Overtime, even the most durable rugs show signs of aging. Obviously this is like area rug pads. As you can imagine, a rug is not simply laid on top of the concrete or wood that is already in place. But, ask yourself this, if you purchased a new car, would you skip the oil changes? Of course not, as everyone knows, changing your oil prolongs the life of your engine and helps you get the most out of your car.

Rug pads provide extra cushioning. If you don’t have anything underneath your rug, this dirt will just sit there and grind away at the bottom of your rug as it is walked on. But has little, or nothing, to do with area rug pads usually. After all, once your rug is in place there is no possible way to determine with 100 percent accuracy as to if the right pad was used.

Rug pads protect the carpet underneath. What about safety? Have you ever walked on a rug – especially on a runner – and have it slip underneath you? Have you ever tripped on a curled up edge of a rug walking into a room? In these days of ready law-suits, the last thing you want is a hazard waiting to happen – most importantly to keep you and your family safe, but also to prevent unfortunate accidents for guests. This is similar to rug pads frequently. Not only is this going to look bad, but it can be very dangerous at the same time.

This is an extra bonus for those of us that are especially sensitive to these types of bacteria and it’s nice to know that the rug pads in our home prevent bacteria even if we aren’t especially sensitive. There are even special types of open cell rug pads for use over floors that have radiant heating to allow heat to freely flow up through the pad and rug. As you can imagine, when you are walking on a rug with a pad underneath it will be much more comfortable.

Rug pads do a terrific job of holding area rugs of any sort: seagrass, shag rugs, sisal rugs, wool rugs, jute rugs, even bamboo rugs-any type of area you can imagine, a rug pad can help secure. Once you’ve selected the type most suitable for your floor, you have to measure your rug carefully. It is better to be safe than sorry. Rug pads come in all shapes and sizes and most can be sized with a pair of household scissors.