Home » Blog » How do Professionals Clean Oriental Rugs?
January 24, 2023
If you like to have not just a rug, but a piece of art, then getting an oriental rug is a must. These are some of the best rugs out there, which can be expensive but totally worth the money as they add a lot of value and appeal to any room. Something you must consider about a beautiful Persian rug is that it will require proper maintenance and the occasional deep clean.
Whether there are stains on your oriental rug or you just want to bring in a professional rug cleaner for their knowledge and gear, getting the item professionally cleaned is a must. While you should learn how to properly vacuum the fringe and employ the right cleaning solutions to treat stains and spills, you should still contact a professional rug cleaning company every now and then.
How to clean Persian rug at home?
Apart from vacuuming, here is what else you can do to clean an oriental rug:
Vacuum your rug - the importance of vacuuming cannot be overstated, especially if your rug is too big. It can accumulate a ton of debris and it is important to take care of that. More on vacuuming will be explained later.
Use a natural cleaning solution - whether you have only a small Persian rug or a large one, you want to use mostly cool water and a pH-neutral detergent. Harsh chemicals and hot water can ruin the material. Fill a bucket with water and add in the cleaner to create a sudsy mix. Then use a soft bristle brush to scoop up some part of the solution and apply it to the rug. Always remember to work in the direction of the pile and do not scrub vigorously.
Rinse - use a squeegee to deal with the loose dirt and the sudsy remains. Go in the direction of the fibres. Spray water lightly, if you have to remove extra detergent, but don't oversaturate the rug.
Dry the rug - it is important to dry the rug after every cleaning session because wool tends to retain water. Otherwise, it can develop mildew, mould and bad odours. To best dry the rug, you need an airy location, perhaps a fan if you want to speed up the process. You can place it in a sunny spot, although you should not leave it exposed directly for prolonged periods of time.
The importance of vacuuming an oriental rug at home
When it comes to keeping a Persian rug in good condition for a long time, you must absolutely pay attention to vacuuming as the major cleaning and maintenance task. The surface of the rug accumulates dust and various other debris, especially in a high-traffic area. If you have children running around or pets laying on the rug, it is even more important to keep the fibres free of pet hair and allergens as they accumulate on the rug over time. The easiest way to do this is to vacuum the rug at least once a week. Just vacuum the rug slowly to remove excess abrasives. Here are a few tips in that regard:
Remove the vacuum's beater bar - in order to preserve the long pile and not damage the rug, you will have to vacuum without the beater bar. If you have a vacuum cleaner with a low pile attachment use that instead. Vacuuming both sides of the rug is important, so lay it flat on the floor and work the machine there.
Vacuum from side to side - the motion you should be doing with the machine is side to side across, instead of up and down. The goal is to vacuum across the fabric grain to loosen more dirt and dust.
Address the back side - it is important to vacuum the back side of the rug as well as the front. This is especially important for an authentic Oriental rug, which lacks backing material. With these rugs, dirt and debris can get stuck within the fibres, so it is important to vacuum on both sides.
Employ caution - unlike some carpeted areas of your home, an oriental rug requires more caution with the vacuum cleaner. You should never move the machine over the fringe and the edges of the rug and should always go slow. If you think the vacuum is a bit aggressive, you can grab a broom with straw bristles and sweep with it. Move the broom back and forth from one end to the other.
Refresh with baking soda - sprinkle some baking soda over the rug to remove musty odours. Let the baking soda sit for a few hours and then take it outside and shake or vacuum the area.
How to clean oriental rug stains?
If you ever need to clean a stain on your rug and you are not certain how it is best to have the rug cleaned by a professional. It is best to tend to spills as soon as the spill occurs and blot the stain using a soft cloth or towel, instead of rubbing back and forth. With all of these ground rules laid out, let's see how you can address a stain:
Deal with excess liquid - blot up as much of the stain as possible from the affected part of the rug. It is important not to rub the spill, but to apply soft pressure on it with an absorbent material. The quicker you get on with this task, the more you will prevent the liquid from soaking into the fibres of the rug.
Dab with a tissue - when you remove the excess, dab the remaining with a tissue. Always work from the outside of the stain towards the centre. Don't rub, as you will just push the liquid further into the pile. Do not be tempted to use a strong cleaner, as this can damage delicate fabrics and dye.
Use warm water and vinegar - for general stains, you can mix 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts warm water in a spray bottle. Mist the stain with vinegar and warm water solution and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Then brush in the direction of the weave and rinse the rug. Repeat the process if necessary.
Dry the rug - as a final step, you should dry the area immediately with a fan or direct sunlight to prevent further damage to keep your rug safe from further damage.
5 reasons why professional rug cleaning is a must
When it comes to finding the best way to clean your oriental rug, getting professionals on the case is great for the following reasons:
They employ efficient dirt removal techniques - regardless of the type of rug or carpet you have at home, excess dust buildup within the fibres can do long-term damage to them. Sometimes vacuuming is not enough, especially in high-traffic areas. When you call in professionals to clean your Persian rug, they will do so with the right equipment. This means they will extract deeply ingrained dust particles and other debris from the wool fibres your rug is made of with a steam cleaner, rug shampoo or another carpet tool.
You are safe from colour bleeding - colour bleeding occurs when you clean an antique rug with cold water or a cleaning chemical that reacts with the dyes in the fibres. Professional carpet cleaners clean carpets and rugs using only tested products that won't damage the rug's natural fibres. They employ special care with wool oriental rugs and pick the cleaning materials that get the job done with no damage to your rug.
Precise stain removal - if there is a stain that you are not able to treat, you can call on the professionals to employ the proper cleaning method. They know that stubborn stains can be tricky and can help you clean them. Professional cleaners employ targeted stain removal techniques, which is precisely what your rugs need.
Their cleaning methods are gentle - professionals will not just take the rug outside and give it a good beating to remove the dust. They will employ gentle techniques to renew your oriental rug. This means if you have a Persian rug at home, you will do well to contact professionals every several months for a dry clean or a steam clean, in order to keep it in top shape.
Prolong the life of your carpet or rug - with proper care and cleaning, an oriental rug can last a very long time. Getting some professional carpet cleaning help ensures proper care and can extend the life of the item even further. If you want to be sure the best methods are used to clean your rug, working with professionals is a must.
