You Should Not Let A Carpet Cleaner Wash Your Oriental Rugs
You should not let a carpet cleaner wash your oriental rugs. Many consumers have become familiar with the term “carpet cleansing” and are beginning to ask, “How do I know how often my rugs should be cleaned?” The first rule of thumb is, “wool rug cleaning should be done at least once a year, and in some cases, twice a year.” Cleaning a Persian rug more often may be necessary depending upon the particular type and design. When possible, it is recommended that full immersion cleaning is done as frequently as every six months.
It is important for fine wool rugs to be cleaned with care, as they can become damaged easily if not cleaned properly. The number one enemy in regards to fine area rugs, other than dirt, is a carpet cleaner with no training in orient or wool rug washing.
You Should Not Let A Carpet Cleaner Wash Your Oriental Rugs
You Should Not Let A Carpet Cleaner Wash Your Oriental Rugs.
Most carpet cleaners will likely advise you to let them clean your rug with the same machine and solution they used to clean your wall-to-wall carpeting. If you agree with them you should just kiss it goodbye. You shouldn’t ever let anyone steam clean your fine woolen rugs! Hot water and high alkaline washing solutions can damage or degrade the wool! The rug’s pH is very important when it is wet. Most dyes are acidic and when cleaned with a high pH the dye can migrate into other lighter colors. It is important to wash with a low pH shampoo, which is on the acidic side of the pH scale. These cleaners will help stabilize those dyes. Pretty much all wall-to-wall carpet detergents are highly alkaline.
WoolSafe® Cleaners
Most professional rug cleansers use a WoolSafe® shampoo to wash wool rugs. These shampoos have been tested by an independent association (WoolSafe®) and will keep your colors more stable when washing. However, it is very difficult to impossible to do a full immersion wash at your house. Professional rug washers have special equipment and spaces to properly wash wool carpets which includes getting out the dry dust first. If this crucial step is skipped that dust will turn to mud at the wash which will make it utterly impossible to get out. Then after washing they are able to rinse all of the soapy detergents out of the rug. If someone doesn’t know what they are doing they could ruin the rug with running dyes. Also, if the rug is not dried fast enough mold could destroy your treasured rug.
Furthermore, since you can extend the life of your Persian or wool area rug by frequent vacuuming it should be apparent that should the professional not get out all the dry dust before washing, your rug will dry with all that dust inside. That dust will scrape the wool fibers over time causing it a much shorter life. After a couple of years, your rug may not look as lustful. This would be a shame considering it was made to look great for many years. Of course, this is only the case if the rug had been treated with great care and maintenance. Persian, Chinese, and Pakistani carpets can only withstand so much filth and debris. You should not let a carpet cleaner wash your Oriental rugs.
Nice wool carpets come in a wide variety of colors. You should avoid selecting a rug in a color that will make your entire living room or kitchen look too busy. Instead, choose a rug that will complement the colors in your home. You also don’t need to worry about how much time you spend washing your rug as long as you take good care of it. Just set aside some time each week to vacuum your carpet to maintain its cleanliness and appearance and call a professional to have it washed every six to twelve months. The cleansing timing depends on the foot traffic, presence of kids, or especially pets in the household.
Finally, it should be no surprise that I am reminding you that you should not let a carpet cleaner wash your oriental rugs. Doesn’t it make sense not to go with a quick and cheap carpet cleaning? You spent a lot of money on this rug, or at least someone did. Spend some good money to keep them looking brilliant for years. You could also give us a call for a free rug inspection and cleaning estimate. Astrobrite Rug Cleaner
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