Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Layered Rugs

Last weekend we had one beautiful summer day! It was sunny and warm and demanded that we pick up slurpees. I won't tell you which one of us with size 13 feet kicked over the slurpee, but it ended up on the floor . . . all over the carpet. I tried everything to get those HUGE stains out, apparently slurpees are made of Beet Juice and Red Wine.
So what to do?
-Scrap the carpet . . . we haven't really budgeted for that. We need a Big Rug in the living room . . . at least an 8' x 10' . . . and they're not cheap.
-Live with no carpet for a while, at least we could drink more slurpees in the living room.
-Buy a super cheap rug and live with it for a while. This isn't really an option I'd live with no rug before I wasted money on something I didn't like.

There was a secret 4th option . . . buy a more affordable 5' x 7' rug and layer it on top of the old rug.
The old rug is clean, just a big ol' slurpee stain on it. We found this 100% Wool rug at Homesense for $150! It's soooo plush it's crazy! I love the knotted wool.
We still haven't decided if he's staying. Frankly, I'm still not sure what I think of the whole Layered rug thing. I'm a little concerned we might trip over it. But we have 8 days to return it, so we'll give it until Friday to decide, meanwhile NO SLURPEES! :)
So I'd Love to know,  what's your take on Layered Rugs??

64 comments:

  1. That rug looks very pretty in your room. If you aren't tripping over it (my fear too) then I say go for it!

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  2. I do it! I layer a Winter one and then a Summer one for the warmer months both over a sisal. It changes the room for sure.

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  3. I agree -- see how many times you trip on it!! It looks like a beautiful rug!

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  4. I think this looks like a happy accident! I think it looks great.

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  5. That rug is gorgeous. Looks great. I have 3 little boys and then my ugh 'biggest' boy and it always seems that it's him that does the spilling....

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  6. I love layering. In my former home I layered area rugs in every room over the wall-to-wall carpet. I love the choice you made for your smaller rug and it looks great on the larger unpatterned one. Two patterns would look a bit busy.

    I say keep it!

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  7. Sorry, but I'm not a fan. To me it doesn't look intentional - it looks like trying to cover up something. I think going with no area rug would look better. It's a beautiful rug, though, so maybe you can use it somewhere else?

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  8. I love it! I think that it looks like it was done intentionally, instead of by necessity. I love the new rug, but I think that if it was 8x10 it might be a little overwhelming. I think it works because of the solid border the rug underneath creates.

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  9. Love the rug, not the layered look. Did you try the product that is made specifically to get red wine out? Also, something our carpet cleaning company told us years ago...with some stains like that, if you place a white cloth (such as a flour sack towel) over the stain, then use your iron with the steam setting and iron back and forth over the cloth on top of the stain, sometimes it will lift the stain out and onto the white cloth. It may take more than one cloth to do the trick. I have also used Oxy Clean's stain spray (the MAX version) and it has gotten red wine out of our jute rug (natural fibers are the worst for stains). There is a cleaner that Bed Bath and Beyond sells as well that works wonders on almost any kind of stain, it is in a red white and blue bottle. I don't have any on hand and can't remember the exact name. They also carry all the "wine-out" stuff.

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  10. Love the pattern. It looks as though it squishes under your feet. If you decide not to keep the layered look what about using the rug in another part of the house. It's so pretty and goes so well with your decor. :o)

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  11. Its not the best look, but it works for now. I am doing this same thing in my living room and while it works I can't wait to get a new rug installed. =) Your right though, wait till it can be replaced with what you want its not terrible!

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  12. I like the rug. I'm not sure about the layering. I KNOW that I would trip over it. It is certainly neutral enough that you will be able to use it elsewhere when you either tire of it or replace the bigger rug.
    Kristina

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  13. OH..I love it. I recently purchased a very similar rug from overstock for our living room. We have a very low pile wall to wall carpet in light beige. I really like the added softness of the area rug over the wall to wall.

