Rug Maintenance

Ongoing Maintenance – What Can You Do To Preserve Your Rug’s Beauty?

Vacuum Frequently

Remember that soil and dust particles are acting like tiny razor blades sawing away at the fibers of your rug when you walk on it. Try to vacuum often, and avoid the fringes. (The fringes in most cases are an extension of the foundation of your rug. You want to avoid damage to the fringes). Upright vacuums can also cause damage to the body and the fringe.

Rotate Your Rug

It is important to rotate your rug to avoid continually walking over the same spots (remember the soil and dust acting like tiny scabbards). You should also be on the lookout for sun fade, which can be mitigated to some degree by rotation – although sun fade is something you want to try to avoid altogether.

Try to Avoid Sun Fade

Sun fade is very difficult to correct, if not impossible. When you move, or when you purchase a new rug, you should be conscious of how the light from your windows will affect the rug. Be particular about skylights. Also be aware that you may not see a full day’s effect if you are not home during the day to observe how the light falls at different times.
We advocate a coating for your windows which will block much of the harmful rays. We have had this done in our own home. If this is not possible, consider curtains and shades. Once the rug becomes faded unevenly, it is virtually impossible to even out the color.

Inspect Regularly

Particularly if any part of your rug is under furniture or in a dark area, you should inspect periodically for moths. Moths will generally be evident by their casings, which look like grains of rice. You should look at the rug carefully for evidence of insects.

Address Emergencies Immediately

All oriental repair work is expensive because it is time-consuming and very labor-intensive. It is, therefore, important that any damage to your rug be addressed sooner rather than later. It is safe to say that time is the enemy of oriental rugs. The longer a damaged area goes unrepaired, the longer a spill or animal accident remains on the rug, the longer your rug goes with moths eating away at it, the harder it will be to correct, and in some cases, the stains will not come out and/or the repairs will be very costly.

Never Put a Potted Plant on Your Rug

If you place a potted plant on your rug, you are asking for certain trouble. We have seen many rugs sustained major damage from this practice. It is virtually impossible to ensure that moisture will not make its way to the rug, and the carpet will rot out from this moisture. This is an extremely expensive repair. If you value your rug, never ever put a potted plant on it.

Rules for Rug Storage

If, due to a move or remodel or some other reason, you need to roll your rug up for storage, you must have it cleaned first. Then the rug should be wrapped in a breathable, archival type paper – never plastic – for storage. The practice of rolling up a dirty rug and placing it a garage or some other dark spot is like advertising a free, open bar rock concert to moths. They love dirty wool in dark places. They will eat holes throughout the rug. This is also a time-consuming and costly repair.

The Truth about Rugs and Animals

Most of the damage we see to oriental rugs comes from puppies, dogs and cats. There is a very short window period in which to address urine on a rug before it turns to a permanent stain or fading. The Ph in urine can ruin the dye in the rug as well as permanently fade it. Also, we have seen many rugs damaged by chewing on the corners and the fringe. It is, therefore, our strong advice that if you get a new puppy, notice urine, or if you get a new rug when you have a young dog, that you store the rug away from the dog’s reach until it is old enough to be housetrained and out of the chewing stage.

Enjoy Your Rug!

Although this advice may impart the feeling that your rug is fragile and requires a lot of care, the opposite is true. Oriental rugs are extremely durable and will last a lot longer than wall-to-wall carpeting if you take care of them. This is essentially: wash them periodically, vacuum, and keep them away from harmful sunlight, moths and your young animals. You will be able to enjoy your rug for your lifetime.
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