How to choose
a Berber Rug
Depending on the
Berber Rug
(also called carpet) you are buying, how
precious it is to you, what it means to
you and how much money you spend for it.
The genuine
Berber Rugs can cost
thousands of dollars, thus you wouldn’t
afford not to know how to look after them
and to repair any damage. The original
Berber rugs are the ones handmade by the
Berbers, who are the native people of
North Africa. The most known ones are the
Algerians and the Moroccans. The genuine
Berber rugs are made with sheep wool or
good quality Synthetic fibre to reduce
the cost to the buyers. The Berber type
of rugs is so called because of the type
of weave and the meaningful Berber
symbols used, they are never made with
machines, but all made individually by
hand.
Before you buy
Berber rugs, you ought to
ask about their origins and the material
used. The
sheep wool
smells like your own hair when you burn
it, so it is easy to tell.
The synthetic fibre
or so called Nylon rug has
brighter and cleaner colours, and you
burn it, it smells like plastic. But that
is the only difference, which can reduce
the price of your rug by 50% or more
depending on the quality.
It is a very durable
rug, constructed of rugged looped
pile running in parallel lines.
The same property makes it difficult for
dirt to work it’s way in, so the solution
is to vacuum frequently but without using
a brushing or beater bar attachment. Get
the soil while it is still sitting up
there on top just waiting to be picked
up. If you keep up with your Berber
carpet cleaning in this way it will make
things much easier when it is time for
more thorough cleaning.
Contrarily to the Olefin carpets that are
machine made; Nylon is the man made fibre
that put Berber into the mainstream. It
makes for a much more affordable product
than wool while maintaining a wool-like
appearance. Nylon resists abrasion, is
resilient enough to bounce back from
heavy traffic and remains lustrous
through numerous cleaning cycles, whose
qualities are similar to those of sheep
wool rugs. The latter are naturally warm
in winter and cool in summer, therefore
gentle to your feet and your body if you
use them to lay down on them.
Clean and
maintain a Berber carpet
As always, proper cleaning starts with
regular vacuuming, preferably before dirt
has a chance to settle down to the base
of the loops. Don’t use a beater bar or
rotating brush attachment because these
can snag on a loop and pull off a
complete line. The more powerful the
suction of your vacuum, the better.
If you spill wax, chocolate, oily
products and the alike on your
Berber rugs,
just boil some water, take your rug to
the balcony and pour the hot water over
it. The stain should come off after
repeating the exercise a couple of times,
if not, using your hands try to rub it
thoroughly while you pour more hot water
on it. Make sure you don’t burn yourself.
One exercise at a time.
Berber rugs will never become cheaper or
maybe available in abundance in the
market around the world, so just take
very good care of them. I would recommend
regular vacuum cleaning at home and once
every year take it for a dry cleaning if
it has endured heavy traffic on, or every
two years if not.
Why Berber Rugs?
1.
The matching
symbols, colours and decorations used in
our Berber Rugs are matching those used
in our Berber clothing such as the
Saharan and the Kabyle. Similar symbols
are also found in our Jewellery
and pottery. We are a
one-stop-shop for Berber handicraft.
2.
Choice in Size:
You can get all
different sizes and decorations, which
can fit anywhere at home.
3.
Hypo-allergenic
Genuine Berber Rug is
the perfect choice for anyone with
allergies or children. It is made from
wool so it is non toxic and non
allergenic and it stops bacterial growth
right in its tracks.
4.
Comfort The manufacturing
process
created wool loops that have millions of
air pockets in them so the carpet has a
nice cushiony feeling when you walk on
it. It also has an insulation factor
because of the weave which helps regulate
the temperature of the room.
5.
Quality:
Berber is one of the most
durable and easy carpets to clean. Stains
are easily lifted and it takes a lot of
miles on the carpet for it to show any
wear. Berber is well known for its
longevity while still looking as new as
the day it was
purchased. It hardly ever
shows footprints, and it doesn't show the
lines from the vacuum cleaner. The only
thing you need to watch is that you don't
snag it and damage it.
6.
Choice of Colours:
The Berbers choose
carefully their colours which are
vegetable dyes. They consist of earthen
and neutral colours, dark colours, and
even pastel colours. Not only are there
plenty of colours to choose from there
are plenty of patterns to choose from.
Berbers offer more choices than almost
any other type of rugs in the world.
7.
Irregularities on the floor:
The
density of Berber rugs makes them easily
hide irregularities in the sub floor
without spending a fortune to repair it.
8.
Cost effective:
They might seem
expensive when you see the prices in
shops, but knowing how long these rugs
can last, and how easy they are to clean,
you would soon realise that is extremely
low cost. At home, we still have Berber
Rugs that I personally used as a blanket
some 30 years ago to
cover is winter that breaks jaws. To tell you the truth,
they still have changed neither in colour
nor in shape. Besides, BSH went all the
way to the deep Sahara to select the
finest and most beautiful pieces for your
collection. We are the first hand, that
is the reason why our prices are so low.
9.
History and culture:
The Berber
carpets, especially the M’zab carpets
were made by women using all Berber
symbols that represent a message that she
gives to her future husband called “the
belt of the bride”. If you buy a genuine
Berber rug, you know there is an ancient
culture behind it and a message that lies
beneath. Therefore it is very decorative,
very durable, and the whole Berber
culture in it. Don't
you find it exciting?!
10.
Time spent
a good quality 3m x 2m rug can be
handmade between 6 to 12 months
Catalogue of Sheep
wool Berber Rugs
Catalogue of
Synthetic fibre Berber Rugs
Algerian Berber
weaving
