Oriental Rug Care Tips 0808 101 6222

Oxford and London Oriental Rug Cleaning Specialists

Cleaning and Care tips:

Vacuum your ugs regularly, being sure to go back and forth in the same direction as the pile, over the entire rug (avoiding the fringes). If you are vacuuming with a beater brush, we suggest you set the brush so it just touches the top of the pile and moves easily across the rug. When vacuuming with a carpet tool, ease the suction of the vacuum by adjusting it accordingly. Be sure to periodically vacuum the back of the rug.

Rotate your rugs as often as possible (1-2 years), when you notice the high traffic areas of your rug starting to look dirty, or the nap has lost its original direction or shape. Rotating your rugs will allow them to wear more evenly, maintaining their original appearance and value. Also, rotate your rugs according to the amount of direct sunlight. Over time direct sunlight can fade the dyes of your rugs.

Padding will stabilize and protect your rugs shape, enhancing the value and making your rugs safer to walk on. We have investigated many different types and qualities of padding, so we are able to offer adivce.

Spot Cleaning

Certain stains such as coffee, colas, juices, animal, medicines, milk, foods and certain dyes must be spotted immediately for best results.
First remove any solid materials from the area and then immediately blot the area with a clean white terry towel. To neutralize the spot. Repeat this if necessary and blot again to remove most of the moisture. Do not rub the spot. Some Oriental Rug dyes can bleed upon contact with liquids. It is always best to call an expert rug cleaning company to deal with any spills.

Rug Cleaning Specialists

Cleaning your rugs properly enhances their look and value. To select an Oriental Rug cleaning specialist, you many want to contact your dealer and ask for their recommendation. From our experience in the Oxfordshire region, most carpet cleaning companies do not specialize in the cleaning of area rugs, and offer rug cleaning in your home at a very low price. It is always best to avoid these companies as the potential damage they could cause cleaning your rugs with carpet cleaning machine is very serious.

If you decide to try to clean your own area rugs, you should be totally familiar with the process and be sure to test the dyes first. After receiving a rug from cleaning, you may notice some white areas. Dirt is good at covering up worn areas on your rug. You should discuss your options with your Oriental Rug Cleaning Professional.

Insect Damage

Moths and carpet beetles can destroy an Oriental Rug. Check the edges and area of your rug under furniture for any infestation. Act immediately if you see any bugs or eggs. You will probably need to have your entire house sprayed and all wool rugs cleaned. Check your wool clothes if there is a problem.

Protect Your Rugs

Your rug will have extra protection from stains and soil if it is treated with a fabric protector. This does not alter the colour or feel of the rug in any way but serves to seal the fibres so that spillages are not so easily absorbed into the pile. Our rug protector treatment is woolsafe™ approved.

Spills & Accidents

If you spill anything onto your rug the first step is to absorb as much as you can with a plain white towel. Just blot. DO NOT RUB as this may damage the wool or silk fibres permanently. At this point call us for further advice. Do not be tempted to use over the counter spotting chemicals. These are often aggressive oxidizers which can permanently discolour the dyes in the rug.

I spilled on my Rug! What do I do now?

Blot, Rinse, Blot

The time will come when something is spilled on your rug – coffee, wine, or juice. There is a tendency to grab a cloth and scrub the area, and this inevitably causes more permanent harm than good.

A good emergency system is a very simple one, and all you need is soda water and cotton towels.

BLOT – RINSE – BLOT

Immediately blot the wet area with a white cotton towel. Do not scrub the affected area, as this untwists and breaks the wool, silk, or cotton face fibers. (If an oil or dense substance, use a spoon or other curved tool to scoop up as much as you can before you begin the blotting process.)

Look at the wet towel for two things: is the liquid spill absorbing into the towel, and also, are any of the rug’s dyes absorbing into the towel.

If the rug’s dyes are absorbing into the towel, blot a bit more and then STOP. No more work can be done to this area without causing the area’s dyes to bleed together. This type of damage can devalue your rug, so you want to stop before you make it worse. At this point you can pack the area with salt and this will absorb the moisture and the spill into the powder.

