Provide your rug the best opportunity to evade fading by avoiding direct sunlight for extended time - window coverings are crucial.   

Periodic rotation guarantees colour fading and variation caused by UV should be kept to a minimum.  

Annual quality cleaning of soft furnishings enables a spotless finish. Choose your cleaner carefully, the cleaner must be qualified in working with handmade rugs and understand the pile composition as each fibre is treated differently. Contact Us for referred cleaners in your State.

Strictly no rotator/rotating vacuum heads, or beater bars should be used on handmade rugs. Performing patient, gentle vacuuming at low power with a suction head will prevent aggravating the weave. Avoid sweeping across fringing and edges vigorously.  

*Tip – Determine the pile direction and vacuum with it. It’s recognisable by running your hand length ways across the rug, one way will feel natural and smooth – this is with the pile. You should always vacuum with the pile direction, not against the grain (This often excludes loop pile/handwoven rugs)

A quick response is always favourable to help reduce the likelihood of permanent damage. Use a white, plain cloth to gently blot and absorb the stain, scraping any solid stains up with a spoon, avoid rubbing the area.

Once the excess stain has been absorbed as much as possible refer to the cleaning guidelines below (Cleaning).

It is imperative to note some cleaning products should be avoided as some cleaners can severely damage a rug. These are: 

• Dry Powder cleaners: These can leave a residue that can’t be removed  
• Oxygen-based “oxy” cleaners or hydrogen peroxide
• Alkaline cleaners
• Bleach

Inevitably wool and fibres alike will shed, this can form in different ways.

Balls of fluff, fuzzy layers, loose fibres/tufts, and other similar characteristics naturally present themselves in handmade rugs. Regular vacuuming can reduce this, along with simply trimming the top layer with scissors or a razor in a circular motion.

Shedding gradually dissipates, however will never completely stop for the lifetime of the rug. 

Tip – It’s important to remember that removing loose fibres and trimming your rug will not impact the integrity or quality of it. Never pull at loose fibres, always trim.  

Some handmade rugs experience this more than others, ask a Tribe Home professional for advice on low-shed rugs.

Caused by the end of one yarn and the beginning of another, pop-ups or fibre sprouting is an imperfect behaviour of a handmade rug.  

Their use, especially in high traffic areas, can often cause yarn to rise above the surface of the pile and the overlocked bound edges. Merely snip the tuft/yarn, taking care to avoid the surrounding yarn, or push it back through. Never pull the tuft. If it continues to pop up, it can be reinforced with fabric glue.  

Similarly, this can occur on the rug’s overlocked edging and can simply be trimmed.

Often an afterthought, an underlay can help add years to your rugs lifetime and help prevent stretching and slippage. An underlay is also a great addition for rugs of thinner pile when wanting to add extra softness underfoot, as well as to prevent bunching.

Not sure what kind of underlay your rug needs? We offer Standard 3mm Underlays and Superior 6mm Underlays. Contact the Tribe Home team directly and they will be able to advise the best option to suit your needs or order online.

With all our rugs being handmade, there can be a 3-5% variance in sizing, this variance applies to the total sqm of your rug. This variance not only refers to the length and width of your rug but also the pile height, particularly for corners. This simply adds to beauty and uniqueness of your rug. Contact the Tribe Home team with any specific specifications your fitting.

Tribe Home works with weavers whose inherent skills have been passed down through generations. Each of our handmade rugs follow important and intricate measures through its passage to you from India.

All Tribe Home rugs proudly hold a Care & Fair label to indicate our products ethically support fair wages, trade and conduct. In addition to this, Tribe Home only works with manufacturers and suppliers who are members of SEDEX. 

For more information on our commitment, please refer to Our Responsibility page.

Due to the handmade nature of our rugs, you can sometimes expect the following (and above) natural characteristics which are not classified as faults or defects: 

• Imperfect edging and binding 
• Bamboo silk/viscose creasing/lines down edge 
• Pop-ups 
• Irreversible bruising 
• Pile height differentiation 
• Organic material found in rugs 
• Slight variance in colour in restocked items due to being from a different dye lot

Wool rugs are durable and great for families as they are easy to clean. Flat-weave wool rugs are also fantastic for high traffic areas. Textured, loop or loose weave designs need a little extra care and attention which makes them more suitable for medium-low traffic areas. 

