What Is Sun Fading?
When looking for the best place for their valuable Oriental rug, most people will give first preference to a space that receives the least traffic and that is also least likely to experience liquid spills or other types of debris.
What very few rug owners give any thought to is how much sunlight that area receives. The fact is, sun fading is one of the most detrimental factors for Oriental rugs.
We’ve all seen the effect of sunlight on colored fabrics. Direct sunlight fades colors after a while, leaving clothes, curtains and any other colored fabric looking pale and colorless.
Organic fabric and colors are more susceptible to fading when exposed to the sun.
Oriental rugs are made from all natural materials. They may be made using any one or a combination of these fibers – wool, cotton and silk. Before being woven into rugs, these fibers are dyed using all natural dyes extracted from the roots, stems and leaves of plants found naturally in the area.
While their all-natural makeup is what makes Oriental rugs so valued around the world, it’s also what makes them more susceptible to fading from exposure to the sun.
When exposed to the sun, your vibrantly colored Oriental rug will soon start to look dull and patchy. The extent of the fading and the time it takes to fade depends on the intensity of sunlight that area receives.
The more sunlight the area gets, the faster the colors will fade. And only those areas of the rug exposed to the sun will fade away so the fading will look splotchy and ugly.
Here are a few things you can do to protect your Oriental rug from sun fading.
Rotate The Rug Regularly
Letting sunshine into the room is a healthy practice but as we know, it’s not so good for your rug. If the sun’s rays hit your rug partially, look for ways you can rotate your rug regularly. This will protect the rug from having one faded patch. There’s good news and bad news with this – your rug will fade evenly but it will eventually fade.
Draw The Drapes
Drawing the drapes during peak sunlight hours will keep your rug better protected against the fading effect of the sun. When looking for drapes for this purpose, it’s important to look thick, opaque options that will block the sun’s rays.
Use UV Film Or Low Emission Glass For Your Windows
Using UV film or filter on your window panes will stop block the sun’s rays from entering the home and damaging your rug. This works very well and it’s not very expensive either. However, the one downside is that it can spoil the look of the room.
If you don’t like the look of UV film or filter, consider replacing your regular window panes with low emission glass. Low emission glass offers the best protection against the damaging rays of the sun without compromising on the esthetics of the room.
If you own an Oriental rug, take time to check whether or not it gets exposed to the sun. If it does, it’s worth taking the time to put measures in place to protect it from sun fading.