If the rug’s dyes are NOT absorbing into the towel (you only see the spill absorbing into it), then place a folded towel underneath the affected area and using a sponge dampen the affected area with soda water. This will help you continue to remove the spill substance into the towel. Once you believe you have removed as much as you can through blotting, if you are still worried about anything foreign being in the fibers, or possible damage occurring to the dyes (if it is a pet stain or other damaging acid stain), then you can pack the area with salt.

When you believe the absorption to be complete, elevate the treated area so that airflow can reach the back of the rug (prop it up) and dry the foundation thoroughly. Do this for at least one day to ensure complete drying. The rug will feel dry to the touch, however, the cotton foundation will still have moisture within it, and without air drying it will eventually lead to mildew and dry rot. Use a warm hair dryer to assist if needed.

By K Blatchfords

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PUPPY PUDDLES & KITTY CATASTROPHES

Blot, Rinse, Blot

Pet urine and vomit stains are the worst stain on an oriental rug. If you do not get to them right away, you can have permanent dye loss, dye migration (“bleeding”), area discolouration, food dye discolouration, and of course odour.

With a pet accident, you want to follow the same steps except you SUBSTITUTE white vinegar for the soda water. The vinegar will help lessen the dye bleed risk, and will help suspend and help you blot away the acidic urine or vomit.

If your work looks good when done, then TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE to get the area dry, and dried thoroughly. If you leave the area damp too long you risk dye bleed and mildew. As mentioned before, use a hair dryer if needed to help make sure BOTH sides are 100% dry. Keep the affected area elevated for airflow along both sides for at least a full 24 hours to be safe. 48 hours if possible.

If your work does not look “done” – and you still see red wine and food dye, or pet discolouration, then the next step is to try to absorb as much as possible before taking the rug to a professional rug cleaner (like us!)

Pack the area with SALT. Make sure you cover the spill affected area completely. The salt will pull up more of the spill as it dries. It is very absorbent.

Salt covering a spill on a wool rug.

>> Do NOT accidentally use baking soda! <<

Baking soda is alkaline and can create a yellowing of wool that can possible not be reversible.

>> Do NOT use any household spot removers! <<

Carpet spot removers that you buy in shops are meant for the synthetic fibers in your wall-to-wall carpet and not for natural fiber rugs. Vanish, 1001 etc... are all no-no’s.

In most cases we see more damage done to rugs not from the initial spills, but from rug owners applying harsh over-the-counter chemicals to try to remove the stains. Even products approved for wool, in too large a dose, can create permanent colour damage to wool rugs. When people are in a panic, they tend to over-apply products.

If you are in that place of panic, then just give us a call and we can talk you through it. 0808 101 6222

And if you can’t get it right, you can bring us the rug and don’t worry…we can help you.

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“How Often Should I Wash My Rugs?”

Rugs under normal use should be washed every 18-24 months, with vacuuming (of the top side) every other week.

If you have an entry rug, rug with high traffic, or rugs in rooms with children and pets, you will want to wash them annually. Rugs and fabrics act as “air filters” in rooms, they grab airborne dust and contaminants and hold them in their fibers. But when the filter gets FULL of items brought in by feet, shoes, paws, and windy weather, every step creates a puff of the unmentionables back into the air. They need regular cleaning to keep the indoor environment cleaner.

Even rugs hanging on the walls get dirty with dust. And, bugs will be more interested in your hanging rugs than your floor-bound ones because they like dark, undisturbed places to make a home and meal. So hanging textiles should be dusted quarterly with an upholstery attachment, to suck away the dust and to irritate the bugs to go elsewhere.

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Specialist Cleaning of Silk and Natural Wool Oriental Rugs

Persian Carpets and Rugs - Turkish Kilims - Pakistani Rugs - Afghan Rugs - Chinese Rugs - Indian Rugs - Antique Rugs - Silk Rugs - Hand Made Rugs

Allclean has many years of experience in Oriental Rug Cleaning and an unending list of satisfied customers across Oxford, The Cotswolds and London. Don't waste time, call us today!

Professional Oriental Rug Cleaners in Oxford, The Cotswolds and London and the Surrounding Towns and Villages

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