• Women used to throw their rugs over a clothesline and beat them to remove soil.two clothes pins in row image by Nataliya Hora from Fotolia.com
  
  Rug beater's were useful in the days when automatic washing machines were not available, particularly from the 1880s to 1920s, according to the Cracker Barrel website. Women beat their rugs with the handy tool after securing the rugs onto a clothesline. The beating knocked loose any dirt and dust so that the rug was more effective in catching soil once the farm workers came in from the fields or the kids from outdoor play.
  
  

Victorian Fan Decoration

• Purchase a miniature Victorian-looking fan to decorate your rug beater. Cut the bloom off a silk flower with wire cutters, and hot glue it to the center of the fan. Trim some baby's breath, statice or a type of greenery ,and glue it along the sides of the flower. Select a 1/2-inch wide ribbon that coordinates with the room where you will display your rug beater, and cut a length about 18 inches long. Use the ribbon to tie the handle of the Victorian fan onto the rug beater, securing it with a knot in the back of the tool. Use your hot glue gun to glue the fan onto the rug beater in areas that will not show when you display it on your wall. Bring the ends of the ribbon around to the front of the tool and make a small bow. Allow the remaining ribbon to hang.
  
  

Fall Floral Decoration

• Gather six or seven silk flowers in autumn colors. Place them in a staggered bundle so that some are higher or lower than the rest. Place silk autumn leaves and some wheat straw behind the flowers to provide a background for the blooms. Use florist wire to secure the bundle tightly. Trim the stems and straw so that they are the same length at the bottom of the arrangement. Place the flower bundle against the rug beater, and attach them together with more florist wire. Wrap raffia around it to hide the florist wire, and tie a simple bow with the raffia in front.
  
  

Ribbon Decor

• Change the look of your rug beater every season by weaving holiday ribbons through the open sections and finishing the decoration with a simple bow in front. Easter, Christmas, patriotic, autumn and other holiday patterns are available at fabric or craft and hobby stores for inexpensive prices.