On Owning A White Shag Rug With Small Children.

I received product for free in exchange for my honest review. 
I have pined over owning a white shag rug for years. In fact, owning a white shag rug ranks right up there with owning an upholstered wing-back chair with nail-head trim in a creamy neutral and although math has never been my strong suit, I was of the camp that believed small children + a dog + a great big white rug = a disaster waiting to happen. 
(Which, come to think of it, is pretty funny considering 99% of the home decor blogs I follow always feature babies and puppies playing happily and mess-free on top of gloriously shaggy, plush white rugs.) 
I assumed that I couldn't own either of those things while simultaneously raising a house full of tiny, sticky fingers with a penchant for peanut butter and Sharpies and while I'm not particularly convinced I could welcome that chair into my home any time soon, the truth is that it's completely possible to own a white shag rug without quarantining your children to only one level of your home. 
I will say the thought definitely crossed my mind. 

What I hadn't realized about shag rugs is that they hide stuff particularly well. Things like food crumbs and shredded paper and maybe even a mushed up banana chunk. These rugs hide those things so well, in fact, that sometimes it's days before anyone even notices they're there. Now of course this could be both good and bad but equally as good is the ease at which a quick finger-combing cleans up the mess. 
Now, buying a rug on the internet can be tricky especially if it's one that you and your family plan to spend a lot of time on. I've fallen victim in the past to Rugs That Look Soft Online But Prick Your Hiney With Stick-like Fibers once they're in your home. That's not the case at all with a shag rug. 
I have been the proud owner of this beautiful Jumeirah Moroccan Shag Rug from Natural Area Rugs for a little over one month now and it looks, feels (and smells) just as good as it did the day it arrived on our doorstep. It still has that new rug smell to it and the reason I know this so well is because I spend a lot of time rolling all over it with the boys each day. The great thing about Natural Area Rugs is that they don't sell cheap rugs but rather they sell affordable rugs made from natural materials. 

I'm not the only big fan of the new rug though. I've never seen my boys and my husband spend so much time laying on a floor before this rug. It is so thick and plush and lovely that even the dog can't get enough it.
I realized long ago that I never want to be the kind of mom who yells at her kids for being kids in a home that isn't necessarily kid-friendly. However, I would like to own some nice things and be able to display them in my home because, much to my surprise some days, I am an adult who has worked awfully hard to become one. This rug helps make my home feel less like a daycare and that alone makes it worth it's weight in gold. 

And just because I love you, I'm going to share with you all a few tips to keep in mind for cleaning a shag rug. Ours sits in a room that sees a decent amount of foot traffic not to mention the boys and the dog spend a lot of time playing on it. It also sits just feet from our kitchen making it a possible target for a food stain or two. Here's what has worked for us over the past several weeks:

1. It may seem like a lot of work but take the shag rug outside once a month and hang it over a railing and beat it. This loosens any existing dirt and helps keep the rug smelling and looking fresh.
2. If your vacuum has a "high pile" setting, use it. Shag rugs can be tricky to vacuum, even with an upholstery attachment but this setting helps greatly and doesn't allow the fibers to get caught in the vacuums spinning head. 
3. Soak up spills immediately with a dry cloth or paper towel. Once spills settle deep into the fibers of a shag rug it can be near impossible to clean. Once you've soaked up as much of the spill as possible with a dry cloth, go over it with a damp one. Follow up with dry shampoo and vacuuming as needed. 

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