Area rugs are more than just for decoration, especially in places with cold climates and your floor is of hardwood material. Depending on the material of which you base your area rug on, you will realize that the rug you placed at the halls or right in the middle of your bedroom is very warm and comfortable to sit or lie on. Below, we review 5 ways to ensure that your area rug is insulating your house flooring for you.

                While cotton and nylon can be part of the most common materials used to make up an area rug due to their affordable pricing and how easy it is to clean, wool is actually the best material for insulating your floor. While this material can be a little pricey, they definitely feel much better to the touch with its softness and the woolly properties makes the rug feel luxurious. This material has one of the best insulating properties, but it might not be good for damp areas since rugs of this material tend to absorb humidity.

                Understandably, the bigger the area rug is, the more it helps to insulate the floor surfaces. However, if the large mats are a little beyond your budgets, you can also opt for smaller rugs that can adjoin to form matching or coordinating patterns. Since rugs can help to counter the heat loss from a house from cold floors – up to 10% of heat loss is accountable if there are no floor insulations, the more rugs you place or if you have a bigger area rug, less cold air will seep into the room and this can definitely help you keep cold feet away.

                Which areas feel the coldest to you? Where do you walk by and frequently do tiny jumps here and there due to the coldness? It is best for you to place these area rugs where your feet frequently touches the floor such as right underneath the couch, or at the sitting area in front of the TV or in the playroom so that you never need to sit on the cold surfaces as much as you did without your large and comfortable insulating rugs. With our feet in contact with area rugs where we frequently pass by, you will also feel less cold!

                Similar to how we might choose beddings and blankets based on its thread count, the same concept applies to area rugs. Stitch count is also referred to as needle count, and it is defined as the amount of threads used to make up your rug. When there is a higher stitch count, you can be sure that the area rug is denser and heavier, which is even more effective at insulating you from the cold floor. Most of the area rugs with a high stitch count will usually be thicker as well, but it is best to refer to the stitch counts to really make sure that it is insulating enough.

                If at all applicable, you should also place your rugs where there is sunlight coming in – such as by the large glass window that you have or perhaps just by the balcony door. A good area rug – thick with good stitch count, large enough and perhaps made of wool, can absorb heat from the sunlight that streams in through the window and keep the room warmer than if your room was to be without the area rug by the window. As such, it could be a good idea to remove blinds or curtains that block off the sunlight in the morning, although you can still use good quality blinds to keep away the cold at night.

                In short, how much an area rug can insulate an area depends on the materials used to make the rug, the size and thread count involved in its making, as well as where you place the area rug – preferably having one or two by the heat sources in the morning when the sun shines through.

Sources:

https://nwrugs.com/blogs/loveofrugs/16234393-it-works-for-the-sheep-make-it-work-for-you

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/keep-room-warm-area-rug-58653.html

https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/rug-guide-materials/

https://www.rugknots.com/blogs/main/wool-rugs-vs-polypropylene-rugs-best

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/21/unusual-ways-warm-home_n_4638205.html