Spills

Accidents do happen! Just act quickly when you see that dark blotch on your prized rug spreading. Mop up excess moisture with paper towel, get a clean sponge or rag, wet it and rub the area vigorously, especially around the edges of the spill. When you have removed the greater part of the spill, mop dry with paper towel again and leave to dry. If the wet area is very large, then allow some air circulation under the rug so that it will dry faster, a piece of wood or broom handle raising the rug off the floor will help - however, it is best if the wet area is as flat as possible, so insert the wood at one end of the wet area right across the width of the rug.

If there is any stain left when dry, take the rug to a professional oriental rug trader, who should be able to offer a cleaning service, either in-house or by a specialist oriental rug cleaner. As long as you know what caused the stain, it is usually possible to remove it, but it is a job for someone who knows what to do. If, after proper cleaning the stain should remain, then it is always possible to re-weave the damaged area.

Normal cleaning

You can vacuum rugs, but beware of the fringes disappearing into it! It is preferable to take the rug outside and beat it to remove dirt, but this is not always practical.

You can surface wash a rug yourself, but don't let the rug get too wet at any stage. Best done outside in the sunshine so that it dries quickly. Take a bucket of tepid water and use a soap solution for wool (not more than 2 teaspoons per bucket) and add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the soap and water, this helps stabilize colours. Take a scrubbing brush and scrub the surface of the rug, then take a clean rag with some clean water and rub over the surface again. Leave flat to dry, preferably on a hard surface.

Dangers of washing a rug yourself: if you use too much water, the rug takes too long to dry, and can cause uneven shrinkage so that you have an undulating rug instead of a flat one. Unstable colours can bleed into one another during the drying process. If in doubt as to whether colours are stable, take a clean white rag, wet it, then rub each colour individually, if any colour comes off on the rag, do not attempt to wash it yourself.

It is usually better to take your rug to a specialist oriental rug cleaner who knows how to wash rugs. It is not advisable to take handmade rugs to dry cleaners (unless there is no other option), as they use powerful chemicals that remove natural oils from the wool leaving your rug limp and floppy.

Restoration

A skilled restorer can fix most rug problems, including holes, worn areas, tears, replacing fringes, curling corners, stretching so that a rug lies flat, etc. Every restoration job is unique - because every handmade rug is unique, therefore it is important to show the rug to the restorer so that he/she may give you a quote.

If in any doubt as to the quality of work of the restorer, ask to see some examples of restoration work carried out by them, a good restorer will be only too happy to show you the miracles that can be performed.

If you live in London or the south of England, then look no further for your cleaning and restoration needs, here is the link to a very skilled and knowledgeable restorer, his name is Anas:

website: www.theorientalruggallery.co.uk/

email: rugs@theorientalruggallery.co.uk/

If you need any cleaning or restoration done in Spain, then contact Lloyd Rowcroft, he is situated near Marbella in San Pedro de Alcantara:

website: www.oldorientalcarpet.com/

 email:  ldrowcroft@gmail.com          

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