It is a pleasure and a duty to own a quality handmade rug, especially an older or antique rug. Maintaining the appearance and condition of your investment is in your best interests since with a little care, it can become or stay a priceless family heritage for years to come.
In reality, those who own fine handmade rugs ought to consider themselves to be just one in a long line of previous and subsequent owners.
Warning: Certain Persian carpets can be delicate or created with specific materials (such as silk and certain dyes) that can be easily destroyed. Farhad Rug Gallery offers tips on rug cleaning and maintenance. If you are unsure that you can complete the necessary tasks on your own, hire a professional to do the cleaning or restoration. To remove fine deep layers of dust that surface cleaning cannot remove, Persian and Oriental rugs should be professionally cleaned at least once every ten years. Any damage should be fixed as soon as possible to prevent further harm and the need for extensive restoration.
Routine Maintenance
To avoid the accumulation of harmful dust and grit, rugs should be routinely brushed or vacuumed with a suction-only equipment. Also, rugs should occasionally be turned to smooth out any wear or uneven sun fading that may be developing. Regular vacuuming will keep the rug's back dust-free and assist to keep moths from establishing a home there.
If at all possible, keep heavy furniture off of rugs. Put casters under little or sharply pointed feet if you can't prevent it. When walking on the rug, you should wear clean shoes or indoor sandals or slippers.
Damp, direct and strong sunlight, heat
Oriental carpets are always constructed of natural materials like wool, cotton, and/or silk, which are sensitive to decay when damp, hence humidity is particularly harmful to them. Wool in particular should not be left wet for an extended amount of time since it can shrink.
Extreme heat, such as drying carpets after cleaning with heat dryers, or in front of an open fire, is typically harmful for rugs because it dries out the natural oils in the wool, making it weak and brittle.
Over a period of years, excessive direct sunlight can cause fading. While though some fading is frequently desired and natural, too much fading degrades the rug's appearance and shortens its lifespan by harming the pile. While the room is not in use, blinds or drapes should be drawn to block the direct sunlight. Consider where you set your rug and turn it sometimes to achieve a gradual, even fading of colors. A rug with even fading can appear soft and muted; one that is noticeably lighter at the top than the bottom does not.
You should be able to preserve the appearance and condition of your rug by using these tips.
Pets
A potential danger area! If left unattended, untrained pets can use a rug as a scratching pad or a chewing toy, or worse still, as a toilet. Whilst most physical damage can be repaired, pet urine, if left un-treated, can cause severe damage in the form of rot and discoloration. Keep an eye on your pet when they are near the rug, unless your pet is trained and trustworthy. Having a number of scratching posts (cats), chew toys (dogs), and some form of training normally works.
Moths and other pests
As long as the rug is routinely cleaned (by brushing or vacuuming), exposed to light, and not stored away in damp or dark conditions, damage from moth larvae and other home rug-eating pests can be prevented.
The female moths do not eat your rugs, but when the eggs hatch into larvae, they consume the fibers of wool, fur, feathers, and silk. A bad infestation can occasionally leave a cobweb-like veil and fine, sand-like particles in the region that has been damaged. A typical infestation encompasses several rugs and can spread to (or originate from) woolens or furs that have previously been exposed to the outside world or moths that have entered the house. If detected early, cleaning a rug with a moth infestation is not difficult, but if the damage is serious, re-weaving a sizable portion of the carpet is an expensive and time-consuming task.
If moth eggs, larvae, or flying insects are found, thoroughly vacuum the back and front of the rug. Use a rug-friendly moth spray that has been advised to destroy any insects, eggs, or larvae, and repeat as necessary. Get an expert rug cleaner to make sure that all traces of moths are eliminated if you are unsure about the outcome. See our comprehensive guide on treating and preventing moth damage.
Dealing with spills/stains
Speed is crucial in any spill or accident involving liquids. Quickly blot with kitchen towels made of plain paper, absorbing up the liquid until it is dry.
For any spill containing food or other liquids, scrape up the particles with a plastic spatula or spoon before blotting up the wet residue with kitchen towels, preferably white ones.
If any residue is left on wool rugs, a mixture of carpet shampoo, warm water, and a teaspoon of white vinegar can be used. Use the foam or carefully wipe with a moist towel that has been saturated and thoroughly wrung out. Dry as soon as you can without using heat or a vacuum. Before the rug dries, carefully comb the pile in its natural direction to get rid of any matting.
If your silk rug becomes damaged contact us or your local rug dealer immediately!!!
Rug Care Fundamentals
Be quick but don't panic. Do not wait until the last visitor has departed before beginning to clean your carpeting! The majority of stains can be eliminated from your carpet or rug if they are dealt with quickly after the spill.
Use a white towel or cloth or white paper towels. Avoid wiping a liquid stain with colored paper towels because sometimes the color seeps through the towel and onto your rug.
Scoop the liquid or food from the carpet using a spoon. Use a spoon to scoop up as much liquid or semi-solid (such as jam) as you can, but avoid pressing down on the carpet!
