Carpet Cleaning & Care

1. General Care/Maintenance

      A new hand knotted rug placed in an area of moderate to heavy traffic in an average household will usually need a gentle vacuum clean about once per week. Rugs with longer piles may also be beaten gently from the back to remove any grit that is caught in the pile.

      For pure silk rugs, we recommend that they be placed in areas of low traffic, where possible spills and rough use are less likely. Pure silk rugs can otherwise also be given a gentle vacuum clean as required.

      For antique rugs, we recommend using a carpet sweeper or brush to clean dirt.

      Some other considerations in the maintenance of handmade rugs are as follows:

      Excessive sunlight: a rug placed in an area of strong direct sunlight for extended periods can become prematurely faded.

      Insect damage: damage from moths and other insects can be prevented by using an insect spray once a month in the room where the carpet is placed.

2. Cleaning/Removing Spills

      If a liquid or food spills on a rug, the steps to be taken depend on a few factors. These include whether the rug's pile is primarily wool or silk, whether the dyes are colorfast, and how old/fragile the rug is.

      For wool pile rugs, spills can generally be cleaned with a cloth and soapy water, similar to the way you might clean a spill of liquid on your shirt or pants. The area of the spill should be gently cleaned with the wet cloth and all soap should be removed.

      After this is done, the pile of the rug should be smoothed down in its natural direction. The rug can then be hung on a chair indoors or on a fence to dry. If the rug is too large to hang, just the wet area can be propped up, so that both sides of the rug get some air and are able to dry. A hair-dryer can also be used to speed up the drying process. If left damp for long periods, mildew or fungus can form and the rug's pile and foundation could be damaged or weakened.

      Most new rugs can also be scrubbed hard if need be, but in those cases it would be a good idea to make sure beforehand that the rug's dyes will not run. Some Iranian rugs and some Afghan rugs do not have colorfast dyes.

      To find out whether your rug's dyes are fast, you can gently rub a small area of the pile (such as an area of blue or red) with a white wet cloth. Be sure to rub a section of only one color, as you do not want to accidentally spread the color of one area into another.

      When checking your white cloth to determine whether the dyes are colorfast, it is important to distinguish between a bit of excess or loose wool in the pile coming onto the cloth and actual dyes running on the cloth.

      If the color does run, the area of spillage can still be cleaned, but care must be taken not to scrub the rug hard and to avoid scrubbing across sections of the pile with different colors. Also, be aware that you must use a new section of cleaning cloth (or new white cloth) for each section that you are cleaning.

      It is also better in this case to leave the rug flat to dry on one side (and then turn it over to dry the other) rather than hanging the rug, in order to prevent the wet dyes from running down into other dyes with the gravitational pull.

      To speed up the drying process, you may use a hair dryer. It is important, however, not to place the nozzle of the dryer too close to the rug (dry the rug's surface in the same manner in which you would dry your own hair).

      For pure silk pile rugs, Pak Persian Rugs recommends contacting a professional handmade-carpet-care specialist. These types of rugs include Qums, Chinese silk rugs, and Kashmiri silk rugs. It is important to place these rugs in an area where spills are not likely to occur. If not properly treated, or left untreated for a period of time, liquid spills have the potential to permanently damage a pure silk rug.

      For antique rugs, the condition of the rug (in addition to the composition of materials) will determine how it should be cleaned. Fragile rugs should obviously not be beaten hard, shaken, or forcefully scrubbed with a wet cloth or sponge. With antique rugs that are still very strong and in very good condition, though, the same rules apply as for modern rugs.

3. Full Washing

      With normal use, wool pile hand knotted rugs do not require full washes for several years.

      Often, the area that shows dirt the soonest is the fringe, and this can be washed without the entire rug being washed. The fringe can be cleaned with a bit of soap and water, leaving the carpet flat to dry afterward.

      This usually makes a significant difference in the appearance of a rug (particularly for rugs with white or light brown fringes) without having to take the trouble or expense of a full wash.

      Another way to re-new the appearance of a wool pile rug that has been used for a while is to give it a "face wash". This involves rubbing a wet cloth over the pile of the entire rug (wetting the cloth as necessary depending on the size of the rug). The rug can then be propped up or hung to dry.

      As mentioned earlier though, it is important to ensure that the rug's dyes are fast before doing this, or the dyes of the rug may run. In addition, it is important to note that silk rugs should not be given this face wash.

      For full washes, Pak Persian Rugs recommends contacting a handmade rug specialist cleaner. This will help to ensure that no chemicals are used in the wash that could permanently damage the rug or cause the colors to run.

4. Under lays/Furniture Placement

      Although not required and not widely-used in the Orient, under lays or wall-to-wall carpeting provide additional protection to a handmade rug. The padded backing protects the fibers of the pile and gives additional support to the knotting of the rug. The best types of under lays are made from solid sponge rubber.

      With regards to furniture placement, it is a good idea to shift the legs of heavy furniture by a few inches every few months. This will prevent potentially permanent indentations in the rug's pile and provide an additional protection measure.

5. Storage

      The best way to store rugs is to roll them up tightly, starting the roll from the side that is against the direction of the pile. The rugs should then be wrapped in polythene with some moth balls and stored in a dry area.

      To prevent the rug from unrolling, a bit of string or small rope can be tied around the rug. For smaller rugs, the rope can be tied towards the middle of the rug. For larger rugs, two or more pieces of rope may be required. Ensure that they are evenly spaced through the length of the rug.

      It is important not to tie the rope too tightly (just tightly enough to secure the rug) and to ensure that the rope can be easily removed. Use a knot that can be unravelled by hand, thereby preventing the need to use scissors or a cutting tool that could potentially damage the rug while the rope is being cut.

6. Repair

      Damages to a rug's knotting or pile should be handled by professionals.However, a few minor repairs can be done at home. These include repairing loose selvedges and/or fringes.Selvedges and fringes can be sewn back by hand using a thread that matches the color and material in the rug.