Rug Care

A Brief History of Oriental Rugs

What the Western world calls an Oriental “rug” is actually much more versatile to their cultures of origin. Rugs in their home countries do cover floors, but they also hang from walls, from ceilings and they cover furniture. While the rugs of ancient Persia are rightly praised and have much to do with the fame of this product, households of all cultures have produced thick fabrics for domestic use and for sale. All of these were designed to be walked on, sat on, and more, so caring for them properly and keeping them clean has long been a historical priority.

Wool — the Primary Fabric of Oriental Rugs

When talking about wool, its best to remember the purpose it serves on sheep! Wool keeps a sheep warm, protects it from the elements and is naturally strong and durable. After shearing, the wool grows right back, just like the hair on our heads. Since sheep have served as a commodity in many cultures, wool has been available for fabrics since before records were kept. People have certainly come to appreciate the same things about wool that keep a sheep happy and comfortable! What’s more, a history of dyed wool would be very long indeed, as it stays colorfast for long periods with dyes from many different sources. Wool is economical, accessible, resilient and durable. Still, like all fibrous materials, it needs care, cleaning and occasional repair.

Oriental Rug Cleaning and Maintenance

It is best to clean your rug professionally every one to three years, depending on traffic patterns and habits in your house or business. Proper maintenance keeps the colors of a rug looking original, keeps the fibers soft, pliable and durable, and allows a rug to last beyond your own lifetime. Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar provides cleaning services for your rug collection.

When to Rotate Your Oriental Rug

Rugs must be rotated regularly! Two factors are important to consider: foot traffic and sunlight. If even a portion of a rug is in direct sunlight or if it receives regular, heavy traffic, it should be rotated at least every six months. For rugs away from sunlight and in light traffic, every two years is a minimum — perhaps after every cleaning.

Vacuuming Your Oriental Rug

Vacuuming is essential for the health of your rug and its fibers. This removes dirt, hair, dust and microbes from the material, preserving its freshness and cleanliness. Excessive suction should be avoided with all handmade fabrics and your rugs are no exception. If your rug has a fringe, never vacuum the fringe! Vacuuming fringe destroys it over time. Instead, sweep any dust and particles from the fringe in order to keep it neat.

Underlayment for Oriental Rugs

The underlayment is an essential part of keeping a rug properly maintained. Think of a rug as a house and the underlayment as a foundation. You should never have one without the other. Underlayment supports the rug, adds comfort to its use, keeps it from bunching and extends the life of the rug and the flooring underneath. We strongly recommend this relatively inexpensive necessity for every rug. Underlayment is naturally available from Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar.

Restoring Oriental Rugs

With such a lengthy history for wool carpets and rugs, professionals have learned over time how to repair most problems in Oriental rugs. Insect damage, wear damage, tears, burns, stains — many of these issues can be dealt with by experts available through Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar. Another method of handling damaged vintage rugs is overdying. You can talk to us about this technique and whether the rug you have would work well with this process.

What is Sprouting?

Did you know that rugs occasionally “sprout”? Fortunately, we do not mean that they start growing grass, flowers or beans. A handmade rug has thousands of individual strands of wool yarn. On occasion, one may rise up a little higher than the others in the rug pile. Do not pull the strand out! Simply get a pair of scissors to carefully clip the wool sprout so it’s the same height as its neighbors.

How to Remove Rug Stains

First off, if you are not supremely confident in your stain removal abilities, we do not recommend removing a stain on your own. Of course, when you’ve just spilled a glass of wine or Junior has left a felt tip marker on the rug, you may want to do something right away. Always feel free to call us at Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar for advice. For after hours, here are the basics:

When removing stains, the first rule is don’t make things worse! Always work from the outside edge of the stain to the center, otherwise you risk spreading the stain pigments.
For old stains that dried long ago, the process is wet, blot to dry, and repeat. It can take many repetitions to remove stains. The best stain removers for specific stains are discussed later on this page.

Items for a Rug Stain Removal Kit

Many rug owners keep a stain removal kit handy in the event of an accident. For stain removal you need:

Clean cloths or rags for blotting away stains and stain remover,
Paper towels are also handy,
A clothes brush,
Mild detergent without bleach or alkali,
White vinegar (not red!),
Dry cleaning fluid,
Weak ammonia (in a 7% solution)
Clean sponges,
Alcohol (not Jim Beam, either),
Glycerin,
A can of hair spray (keep away from open flame!)

How to Clean Rug Stains

1. Work fast — don’t get distracted by multi-tasking!
2. Use paper towels or clean cloths to blot, not rub or scrub out, any excess liquid. Blotting removes stains, scrubbing and rubbing spreads stains around or forces them deeper into the fabric.
3. Use our suggestions below to select the right cleaning solution and with a clean cloth (not the one you used for blotting), work from the edge to the center of the stain. Do not soak the object with cleaner, merely blot it.
4. Pat with paper towels to remove excess fluids.
5. Dry the area with a fan or hair dryer.
6. Gently brush the spot with a clothes brush to restore the appearance of the pile.
7. It may be necessary to treat the rug more than once. If you see no improvement after multiple repetitions, it’s time to call the rug cleaning professionals at Kamran’s Oriental Rug Bazaar, if you have not done so already.

Removing Wax from Rugs

Cover the wax with clean white tissue paper or a brown paper bag. Set an iron to medium hot and lightly place the iron on the paper. You don’t have to press! You are not removing wrinkles, just wax. The paper will absorb the melting wax. If some wax is left on the rug, repeat this step with new paper until the wax is fully removed. Do not let the iron stay in one place for long or your wax stain becomes a burn stain, or possibly a fire! Again, this is not a stain that allows for multi-tasking!

Removing Ink from Rugs

Saturate the ink with hair spray and allow the spot to dry. Brush on a weak solution of white vinegar and water.

Removing Glue from Rugs

Saturate the glue with a cloth soaked in alcohol or white vinegar.

Removing Gum from Rugs

Hold ice cubes against the gum until it becomes hard. Remove the gum with fingers, but avoid pulling out the individual wool yarns. If any stubborn spots remain, use spot remover to eliminate the last remnants. Blot dry.

If you still don’t find the stain you need to fix there, call Kamran’s immediately and we will provide you with a solution, based on four generations of family experience with rug and carpet stains.