What do you or should you know about the care and maintenance of your valuable oriental rugs? Haven’t you ever wondered which are the safe and effective stain removal products or cleaning methods for your prized oriental rugs? Or how often the rugs should be professionally cleaned?
Should you attempt to do it yourself using consumer cleaning methods, or leave this job to the rug experts? Have you pondered such questions or worried so much that you’ve clenched your fists until your knuckles turned white or tightened your jaw in anticipation?
Well, worry no more! Honest answers are available from trusted rug cleaning experts. Members of Advanced Specialized Equipment are here to help you. These experts can answer your questions, allay any undue concerns, and provide first-class professional cleaning for you.
Have you ever been told never to clean or even vacuum your oriental rug, or to never use water for spot removal or cleaning of any rug? Or have you heard some “gospel” from the retailer—maybe an “old wives’ tale”—about how to supposedly care for and maintain your beautiful oriental rug? Or that cleaning will remove all of the wool fibres’ lanolin and natural lubricants, damaging the rug?
In fact, long before you even saw the rug, the original lanolin and natural fibre residues were removed. This occurs during wool fibre processing, such as scouring, and again during the dyeing of the pile fibre and yarns.
Did you know that regular professional cleaning can prolong the life and appearance of a valuable rug? Proper cleaning removes most embedded soils and stains, helping to restore the rug’s prior lustre, colour, and design clarity, while improving its overall appearance and useful life.
Were you aware that a proper rug pad or cushion can add measurably to the safety, appearance, and longevity of your prized oriental rugs? Specially designed rug cushions are available to prevent rugs from slipping and sliding over hard floors. Special cushions can also minimise rug sliding and wrinkling when laid over wall-to-wall carpet. The appearance of the surface of your rug is aided tremendously by the pad underneath it.
What happens when your rug begins to ravel and fray, especially as a result of periodic vacuuming? Can it be repaired or made to look better? Yes! The rug ends and fringes can be restored, repaired, or a new fringe sewn onto the top of the existing fringe. This improves the rug’s appearance while preserving its original integrity.
You have paid handsomely for a beautiful oriental rug in silk pile, but is the pile fibre really silk? Fibres such as rayon, acetate, mercerised cotton, or other substitutes—often referred to as “art silk”—can resemble silk but are not silk at all. Sometimes less expensive or inferior substitutes are used to make the pile, obscuring the true fibre content. For assurance that you are getting real silk, seek the advice of an ASE Certified Rug Specialist.
Has your rug begun to feel harsh or make a slight crackling sound when you pick it up or roll it? This may indicate the presence of dry rot in the cotton backing yarns, which can eventually cause serious weakness in the rug’s foundation. Your rug expert can examine the rug for indications of latent dry rot and advise you accordingly.
What about a rug with a “dry clean only” label? Why is it there, and what does it mean? How or why would someone dry clean an oriental rug? Although “dry” rug cleaning is a safe method for cleaning most rugs, it may not always clean the rug as thoroughly as other methods, such as wet cleaning. And the term “dry cleaning” for rugs does not mean the same as it does for clothing.
What are the best methods to clean different types of oriental rug fibres? In most cases, professional wet cleaning is the preferred and safe method. However, in certain cases—such as with silk rugs or those at risk of dye bleeding—modified or specialty cleaning methods may be necessary.
Trust your ASE rug cleaning expert to recommend the best cleaning method for your oriental rug.