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  14. Ouch. . .those darn slurpees!!! I like the look of layered rugs, but I trip over them all of the time. I did that in my living room just like you have yours, and I was constantly tripping over it. Good thing the couch was there since I landed on it several times. Have you tried hydrogen peroxide on the rug? My Yorkie got bit one time by my other dog and she ran bleeding through the house looking for me. She left a trail of bloody footprints on my light beige carpet all the way through the house. I sprayed full strength hydrogen peroxide on her footprints and scrubbed with a cloth and got every bit of it up. Some stains I had to let the solution sit on them for a minute or two to break it up since they had dried. It's worth a try anyway.

    Lori

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  15. I love it! I think it adds something to your living room without competing. I would keep it! Looks fantastic!

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  16. Don't give up yet, Ashli. Check out "Ask Anna Blog". She has great tips for tons of cleaning problems and one product she endorses that absolutely works is a carpet cleaner by Woolite. It's called Woolite Pet & Oxygen. I love it. Go on her sight and find out how she removed red wine from her carpet using it. Good luck. If you get it and it works, let us know on your blog.

    Louise

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  17. Love it ! The beautiful cream rug defines the living space while the second patterned rug draws you in to the space.

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  18. I rented a Rug Doctor when I tipped a full glass of cranberry juice over our new cream carpet. Worked a treat! Used much less cleaning fluid than they recommend though, to minimize the chance of soap residue picking up dust in future.

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  19. I think the layered look looks great. My only concern would be the tripping and the upper carpet shifting. We lived in a rented house with light beige carpet in the dining room. We tried a smaller rug under the table to catch any spills so we wouldn't have to replace the wall-to-wall carpeting when we moved. The pile on the wall-to-wall carpet kept shifting the smaller one to one side and it was constantly bunching up under the table. I think if your pile is short enough that wouldn't happen. Blessings.

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  20. Oxy-Clean spray. Spray stain thoroughly, rub with a wet microfiber rag, less stress on the rug, let sit for an hour, then rinse with clear water. You can also pre-treat with straight white vinegar before doing the Oxy. Those two take out so many different stains. I do like the layered look though, but my family would totally be tripping over it. We have issues with tripping over a single layer rug, two layers would just be asking for a 4 year old with a split head and then I would really need vinegar and Oxy. ;)

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  21. Someone I know spilled red Kool-Aid on some beige carpet and had success with using Dow Scrubbing Bubbles.

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  22. While I think the new rug is lovely, I'd worry about tripping hazards too (plus, as someone else pointed out, it does *kind of* look like you're trying to hide something, lol!). I'd try a few more stain-busting options offered here and if they don't work I'd be more inclined to return the smaller rug and spend the $150 on a professional cleaner. :)

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  23. I'm not usually a huge fan of layered rugs, but I think this one looks really nice! Plus I love the added texture and pattern it adds to the room - I hope you keep it! :-)

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  24. I would remove the old one... I honestly don't like the layered thing.
    The new one though looks FANTASTIC.
    You can cut the other one to have some cute little rugs for your laundry and dog-house.

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  25. Nature's Miracle (which is usally used for pet stains) got red wine out of our living room rug and our dog's doggie bed. It also took away the smell!

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  26. Looks good to me!...love the texture & pattern of the new rug...and you can swap them up depending on the season...!

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  27. I would try Bissell's Stomp N Go Pad on the stain. It has stain releasing ingredients plus ability to absorb the stain. If there's anything left, then try Woolite's Oxy cleaner for pet stains. You can scrub it in good before using your carpet cleaning machine on it.

    Oh, and I really do like the rug, but not the layered look.

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  28. There is a spot cleaner called Folex, which you can get at Home Depot...not sure how "green" it is, but it works on practically anything, including red wine, markers, blood, cat messes, etc. I've used it on paint that I slopped on my clothes (the paint was still wet)...it's cheap.

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  29. Personally I'm not a carpet fan in general. I have 4 scatter rugs in the entire house and even those sometimes annoy me. I wash them and it seems like the next day they are covered in mud or some other nonsense from either the dogs, the cat, hubby or my son.

