A Rug Care Handover Note for Your Clients

A rug care handover note is a one page sheet a designer leaves with the client when a project is finished. It names each rug, its fibre and construction, then sets out daily care, what to do in the first month, how to handle a spill and when to call a professional, so the household staff can follow it without asking.

Why should a designer hand over a rug care note?

A care note protects the rug and the designer's work. Most damage to a fine rug in its first year comes from well meant cleaning by someone who did not know the fibre, and a single page stops that from happening.

In Indian homes, rugs are usually cleaned by household staff, not by the client. The person with the bucket and the detergent rarely saw the rug being specified and has no way of knowing that the pale rug in the bedroom is Botanical Silk and must never be scrubbed. A note written for that person, in plain words, is the most useful thing a designer can leave behind.

It also reduces calls after handover. When a client sees shedding on a new wool rug or a shaded patch on a sheen rug, the note has already told them it is normal and what to do. That reassurance is part of a good handover, alongside the drawings and the warranty cards for the appliances.

Rugberry rugs carry a provenance card with eight facts, including fibre, construction and care. The handover note can take those facts straight from the card, so nothing is guessed.

What should a rug care handover note include?

A good handover note covers seven things for every rug: where it is, what it is made of, how to care for it daily, what to expect in the first month, how to treat spills, what to avoid, and who to call. Keep each section to a few lines.

1. Room and rug: "Living room, Grain Wool Rug, Flax, 9x12 ft."
2. Fibre, grade and construction: copied from the provenance card, for example New Zealand wool, Terra, handloom.
3. Daily and weekly care: vacuum setting, how often, and which direction.
4. First month: shedding, pile marks, settling.
5. Spills: the first two minutes, in steps.
6. Avoid: the products and habits that harm this fibre.
7. Professional care: how often, and the contact to use.

Add the underlay type and the delivery date at the bottom. A year later, when the client wants a matching runner or a clean, those details save a search through old emails.

How do care instructions differ by fibre?

Care instructions differ more by fibre than by price or design. Wool tolerates careful blotting with cold water, Botanical Silk and jute need to stay dry, and a wool and cashmere blend needs the gentlest vacuuming of all.

Fibre	Daily care	Spill first aid	Never	Professional clean
New Zealand wool	Vacuum weekly, suction or a gentle brush	Blot, then dab with cold water and blot again	Hot water, bleach, rubbing	Every 12 to 18 months in a home
Botanical Silk	Vacuum on suction only, along the pile	Blot with a dry white cloth only	Water, steam, scrubbing	For any stain beyond a dry blot
Jute	Vacuum weekly, no beater bar	Blot at once and keep dry	Wet cleaning, damp floors	For marks; jute water stains are hard to remove
Wool and cashmere blend	Vacuum gently on suction only	Blot, then a little cold water, blot dry	Heavy traffic, rough brushing	Every 12 months or as needed

The Rugberry product pages give the short version of the same advice. The Grain Wool Rug in Flax page says "vacuum regularly, professional cleaning only", and the jute pages add "blot spills at once and keep dry". Copy those lines into the note so the client sees the same words twice.

What should the note say about wool rugs?

For wool, the note should say that light shedding in the first weeks is normal, that weekly vacuuming is enough once it settles, and that cold water and blotting handle most everyday spills. Wool is the most forgiving fibre in most homes.

The Grain Wool Rug in Flax, for example, is handloom woven in New Zealand wool at 12 to 14 mm. Its regular price is ₹37,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹1,02,000 for 9x12 ft, ex GST at the time of writing. A note for it might read:

Vacuum once a week with suction or a gentle brush head. In the first month, vacuum two or three times a week to lift loose fibre.

For tea or water, blot with a white cloth, dab with cold water, blot again and let it dry with the fan on. Turn the rug every six months so sun and traffic wear it evenly.

Our guides to wool rug shedding and vacuuming a fine rug can be linked from a digital version of the note.

Write the care note for the person who will clean the rug, not only the person who chose it.

What should the note say about Botanical Silk and jute?

For Botanical Silk and jute, the note must be firm: keep the rug dry, blot spills with a dry cloth and call a professional for anything more. Both fibres can mark permanently if household staff try a wet clean.

Botanical Silk is a plant derived yarn, not silk from silkworms. It gives a rug its sheen, and it is the fibre most often damaged by water.

