Which rug material should you choose?

The materials in our range

Polypropylene: the workhorse

Polypropylene is a synthetic fibre that absorbs almost no moisture. If you spill coffee, it stays on the surface and you can blot it up. The colour runs right through the fibre, so cleaning doesn't leave a pale patch.

Choose polypropylene for the dining area, the hallway, the children's room and a home with pets. Sand and crumbs vacuum easily out of low-pile series such as Stilo (8 mm) and Thales (11 mm). All our outdoor rugs are polypropylene too. Whether one can go on an open terrace depends on its backing, as the outdoor rug guide explains.

Polyester: soft and colourful

Polyester can be made finer and softer than polypropylene. That's why it's the fibre behind our softest rugs, from the velvety Loft Washable to the glossy Creation series. Colours come out bright.

Where you walk every day, a soft pile gets pressed flat. Turn the rug round 180 degrees every six months so that it wears evenly.

Three polyester series can go in the washing machine: Loft Washable, Loft Shape and Sign. Other polyester rugs can't, even though the fibre can handle water. The washing guide explains how to wash them.

Polypropylene and polyester together

Elio, Eclipse, Ibiza and Flowline combine both fibres in one rug. Polypropylene gives it body and polyester gives it sheen. Many of these rugs have a high-low pattern or a 3D effect. Vacuum them in the direction of the relief and you'll get the dirt out of the grooves too.

Wool, acrylic and viscose

Wool with cotton

Copenhagen and Stockholm are flat-woven from 60 to 65 percent wool with cotton. Wool springs back and feels warm. A new wool rug sheds loose fibres for the first few months. That's leftover wool, not wear. Treat stains dry or with very little water, and have a large stain cleaned by a specialist.

Acrylic

Nepal is made of acrylic, a synthetic fibre that looks like wool and feels warm. Acrylic also sheds at first. Vacuum the rug more often for the first few weeks and the shedding will ease off.

Viscose

Arte is a hand-tufted rug with a viscose pile. Viscose is a cellulose fibre with a silk-like sheen. It's also the most delicate material we sell: water leaves rings, and where you walk a lot, the pile loses its sheen. Put viscose in the bedroom or a quiet seating area, not under the dining table or by the back door.

Pile height: from flat to shaggy

Pile height is how far the fibres stand up from the backing. The higher the pile, the softer the rug and the more dirt it holds on to.

A robot vacuum can drive over flat and low-pile rugs, but on a shaggy of 30 mm or more it often gets stuck. Browse our low-pile or high-pile rugs.

The backing of the rug

The underside decides whether you can wet-clean the rug, whether it can go in the washing machine and whether it can go outside.

• Jute: on most indoor rugs, such as Elio, Creation, Stilo and Nepal. Jute is strong and breathable, but it can't take much water. A soaked jute backing can shrink and let brown stains wick up through the pile. The exception is Sign: it has a jute backing but can still go in the washing machine. In that case, follow the label.
• Felt: on Montana, Forest and Ottawa, among others. Soft and flat.
• Cotton: on Helsinki, Flowline, Valeria and Arte. Supple and thin, but cotton holds on to moisture longer than synthetics do.
• Action-Back: a woven synthetic backing, used on Loft Washable and Loft Shape, among others. Those two series can go in the washing machine, backing and all.
• Polypropylene: on the outdoor rugs Maestro and Kos. It dries the fastest.

Which rug for children and pets?

• Polypropylene or polyester, not viscose or wool.
• A pile of up to 13 mm, so hair and crumbs stay on the surface.
• A mottled colour or a small pattern, which shows hair and small stains less.
• No open loops. Cat and dog claws catch in them.
• A washable rug, if the size fits your machine. After an accident, the rug can then go straight in the wash.

For the children's room, we have soft low-pile designs in our kids' collection.

Can a rug go on underfloor heating?

Yes, but every rug holds back some of the heat. The thinner the rug, the less you'll notice. A flat-woven rug or a pile of up to 8 mm lets heat through best. A 30 mm shaggy is like a blanket over the floor.

For floor coverings on underfloor heating, installers usually work to a maximum thermal resistance of 0.15 m²K/W. Our supplier doesn't give that figure for loose rugs. If the rug is in a room where underfloor heating is the only heating, choose a thin rug and a thin rug pad that's suitable for underfloor heating.

Lift the rug now and then during the first few weeks. If the floor underneath feels clearly warmer than the floor next to it, the rug is holding in a lot of heat. In that case, choose a thinner rug or rug pad.

Choose by room

Choosing a rug for outdoors? Read the outdoor rug guide first. For the right size in each room, see the size guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is polypropylene a good material for a rug?

Yes, for a busy home it's the best choice. It absorbs almost no moisture, stains come out well and the colour doesn't fade when you clean it. It feels less soft than polyester.

Which is softer: polypropylene or polyester?

Polyester. The fibre is finer, which is why our softest rugs, such as Loft Washable, are made of polyester.

Which rugs can go in the washing machine?

In our range, three series: Loft Washable, Loft Shape and Sign. Other rugs can't, not even polyester ones. You'll find them among our washable rugs.

Does a rug slide on laminate?

Yes, a rug can slide on a smooth floor. According to the manufacturer, only Loft Shape has an anti-slip backing. Put an anti-slip rug pad under any other rug.

Which rug works best with underfloor heating?

A thin one: flat-woven or with a pile of up to 8 mm. The thicker the pile and the rug pad, the more heat stays in the floor.

Is a high-pile rug suitable for pets?

It can be, but hair and sand sink deep into a 30 mm pile. A rug of up to 13 mm without loops is easier to keep clean.