Owning an oriental rug is a wonderful thing and a treasure to behold.  Not only do they add character and warmth to your beautiful spaces, but they are truly pieces of art that can last a lifetime if you are sure to care for them in a proper manner.  Oriental rugs can look a bit dull over time trapping dirt and dust.  However, with a professional cleaning, the colors with brighten and look as good as when you bought the rug new. 

This blog discusses how to AVOID ruining your beautiful rug when you need to get it cleaned.

1. Never Take Your Rug To A Dry Cleaner

Many people take special clothing pieces or delicates to the drycleaner that they cannot clean at home.  However, the majority of dry cleaners use very harsh chemicals that can positively ruin your beautiful rug, especially if it is authentic wool.  Not only can it damage the wool fibers, but it can also damage the foundation of the rug which can cause warping in the rug itself.  Dry cleaners do not understand the complexities of wool in rugs and are the worst choice for cleaning.

2. Never Get It Steam Cleaned

Having seen the results of steam cleaning to rugs first hand, it is a terrible choice for cleaning handmade oriental rugs or any rug with natural fibers.  Whether it is wool, silk, viscose, steam cleaning will DAMAGE the rug by the use of overly hot steam as well as the chemicals used in the cleaning solution.  Steam cleaning actually changes the chemical composition of your rug because it removes the natural “lanolin oil” that is in wool.  Thus, the rug may look ok when you first pick it up from cleaning, but in a short time, you will see it fade from its original glory and start to look dull and lifeless.  This is due to the natural oils being stripped out.  Just avoid steam cleaning all together.

3. Never Use The Washing Machine

Aside from the fact that most rugs are too heavy to go into a regular home washing machine, this is probably one of the worst ideas.  You may ruin BOTH your rug and your washing machine!  Your handmade rug is somewhat delicate and needs to be treated the way you treat anything of value… with care and attention.  The washing machine at home will most definitely ruin your handmade rug and possibly even shrink it.  Just avoid the washing machine and get your rug to The Rug Wash to get the best possible cleaning and to keep your investment for years to come.