The Luma Silk Rug in Greige is handloom woven in Botanical Silk at 10 mm; its regular price is ₹40,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹79,000 for 8x10 ft, ex GST at the time of writing. Its note should also explain shading: a sheen rug shows lighter and darker patches where the pile lies in different directions, and that is a property of the fibre, not a fault.

Jute is firm and natural, and it dislikes damp. The Savannah Jute Rug in Natural is hand knotted in jute at 15 to 16 mm; its regular price is ₹41,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹82,000 for 8x10 ft, ex GST at the time of writing. Its note should say: never mop under it while it is down, and lift it off a floor that has just been washed until the floor is fully dry.

For more on why sheen rugs change with light, see rug lighting and sheen.

What should clients expect in the first month?

In the first month a new rug settles. Wool and cashmere blends shed loose fibre, fold lines from packing relax, and sheen rugs may look patchy until foot traffic evens out the pile. The note should say all of this plainly, with a time frame.

• Shedding: normal in cut pile wool for a few weeks; it slows with regular vacuuming.
• Fold or roll marks: usually relax within days on a warm floor. Never iron or steam a crease out, least of all on Botanical Silk.
• Corners lifting: a rug rolled for transport may curl at first. Reverse rolling a corner for a few hours, or placing a heavy book on it, usually settles it.
• Shading: a sheen rug looks lighter from one side than the other. This is permanent and part of its character.

The Cashmere Blend Rug in Taupe is handloom woven in a wool and cashmere blend at 16 mm; its regular price is ₹54,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹1,08,000 for 8x10 ft, ex GST at the time of writing. The product lists it for low traffic, so its note should place it in a bedroom or a quiet sitting room and advise suction only vacuuming.

How should the handover note be formatted and delivered?

Print the note on one A4 page per home, laminate one copy for the household staff and email a PDF to the client. Keep the language plain, use the rug's room as the heading, and avoid technical words that need explaining.

A layout that works:

• A header with the client's name, the address and the date of handover.
• One block per rug: room, rug name, size, fibre, grade, construction, then four care lines.
• A short "do not" list in bold at the bottom: no bleach, no steam, no hot water, no wet cleaning on Botanical Silk or jute.
• Contacts: the designer, and the brand for repeat orders or cleaning advice.

If the home has household staff who read Hindi or a regional language better than English, a translated copy of the four care lines makes the note far more likely to be followed. Designers working through the Rugberry Trade Program can download a tearsheet for each rug in a project, which carries the specification to copy into the note.

For a fuller household routine, our guide a daily rug care routine can sit alongside the handover note.

When should the client contact a professional?

The note should tell the client to call a professional rug cleaner for any stain that blotting does not lift, for pet accidents, for oil or ink, for water damage after a leak, and for the routine clean every year or so. Household staff should never try harsh products first.

Give a short list of situations so nobody has to judge it on the day. A red wine spill on a wool rug may lift with cold water and blotting; the same spill on Botanical Silk needs a professional the same day. Writing this down, rug by rug, removes the guesswork.

Add the brand contact for questions about the rug itself, such as a repeat order in the same colour or a matching runner, and the designer's own contact for anything about the room.

Frequently asked questions

What is a rug handover note?

It is a one page care sheet a designer gives the client at the end of a project. It lists each rug by room with its fibre and construction, and gives simple daily care, spill steps and when to call a professional.

Can household staff wash a wool rug at home?

Household staff should only blot and spot clean a wool rug with cold water. A full wash needs a professional cleaner with the right drying space, because a wool rug that stays damp underneath can develop odour.

Why does my new Botanical Silk rug look patchy?

Botanical Silk reflects light differently depending on which way the pile lies, so footprints and furniture leave lighter and darker areas. This is called shading. It is a property of the fibre and cannot be removed.

How often should a rug in a home be professionally cleaned?

Most wool rugs in a home need a professional clean every 12 to 18 months, more often in a busy room or a home with pets. Botanical Silk and jute rugs should go to a professional for any stain that a dry blot does not lift.

Should the care note mention the underlay?

Yes. Note the underlay type and size, and remind the client to lift and check it when the rug goes for cleaning. A worn underlay lets a rug slide and wears its back faster.

A rug lasts as long as the care it gets. Explore fine wool rugs and Botanical Silk and silk rugs, each with its fibre named on the page. Material first.