Traditional Steam Cleaning Methods May Damage Oriental Rugs.
Rug bleeds due to improper cleaning and no padding. The stain is permanent.
If your home features area rugs, such as Persian or Oriental rugs, and regular wall-to-wall carpet as floor coverings, be sure never to clean your area rugs like you would wall-to-wall carpeting.
Here’s why: Most wall-to-wall carpet in your home is manufactured by a machine using a synthetic material such as nylon. The carpet’s primary components are a face fiber held in place with latex adhesive and a plastic backing material.
Most quality Oriental area rugs are hand-knotted using natural fibers such as wool, silk or cotton and these rugs are held in place by carefully constructed “knots.” Many Oriental rugs also contain vegetable dyes that will “run” or migrate if cleaned with hot water or exposed to moisture without the dyes being set properly.
Cleaning wall-to-wall carpets
Most household wall-to-wall carpets lend themselves to steam cleaning from a carpet cleaning service because it is the simplest and fastest way to clean them. The carpet cleaning company will apply a standard carpet detergent and run a wand over it using high steam. This process works well for synthetic carpets, and in most cases, can be the “kiss of death” to natural fiber area rugs.
Giving area rugs special treatment
Most area rugs, particularly hand-knotted ones, are made entirely by hand from all-natural materials. It can take as little as a month or up to two years or longer to produce a single handmade Oriental rug.
The majority of Oriental rugs are woven with wool, a highly complex animal fiber. If you look at this textile under a microscope, you will see that wool fibers have scales and hundreds of small crevices that can trap soil.
Unlike wall-to-wall carpeting whose face fibers are held together by glue and a plastic backing, hand-knotted Oriental area rugs held together by a series of strands tied into knots. This means to get an Oriental rug 100-percent clean, it must be cleaned all the way through, not just on the surface, which is how steam cleaning carpet is performed.
To properly clean Oriental hand woven rugs, Oriental Rug Salon fully submerges them using a specialized bath and cool water. By submerging rugs, and washing them by hand, we can flush deep-set contaminates from the foundation of the rug thereby preserving its life and beauty.
Area Rugs and Carpet Cleaning Companies
Quality area rugs can be made of many natural fibers such as wool, silk, cotton, jute, and others, which means cleaning them is a custom job every time. A carpet cleaning company cannot perform proper rug cleaning in a customers home by merely running a steam machine over the front of the rug. At best, that type of cleaning would be a cosmetic “surface clean” and only temporary; at worst, it could cause irreversible damage.
Hiring A Professional Rug Cleaning Specialist
Your natural fiber area rugs are a one-of-a-kind investment, so don’t trust their cleaning and care to some kid on commission.
Do your homework and look for a rug cleaner with the education, experience, and expertise to care for your rugs safely.
Oriental Rug Salon is SW Florida’s most respected Oriental rug cleaning and repair company serving clients nationwide. We are a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the International Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). In addition, we are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau and a four-year-in-a-row-winner of the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award.
A lot of love and sweat goes into weaving beautiful area rugs. A thoroughly exhaustive hand washing at the hands of a professional will ensure they maintain their beauty for many generations.
If we can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to give Oriental Rug Salon a call anytime and ask to speak with the rug master. We can be reached online at www.OrientalRugSalon.com or give us a call at 239-424-8171 – Lee and Collier County or 941-893-1655 – Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, and Sarasota Fl.
Please LIKE US on Facebook to receive tips and money-saving coupons on cleaning services and repairs. Our Facebook address is: https://www.facebook.com/OrientalRugSalon/
Oriental rug cleaning | Wool area rug cleaning | Silk area rug cleaning | Area rug cleaning | Damage to Oriental rug | Carpet cleaners and Oriental rugs | Oriental Rug Cleaning SW Florida | Angie’s List | Better Business Bureau | IICRC | CRI | Oriental rug bleeding
Oriental Rug Salon provides Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning services throughout the cities of: Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Captiva, Useppa, Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Punta Gorda, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Alva, Buckingham, Matlacha, Saint James City, Bokeelia
