Just as the creation of a fine Oriental rug is the culmination of techniques developed over centuries, so is the art of keeping your rug clean and preserving its value. At Persian Rug Galleries, our methods of cleaning your Oriental rug are rooted in the time-honored traditions still followed in many parts of the world. Yes, we use the most modern of tools when appropriate - but never at the expense of saving time or losing our careful attention to detail, the cornerstone of our cleaning process.
Not everyone can do this
You may hear that you shouldn't have your Oriental rug cleaned - that the rug could be damaged or even lose value in the process. That may be true, but only if the rug isn't cleaned properly. Truth is, proper care of a fine Oriental rug includes periodic professional cleaning. In fact, it's essential if the beauty and value of the rug will last for generations to come.
Not everyone can do this, which is one of the reasons we've developed our very own rug-cleaning department. We want to service what we sell. So if you buy a rug from us, every three to five years you'll get a postcard reminding you it's time to consider having the rug cleaned to preserve its value and beauty.
At Persian Rug Galleries, we put a lot of time and care into cleaning each Oriental rug entrusted to us. I love explaining to customers how we do our work, and I'd like to walk you through the process so you understand it.
Dusting and washing
First, we carefully and thoroughly beat the rug from the front and the back using commercial dusters and beaters to remove dirt from the rug. There's no time limit to this process - we'll keep at it until the dirt stops coming out. This process is the key to your rug lasting a long time because dirt acts like a razor blade to the wool and the knots deep in your rug. If it's not periodically removed, it will gradually destroy what holds your rug together.
After that, the rug is placed in a washing tub and all stains are pre-spotted and treated if necessary. We then fill the tub with cold water. A mild soap is used to wash the rug, which is scrubbed with brushes and hand-held orbital washers for about 15 minutes. The tub is then drained and rug is rinsed with clean cold water. The carpet pile is then combed in one direction, and the fringes are hand-washed with soft brushes and rinsed thoroughly. Any spots that require additional attention are then spot-cleaned with appropriate cleaning agents and thoroughly rinsed again. Entire carpets are rewashed if necessary.
Dry, but no heat
Carpets are then moved to the drying area, a critical phase in proper cleaning and care for fine Oriental rugs. The goal is to dry them with as little effect as possible on the rug's fabrics and materials, and that takes time. We don't use heated air to dry rugs because it would cause the woolen fibers to become more brittle and your rug would wear out more quickly. (It's the same thing that happens when you blow-dry your hair - but while your hair grows back, your rug can't grow new fibers.) We do, however, use fans to circulate room temperature air around the rugs to help the drying process. Also, we don't hang rugs to dry because gravity will pull down the residual water and there's a chance the colors might run. Instead, rugs are always placed flat to dry.
Only when rugs are inspected and found to be thoroughly dry are they rolled and readied for shipment back to their owner. Even following this careful process, we can usually clean your rugs and have them back to you in two weeks.
100 rugs every three to five days
If this sounds like a lot of trouble, it is. But the results speak for themselves - our cleaning services have proven so popular that in 1998 we had to expand our cleaning plant into another building here in downtown Nashua. We can now clean rugs at the rate of 100 every three to five days, though with the same care and attention to detail we've always used. I'm proud to say we clean rugs from all over New England - from as far away as Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut.
Cost and questions
If you're interested in finding out more about our cleaning services, give us a call at (603) 882-5604 or 1 (800) 225-0688. The cost usually ranges from $1.20 to $1.80 per square foot - we'll gladly talk to you about cleaning your rug. If you're a long distance away, I'll be honest about what the time and effort involved in transporting the rug will add to the cost. If you do call, try to have ready the following information:
- The exact size of the rug.
- Whether or not it will be rolled for pick-up.
- Any big moving jobs such as pianos or other heavy items.
- The color and patterns of the rug.
All of these are variables in us quoting a price for cleaning your rugs. Because we emphasize service, we'll gladly do any heavy moving, so we need to know how many hands we'll need to get the job done. Also, color is a factor - an ivory rug, for example, is more difficult to clean thoroughly than a rug with predominantly dark colors.
– Sy Mahfuz
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