Hi friends,
Nish here. This is part three of "Exploring the Benefits of Owning a Designer Rug - Do You Really Need One?"
Todays article will tell you how easy it is to maintain hand-knotted wool and wool & silk rugs.
As per the previous article, some of the reasons for owning a premium rug included:
1. Noise Reduction: Creating Serenity in Sound
2. Easy Transformation: A Quick Refresh for Your Space
It may be counter-intuitive for some, but spending a bit more on your designer rug in the beginning, creates less headache in the future. In other words, designer rugs are low-maintenance elegance. Style without stress. Isn't that what we all want?!
Cleaning premium hand-knotted wool and silk rugs is simpler than caring for some flooring materials and/or machine made rugs - aka cheap Ruggables, vinyl planks, porous wood, etc.
Some Action Steps to maintain your new rug:
A.) Once-a-week vacuuming (only vacuums without the "beater bar", as you would for hard-wood floors) is important in preventing dirt and crumbs from getting embedded into the bottom of the pile, which can speed up the wear of a carpet.
B.) Rotate your carpet once-a-year so that fading from sunlight and wear is more even.
C.) Address spills immediately, blotting with damp cloth. For most spills, the lanolin in our premium hand-spun wool acts as a natural repellant.
D.) Red wine, coffee and animal stains require immediate attention, as they the most difficult to remove.
An Aside: Once you see tears developing, holes, dog bites or fringe coming off - have it repaired before it gets too large and too late. Ends and sides are first to show wear. However, it all can be fixed with a professional restorer.
Overall, have faith in your hard working hand-knotted rug. It's one of the most indestructible items you will ever buy in this lifetime.
After 3-5 years, occasional professional cleaning is all it takes to maintain its allure.
This low-maintenance aspect adds to their appeal.
What happens if you have a really bad stain ?
Let's delve deeper into professional rug cleaning:
Professional cleaning of hand-knotted rugs begins with a deep understanding of the materials from which they are made. Whether they are made of luxurious fine silk, durable wool, or a blend of the two, each type of rug requires an individualized approach to cleaning.
The true art of hand-knotted rug cleaning is the attention to details. Each knot, weave, and fringe is carefully inspected and treated individually.
Repairing any damage, securing loose threads and eliminating wear and tear requires a keen eye and a skilled hand. The goal is not just cleanliness, but restoration of the carpet's former beauty.
Our Professional Rug Cleaning Procedure:
1. Carpet is laid out, measured, vacuumed front and back and inspected for soil level and wear, staining, country of origin, dye type, pile fabric and backing material. Direction of pile is also noted.
2. A solution of warm (not hot) non-chlorinated water and ph-controlled mild detergent is applied to the carpet and, using a variety of specialized tools, stains are gently brushed out. Solution is removed after several minutes using strong suction with a hand-tool. Procedure is repeated as necessary.
3. Stains not removed by washing are treated accordingly. Stain removal products are flushed out using cleaning procedure outlined in (2).
4. Carpet is rinsed as necessary with a neutral to mildly acidic solution to set dyes and remove detergent residue. Pile direction is returned to original using hand-grooming and brushing.
5. Carpet is hung and fan dried at room temperature. Carpet is re-positioned several times during drying to avoid creasing or bending.
6. When dry, the rug is hand-brushed to return softness to pile. Carpet is thoroughly inspected and re-cleaned/re-spotted as required.
7. Fringes are hand-cleaned separately. Most cotton fringes are PH-Sensitive and require special attention.
This information is general in nature. Each hand-knotted rug is unique, with its own set of characteristics, patterns and features.
Exotic materials - such as linen, viscose, bamboo etc, cannot be cleaned in this manner and must be handled using techniques developed over 35 + years of cleaning experience.
Certain dye techniques differ from country to country. Indo Designer Rugs uses mostly high-quality Swiss dyes that don't bleed. Some dyes react to cleaning and spotting solutions and must be identified prior to cleaning.
Professional carpet cleaners recognize the importance of a customized approach, selecting cleaning methods according to the specific needs of each rug.
Preserving and restoring high quality carpets requires a balance between expertise, respect for tradition and a commitment to meticulous care.
Professional carpet cleaners play an important role in ensuring that these masterpieces continue to grace our homes with authenticity for generations to come.
Indo is happy offer this cleaning service to you. Please give us a call at 403.229.0156 for a quote.
Ciao for now.
Nish
P.S. The next part of this series will be the overall investment of buying one. Talk to you soon :)
P.P.S. Join our Email Rug Club to get even more juicy information on our latest arrivals.
