Handwoven Oriental and Persian area rugs are beautiful and probably woven by a family whose livelihood has been dedicated to rug making for decades. In many instances, rug making is their only source of income, and because of this "labor of love," these artisans can produce masterpieces that adorn homes worldwide. An 8X10 handwoven wool area rug can take eight or more months of dedication to complete. Due to the density of wool and silk area rugs, you should have them cleaned every 2-5 years to maintain their beauty and value. Oriental, Persian, and other wool and silk rugs can quickly accumulate dirt, dust, pollen, pet hair, and other allergens. Due to their construction, they quite effectively hide contaminates, leaving the face yarns and foundation vulnerable to damage before appearing [...]

Oriental Rug Salon's reputation as one of the leading traditional hand-washing providers of Oriental and Persian rugs in SW Florida has been earned through years of experience. The wash process begins with a deep-rooted understanding of the traditional craftsmanship and materials that go into each unique textile, allowing us to provide exceptional care. With experience and certification, coupled with the knowledge of identifying a rug's history, dye composition, and condition, our craftsmen deliver a cleaning process specific to each rug. Persian and Oriental Rug Cleaning Oriental Rug Salon uses traditional methods to achieve the best results when cleaning rugs and carpets, ensuring that the natural oils in the woven wool and silk are maintained throughout the washing process. Our cleaning solutions are safe for wool and silk area rugs, and [...]

It all began with the Prophet Mohammed, who prayed on a “khumrah”, a mat made of palm fronds. In Islam, a prayer mat is placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer. These involve kneeling and sitting on the rug. A Muslim must perform wudu (ablution) before worship and pray in a clean place. The primary indicator of a prayer rug is the “Mihrab” – a niche motif woven into the upper end of the rug that indicates where the devotee places one’s head during his five times a day prayer. The “mihrab” design is intended as a replica of the “qibla,” an archway in the wall of every Mosque that denotes the direction of Mecca. This motif indicates where each practitioner [...]

As a leading Oriental and Persian rug cleaning, repair, and appraisal company serving clients throughout the United States, Oriental Rug Salon is often presented with "myths" from rug owners concerning the value of a rug. Often a client will purchase from a rug or furniture retailer and "think" they got a good deal because the rug was initially priced at, let's say, $10,000, and the retailer is now offering 40% off. The $10K rug is now $6K; what a deal, right? In many cases, the $6K price is more than the actual value of the rug. In a world of knots per square inch (KPSI), handwoven versus tufted, antique versus brand new, and Indian versus Persian, its easy for a rug buyer to be met with a sea of confusion [...]

Why We Test Every Rug We Clean On an annual basis, Oriental Rug Salon receives dozens of Oriental, Persian, Turkish, and a variety of wool and silk area rugs from rug owners, carpet cleaning companies, and even Oriental rug cleaners due to improper cleaning. The most common problem is that the rug's dyes have migrated or "bled" into other rug colors, causing a tie-dyed effect. Occasionally a rug owner will take matters into their own hands and improperly spot treat an area on their rug, causing an even bigger problem due to dyes migrating. Carpet cleaning companies also decide they're "rug cleaning professionals" and improperly clean an area rug in a client's home or in their company's parking lot, either destroying it or causing severe dye migration. Why Oriental Rugs [...]

The above picture is the debris dislodged from a 6X9 Tabriz wool area rug AFTER it was power vacuumed. Without a "Badger" Your Area Rug Simply Isn't Clean Dusting is the most critical stage in area rug cleaning! This process cannot be performed in a client's home, and anyone, including carpet cleaners, who skips this step is simply not cleaning your rug correctly. One study has shown that an 8ft x 10ft wool rug can hold as much as 75 pounds of soil & other contaminates deep down in the fibers before it will appear dirty! How much dirt do you think your rug is hiding? Why is it important? Wool is a porous fiber, much like human hair. Like hair, air pollutants, dust, dirt, and other grime can make [...]

As an Oriental and Persian cleaning, repair, and appraisal company, Oriental Rug Salon has met too many people who’ve had the wool pulled over their eyes by unscrupulous rug sellers. One client, for instance, came to our facility with what she thought was a rare antique Persian rug. She paid $11,000 for it at auction, where she was told it had once belonged to Persian royalty. Upon our evaluation, which included a historical, auction, and other data points, we informed her that not only did she overpay for the area rug, the story about belonging to Persian royalty was made up. The rug was an Indian carpet she could have purchased anywhere for $1,500. For uninformed buyers, it’s easy to be taken for a ride on an Oriental rug. [...]

TAKE a look down there, below your feet. There may be an Oriental carpet, finely woven, perhaps 50 or more years old. It may be a treasured heirloom or a valuable purchase worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. It could be recently purchased, or you've had it for years and want to maintain its beauty. Yet you lay it on the floor and walk on it day in and day out. The children spill juice on it, the dog has accidents, and the cats claw it when nobody is around. Luckily, Oriental Rug Salon has the expertise to clean away those spills and accidents while restoring the look and feel of your treasured area rug. We specialize in making rugs look phenomenal again. That's all we do. [...]

From above, the carpet fields of Dosemealti, Turkey, may look like tulip fields, but what you are seeing is tens of thousands of rugs laid out to bask in the summer sun. The strong sunshine and the Mediterranean humid nights are put to work, fading the vivid dyes of handwoven rugs from around the world into the pastel colors preferred by many westerners. Each summer, tens of thousands of handwoven rugs are sent to Dosemealti to be cleaned, treated, and repaired from around the world. They are then laid out in fields of over 500 acres, creating a patchwork of beautiful colors. After a month bathing in the summer sun and humidity, the rugs soften, and dyes fade. The carpets are then dusted and ready to be shipped back to [...]

At Oriental Rug Salon, we use a cleaning system called “immersion rug washing.” Rugs are laid flat on our wash table, then gently agitated with the appropriate cleaning solutions, and then squeegeed until the water comes out 100% clear. In some instances, the rug may bleed due to rogue dyes or pet urine issues, and in this instance, these dyes are controlled through chemistry and then flooded with cold water to ensure no dye migration occurs. We can often fix previously damaged rugs that have dye bleed issues. Restoring The Art You Walk On Although Oriental Rug Salon specializes in cleaning Oriental, Persian, and handmade rugs, we can clean all rug types, even rugs that are not considered Oriental rugs. Regardless of the rug type, all rugs are washed individually, [...]