NEVER remove anything from your carpet with a knife. The pile of the carpeting can get harmed.
Your carpet should never be scrubbed or brushed to remove stains. You'll only make it worse; you run the risk of damaging the carpet's structure and the dyes leaking.
When using stain removal, test it first. Commercial stain removers are not advised, but if you must use one, use caution and carefully read the label. Before using it on a broad area, test the stain removal on a very small patch first because they can take the colors out of your carpet.
Quick Wash
Typically, hand-knotted wool carpets need to be thoroughly washed every five to 10 years. Typically, the fringes will have some dirt visible; this can be cleaned without washing the entire rug. But, you can give your handmade carpet a short surface wash to restore its beauty.
Choose a location that will work for dusting the rug to start. The bulk of the deepest dust particles should be removed by hanging the rug or lifting one corner at a time and beating it repeatedly with the handle of a broom or a wooden stick. If you have assistance, lay the rug face down on the floor and stand on one corner while the second person grabs and shakes the rug vigorously from the diagonally opposite corner. Repeat this method for each corner. In older/aged rugs, the shaking and beating should be gentler as they may shred. Once you've taken out as much dust as you can, give the rug a thorough vacuuming on both sides.
Before tackling the entire rug, you must first check for color bleed. It is strongly advised to spot-test the cleaning solution because many over-the-counter cleaners run the risk of removing the rug's original color.
Simply put, wool-safe shampoo is shampoo that may be used on carpets without risk. These shampoos, which come in liquid and powder form, help keep colors vibrant and eliminate stains. Enzymes may also be present in the powdered shampoos to dissolve stubborn protein stains. Bleach that is color-safe is not diluted bleach. Hydrogen peroxide is what gives liquids their mild bleaching effect. Sodium perborate is frequently used in powders. Moreover, some bleaches for colors feature optical brighteners. Similar to an invisible layer on fabrics, this component. It reflects light, enhancing the brightness of colors. While wool (the pile of the rug) can be destroyed or degraded by some bleaches, others have the opposite effect and can be used on cotton (fringes).
Mix the shampoo per the directions in a sizable dish of warm (not hot) tap water (sometimes it is better to half the concentration if you are worried about colour run or damage). The solution should be whisked until a lot of bubbles form. Gather some foam using a large sponge or cloth, then use it to clean a small area of the rug by dabbing and rubbing the surface in the pile-forward direction (run your hand across the surface of the rug to determine the direction of the piles which should feel resistance). Keep in mind that since you are primarily using the foam, the rug should hardly be damp. Stop immediately if the dye on your rug begins to run. If not, wait for 10-15 minutes and then repeat the process with the remaining rug. If you run out of foam, manufacture more using the same measurements and procedure as before.
Lastly, thoroughly clean the entire rug by removing and washing any shampoo residue with clean water and a nearly dry sponge. Change the water as necessary. If the rug is surface washed as directed, the back should not feel damp.
As bleaching can harm the fabrics, we do not advise cleaning the fringes by yourself. If you decide to do it, we advise placing the rug on a sloping surface because cleaning the fringes is a delicate process that should be handled with care to prevent solution contact with the rug. Use the same cleaning solution as above and a brush to clean the rug fringes if they are made of wool. Be as close to the rug's body as possible when applying the solution, then rinse well with water and pat dry with a cloth. A distinct combination of chemicals is needed to clean a rug with cotton fibers on the fringes. A large bowel of water, one tablespoon of chlorine bleach powder, and four tablespoons of hand-washing detergent make up the mixture. Cleaning the fringes with a brush and the solution, being careful once more not to get any of the mixture on the carpet pile. After leaving the bleach to work for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse the fringes as thoroughly as you can. To prevent browning, the rug fringes should be dried as quickly as possible. Keep in mind that the rug's main body should be dry in a few hours.
Sign of Caution:
A rug made entirely of silk should only be cleaned by a professional to avoid damaging it; however, a rug with only minor silk features may be cleaned without damaging it if it is colorfast.
Stop dusting/de-soiling the rug if you hear cracking or tearing noises from the rug while beating or shaking it.
Avoid cleaning the larger rugs (bigger than 8' x 12'); because of their sheer size, you may risk a back injury and it could be too hard to dry quickly enough without the right equipment.
When test washing a patch, stop if you observe color blending or start running.
Do not clean silk, antique, or other delicate rugs.
If you decided you do not want to take the risk or you see the caution signs above then contact a reputable handmade rug specialist and let them do it for you.
Storage
Rugs are best stored when they are firmly rolled, starting the roll from the side that is the opposite of the pile direction.
Use rope, twine, or ribbon to tie around the rug to stop it from unrolling. If more than three ropes are needed, make sure to space them evenly throughout the rug's breadth. The carpets should then be mothball-stuffed and covered in airtight polythene before being kept in a dry location.
Take a look at our guide on storing rugs
Repairs/Restorations
Farhad Rug Gallery offers professional rug restoration, cleaning and valuation/appraisal services for insurance purposes along with selling a one of the largest ranges of handmade rugs in the US.