Rug Insurance Protection - Do You Need It?

As with many purchases, one thing to consider is whether you need extra protection from accidental damage. As I said in caring for rugs and carpets we all have accidents, and that can include mishaps that cause a stain on the carpet. Often, a difficult stain may require your hiring a professional cleaner, sometimes at great expense.

Is it best to take the risk and deal with the stain problem out of your own pocket when it arises? Or, to take out some form of insurance protection for your new area rug at the time of purchase?

That really will depend on your own view of risk, how accident prone your family may be, how cautious you are, and financial factors. For a major mishap, such as flood or fire, you are probably covered by house contents insurance, if you have such cover. I used to live in a house in East Sussex in England that flooded 4 times. Each time the fitted wall-to-wall carpet downstairs was replaced under the contents insurance policy, once sadly just a few days after the new one had been lain after the previous flood.

What the contents insurance cover may not include, though, is minor stains, caused by spillages, ink marks and so on. These are far more common, so you need to decide if the risk is worth it, or you want to be cautious and spend money on a rug protection plan. Such plans tend to be quite cheap, so they may be worth using for ease of mind and a fuller pocket later.