. In fact washing only makes it worse. Theoretically you could remove the contaminated latex but it is very difficult to remove 100% of the latex without damaging the rug. Add to that the cost of time and labor and a sulfur stinker is a complete write off.

See Also:\Rug Buyers Guide: Don't Buy Tufted Rugs

Cleaning considerations:

Dye testing is needed and if the foundation is burlap thencare has to be taken to prevent cellulosic browning’

Here is a comment I made recently on how to clean urine stained Tufted Rug:

The problem is that tufted rugs are disposable rugs. They are not very durable and when the “latex” back starts to break up you have real problems. So two tools for hand woven rugs; aggressive dusting and aggressive agitation are out of the question because you don’t want the back to break apart. So to get the urine out use an acid based treatment like Wool Medic from Bridgepoint. What you are doing is first dye test, and then try to dissolve the urine salt with acid. Let it dwell, light agitation with a low pH surfactant, flush, and extract until the rise water runs clear. The only way to get any smell out is to get the urine salt out. You guys should charge extra for Tufted Rugs because they are more work. Watch that pH it can bleed the rug. You could also use vinegar if you work cheap and have lots of extra time to screw around. If your time is worth more than minimum wage then the so-called “expensive chemicals” are cheaper.