    If it were me, I'd either try to get the stain out of the original carpet or get rid of the old one and just live with the new one. If you don't love the new one and are settling just to cover the stain of the original carpet, it isn't worth the cash you spent on it. Know what I mean?

    Stacy

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  30. Personally, I don't like it. I think if it was a thinner rug it might work, but since it's so plush it looks a bit sloppy. It is a beautiful rug and would look nice almost anywhere! I do love that you're brave enough to try anything!

    Try overstock.com they often have large area rugs at a GREAT price!

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  31. Like the rug but not the layering - it looks too busy, in my opinion. Plus, I would trip over that sucker at least 10x a day!

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  32. I honestly think it looks like you meant to do it since the bottom one doesn't have a pattern - looks nice! But ya... I would likely trip over it a million times!

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  33. I actually really like that smaller top rug, but I'm with all the others that said they would trip over it. Oh, I think you could still have slurpees, but just in the kitchen girl!

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  34. I like the layered look. I like the solid bottom rug and the patterned top rug. If you aren't tripping over it then I say keep it! :)

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  35. I like the new rug. Could you use some of the rug table on the edges?

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  36. I have a rug over the wall-to-wall carpet in the family room, which I don't love but it gives definition to the space. And while I love your new rug, I don't like the layered look. I think it's too much with the wood, the plain rug, then the patterned. Have you thought about trying JUST the patterned rug?

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  37. Love the rug, but have to agree that if it weren't as thick, or maybe on top of a low pile wall-to-wall, it would look like it "fit in" a little more. It's really stunning though and looks super comfy! ~Michelle.

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  38. love the look, just would be concerned about tripping.

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  39. Love the rug but not sure of the layering...I would try the tip learned from the movie " my big fat Greek wedding" ..truly windex is the cure for everything...it has saved me many a time

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  40. As long as you love it, then why not?

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  41. Love the rug (I actually saw one - or maybe yours - I live near you based on your "About me" page!) at HomeSense myself. I would only be concerned, as other people have said, with tripping or the edges coming up. Super economical way to not replace the whole carpet though. As a thought, I once spilled pizza sauce on white carpet and we used Smart Shot from Costco to get it out... And my mom spilled red wine on carpet and we used it to come out as well.

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  42. Ashli, I spilled red wine on my white shag rug and got it out with rubbing alcohol. Use a white facecloth and get it damp, get spot damp, wet cloth with alcohol and DAB all over spot. Don't rub! Just keep putting more alcohol on the cloth and keep dabbing. I have also seen a tonne of recipes for home made carpet cleaners on pinterest. Good luck!
    Denaye

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  43. I am a slave to my carpet cleaning product - Folex. I swear it gets EVERYTHING out. Including a full glass of red wine when we hosted a Christmas party. Give it a try!! You can get it at Canadian Tire, Home Outfitters... good luck!!!

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  44. Love the new rug! Do they have it in a bigger size? If so, I'd get rid of the stained rug.
    Love the color and the pattern looks great in your room. I know I would trip as it is
    now! I'd trip on a feather!!

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  45. Best stain remover EVER--1 part blue dawn dish liquid mixed with 2 parts hydrogen peroxide. Spray on area, rub gently with clean damp cloth--VOILA! No rinsing required. Worked wonderful on my carpet and tough laundry stains too. Plus, it's cheap.

    Love the layered look, but you may want to try the stain remover too in case you decide to return the area rug.

    Barbara

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  46. I LOVE that rug, and I have always loved the layered rug look. That is a really pretty rug - I would definitely keep it.

    You can buy that 2 sided tape especially for rugs to keep the edges down so you don't trip over it. They also make the rug to carpet pads that are sort of sticky too, but do not damage the rug or the carpet at all.

    Good choice !