Cleaning:

• Blot well with clean undyed cloth or paper towel
• Mix one-part wool safe detergent, two-part warm water. 
• Blot stain with mixture and a clean cloth
• If the stain persists, contact a professional cleaner as soon as possible 

Maintaining:

• Flat weave rugs will subtly shed small tufts of wool that can simply be vacuumed up or trimmed back, this may subside and reduce over time 
• Loose knit weave rugs will need a little extra love to keep it looking perfect. You can expect your rug to shed, pill and occasionally have loose yarns pop ups however with regular vacuuming, trimming and rotation you can keep your rug looking beautiful 
• Raw or natural wool rugs may contain organic matter than can simply be picked, cut or vacuumed out

Wool/viscose rugs are durable. Flat-weave wool/viscose rugs can be used in high traffic areas if protected with Fibre ProTector. Textured loose weave designs are a little higher maintenance and best for medium-low traffic areas. 

Cleaning: 

• Blot with clean undyed cloth or paper towel
• Ensure all excess liquid is removed, carefully scrape any heavier spills
• Mix two-part white vinegar and one-part cold water
• Dampen a cloth with this solution to blot any excess stain 
• The less liquid used, the less likely the area will stiffen 
• If the stain persists, contact a Tribe Home referred professional cleaner 

Maintaining:

• Flat weave rugs will subtly shed small tufts of wool that can simply be vacuumed up, this should subside and reduce significantly over time
• Loose knit weave rugs will need a little extra love to keep it looking perfect. You can expect your rug to shed, pill and occasionally have loose yarns pop ups however with regular vacuuming, trimming and rotation you can keep your rug looking beautiful

Viscose, bamboo silk and tencel are all very porous fibres, stains can be hard to reverse. We strongly recommend using a protectant agent such as Fibre ProTector to avoid irreversible stains.  

Cleaning:

• Blot with clean undyed cloth or paper towel ASAP 
• Ensure all excess liquid is removed, carefully scrape any heavier spills
• Now leave this to the experts! A Tribe Home professional cleaner is best left to manage spills and stains on a 100% viscose rug as the fibre is a little more delicate
• Never use water or a home cleaning agent to remove a stain 

Maintaining:

• Occasionally there will be loose fibres which appear, simply vacuum up or trim if still attached
• Never pull at loose fibres, always trim with sharp scissors
• Viscose, bamboo silk and tencel are softer fibres so it’s best to use felt furniture pads to reduce harsh furniture indentations
• Due to being a softer fibre occasionally viscose and bamboo silk rugs can arrive with creases due to their position when being shipped. These will fade over time with regular use and vacuuming. This process can be sped up by reverse rolling your rug with the pile

Rugs made from PET Yarn (recycled plastic) are versatile designs that can be used indoors and outdoors. While rugs made from PET yarn can stay outside for the duration of the year, we suggest rolling it up during off peak seasons to increase its longevity. 

Cleaning:

• No need for detergents/solutions, a simple hose can be used to remove dirt and grime. Make sure your rug has dried completely if putting away for storage

Maintaining:

• We also recommend that you rotate and flip the rug regularly to avoid colour fading in the long term and to increase its longevity once again
• Roll your rug up over off-peak seasons

Silk rugs are durable and will stand the test of time if correctly cared for. Great for high traffic areas when Fibre ProTector is applied. 

Cleaning:

• Blot with clean undyed cloth or paper towel
• Ensure all excess liquid is removed, carefully scrape any heavier spills
• Mix one-part white vinegar and one-part water 
• Use a little solution to blot any excess stain
• If the stain persists, contact a Tribe Home referred professional cleaner as soon as possible

Maintaining:

• Occasionally there will be loose fibres which appear, they can be vacuumed up or trimmed if still attached to your rug
• Never pull at loose fibres, always trim with sharp scissors

There are two styles of handwoven rugs, both made on a horizontal loom. 

Flat weave rugs are a great low maintenance option. The nature of a flat weave design reduces shedding, avoids heavy pilling and is perfect for high traffic areas.

Loose knit weave rugs are amazingly textured designs. The nature of a loose knit rug requires a little more attention through vacuuming and trimming them to preserve the woven design. These are best for low to medium traffic areas within a home. 

Hand-tufting is a refined technique on a vertical carpet hanging stand. One weaver maps out a pattern and uses a hand operated gun to follow the design on the stretched frame. The hand-tufting pistol pinches yarn through the pattern to build taut piles making each hand-tufted rug durable and easy to maintain.

Hand-knotted rugs are labour intensive and the highest quality of handmade rug techniques. It typically takes one weaver 4 to 9 months to create a single hand-knotted rug. They are the most durable and long-lasting rugs, attributed to the ancient craftsmanship skills.