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  47. Oh that rug is lovely!!!! What a find! I don't have a problem with layered rugs. We have wall to wall carpeting and I put down a 9x12 area rug in our family room for some added color. And I have to say, not one adult has tripped on it. Occasionally one of my kiddo's catches a toe. But that is VERY rare. I think you might be surprised how much it isn't a problem! That's just my 2 cents!!

    Jen
    athomeinthenorthwestblog.com

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  48. I am super clumsy so I am not sure the layered look would work in our house BUT I recently had to deal with finding several area rugs for our house on a budget and discovered a little secret. In our local home improvement store (Lowes) in the back they have carpet remnants that are already bound in neutral colors as well as other colors and styles. We snapped an 8 by 12 up for $88 USD. Check the remnant sections....so worth it if you catch a deal :-D ~Jamie

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  49. Oh and most carpet stores have a section in the back for remnants and then you can just get them bound. ~Jamie

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  50. I would do some more research on removing stains- focussing on the content of the stain. Lots of advice about red wine but wine & slushies are different animals in the stain dept. Wine is a natural dye and slushies are coloured with food colouring. I'd have a look at Martha Stewart laundry chart or stain removal tips- it gets very specific about types of stains.
    Just a warning about using a cloth & steam iron- this may not set a stain like this but for sure a protein stain would be set by the heat (chocolate, blood, egg, coffee with cream, etc).
    You might want to try winning colours- relatively inexpensive, available at Home Hardware, naturally derived and their ad depicts it removing ink or marker out of carpet. May be worth a try.

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  51. I have never really seen rugs layered before, to be honest. I must live in a cave... I like it a lot! Your choice is perfect and I think it adds a lot of depth to the room. Keeper!

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  52. I have never really seen rugs layered before, to be honest. I must live in a cave... I like it a lot! Your choice is perfect and I think it adds a lot of depth to the room. Keeper!

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  53. Just thought of this: If you can't get the stain out and tripping is an issue, have you thought about cutting out a 5' x 7' section in the center of the larger rug and putting the new rug in it. You can get carpet tape at Home Depot or such and tape the two rugs together on the underside. ♥ you

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  54. Personally I think the two rugs together make the small room look too heavy. I think you should use one or the other. I would continue to try to remove the stains or I would get rid of the original all together Good Luck!

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  55. Could you turn the top rug perpendicular to the bottom? I just saw this on one of the very last pictures in this link, labeled Photo by Heather Armstrong:

    http://www.abchao.com/portfolio/

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  56. Did you try club soda? I used that to get red wine off my livingroom rug or try a product called Spot Shot it took tar off our rug! I'm sure spot shot must have some chemical in it but, that tar had to go!

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  57. I love love love the new rug! But...I agree with others who have stated that it is too thick on top of the bottom rug. It makes your eye stop and it ruins the flow/cohesiveness with that abruptness. That rug is so awesome can you use it elsewhere? If you choose to continue your hunt I vote that you get something with a pattern (the colors of that one is so perfect, le sigh). It looks spectacular and keeps the room from look too bland since you gravitate towards white.

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  58. I think you should return it and then let me know which homesense
    you return it to so that I can go and buy it! It's a different look
    and I'd worry about tripping over it! Have you tried oxyclean? I'd sprinkle some of that on the stsin with warm water and leave it for abit. Have you tried carpet stsin remover, steam clean?

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  59. I LIKE it! In fact...the picture looks like the cover of a magazine! Great job.

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  60. a great solution to your problem! looks great :) I love the extra texture it adds!! I too just layered rugs!

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  61. It's great !!!! Love the look. Do you like it is the question? Choose another for winter and you are set !

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  62. Might help!
    http://www.ehow.com/how_5101584_koolaid-out-white-carpet.html

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  63. http://www.ehow.com/how_5101584_koolaid-out-white-carpet.html

    Might help!!

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  64. Hi! I just wanted to drop in and say that I tried the ammonia and iron combo that Leslie suggested. I tried it on a large red stain that was on our basement carpet when we moved in two years ago. Steam cleaning didn't get it all. But the ammonia did! It's stinky but well worth the try.

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