Cleaning your carpet, rugs and upholstery takes considerable time and care to avoid damage. Improper cleaning techniques—and worse, the use of incorrect chemicals—can lead to irreversible staining or wear. This level of care is even more important when dealing with oriental rugs, which are much more precious and sensitive.
Oriental rugs are typically hand woven from silk, cotton and rayon natural fibers, which makes them different from other types of rugs commonly seen in the average American home today. One of the biggest mistakes homeowners can make when attempting oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ is to use certain chemicals on them.
Some chemicals will discolor the beautiful, rich dyes in your rug, while others can damage the natural fibers. Be wary of using these types of chemicals on your oriental rugs
Bleach
Bleach is extremely bad for oriental rugs because it has the power to damage their delicate fibers. Additionally, even though oriental rugs are known to be resistant to fading, they stand no chance against bleach and its discoloring powers.
Many household cleaning supplies contain sneaky amounts of bleach, so be sure to check labels before applying any cleaners on stains, and stay away from those that are bleach-based.
Ammonia
Ammonia is another strong chemical that can damage your rug. This is because it has a high pH that does not bode well for natural fibers like silk, wool or cotton. Although ammonia may be used to treat other kinds of rugs, owners of oriental rugs should steer clear.
Non-neutral detergents
Any detergent or cleaner that is above an 8 or below a 6 on the pH scale is probably not ideal for your oriental rugs. Extremely acidic or extremely basic chemicals will damage the natural fibers in the rug and potentially discolor them.
Instead of choosing cleaners, find a mild detergent that is as close to neutral on the pH scale as possible.
Hot water or steam
Although it is not technically a chemical cleaner, water can be as dangerous to your oriental rugs as bleach or ammonia can. Hot water and steam have the ability to damage the natural fibers in your rug, which is why you should not steam the rug or put it in the washing machine. Cold water is the correct choice when cleaning oriental rugs.
Additionally, water can cause other damage if you don’t dry the rug thoroughly. Water sitting in an oriental rug can cause mildew to form. Use a shop vac to remove excess water after cleaning, or lay the rug outside in the sun to dry completely before putting it back inside your home.
Choose a professional cleaner for the best care
Rather than take a risk on household cleaners or detergents and attempt to clean your oriental rug on your own, trust the professional cleaners at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. Our team of carpet cleaners is adept at oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ, so you know your precious rug will be in good hands. Trusting a professional is a safer and more convenient way to get your rug back into pristine condition.
We also offer carpet, upholstery, tile, grout and hardwood cleaning. Call today for a free estimate!
Authentic Oriental rugs are painstakingly hand-woven, and have been for more than 2,000 years. You might have an oriental rug, but how much do you really know about it? Below, experienced local providers of rug cleaning services in South Amboy, NJ will give a brief overview of the history of Oriental rugs.
The definition of Oriental rugs
The simplest way to define Oriental rugs is that they are carpets hand-woven only in parts of Asia—some of the biggest Oriental rug exporters are China, Turkey, India, Russia, Tibet, Nepal and Pakistan. What about Persian rugs? Persian rugs are indeed in the Oriental rug category, as they are made in Iran. A Persian rug is characterized by its unusually thick pile, distinct knotting technique, unique designs and rich color combinations. They are known throughout the world for offering a variety of color, size, design and weave. Every rug is unique.
Oriental rugs through the years
The oldest hand woven rug dates back to 500 B.C. and was discovered in Iran, but back then the area was known as ancient Persia. This Pazyryk carpet/rug demonstrates an advanced weaving technique, which adds more excitement on top of the fact that it’s the oldest hand-knotted Oriental rug known in existence.
As far as documentation of the existence of Persian rugs and carpets is concerned, the first documented evidence came from Chinese texts dating back to 224-642 C.E., the Sassanid period. In addition, historical records indicate that the Achaemenid court of Cyrus the Great was decorated with Oriental rugs well over 2,500 years ago.
Textiles and designs
Although wool is the most common type of fiber used for making Oriental rugs, some rug makers may choose to work with other materials like silk, cotton and nylon. The fact that wool is spill- and stain-resistant is why the majority of Oriental rugs are still handcrafted from wool, making it the number one choice of all the fibers out there. These characteristics allow wool rugs to stay clean longer, and they are easier to clean after a spill than other fibers.
Another interesting fact about Oriental rugs is that their design is geared around symbolism. Traditionally and in early times of Oriental rug making, the most authentic designs purposely reflected where a particular rug was created. Skilled rug makers would, and still do, weave in the colors, shapes and patterns they observed in their surroundings and that related to their culture. This means historians can trace a rug’s origins simply by decoding its design.
Oriental rugs can be shaken and beaten to remove dust and other fine, dry particles as needed, but it should not be wet cleaned too often. When your rug does need a deep cleaning, take it to a company that specializes in Oriental rug cleaning services in South Amboy, NJ, like Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. We inspect, dust, wash, dry and re-inspect every rug that comes to us. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our services, or just bring your rug to our shop!
Oriental rugs make lovely additions to any home or office by adding color, life and originality to a space as floor coverings or wall hangings. But over time, they will become dirty, soiled or stained, whether due to everyday use or accidents. That means your rugs will eventually need to be cleaned to remain looking pretty and bright. When it comes to oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ, it’s imperative that you clean it the right way to prevent permanent damage or total destruction.
So, here’s an excellent question about oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ: can certain cleaning methods ruin your oriental rugs? Yes, they can! Below are the most important costly mistakes that you need to avoid when cleaning your oriental rugs.
Taking rugs to a dry cleaner
Most of us know the benefits of having delicate clothing made of certain materials dry cleaned instead of washing them at home. However, this is not recommended for oriental rugs, even though some dry cleaners advertise that their services can remove stains and take dirt off of rugs. Dry cleaning often relies on harsh chemicals that, once on your rug, can warp fibers and spell disaster, especially if the rug is made of wool or silk. Leave oriental rug cleaning to professionals who specialize in their care and treatment.
Frequent vacuuming and steam cleaning
Try not to vacuum oriental rugs too often. In fact, the pros suggest vacuuming only once or twice a month, so you may not want to lay your rug down in a high traffic area. When you do vacuum it, make sure the beater bar is set high to avoid the rug fibers getting sucked up into the vacuum cleaner.
While standard area rugs can be steam cleaned, it is not the right cleaning method for oriental rugs. Most oriental rugs are either wool or silk, both of which can sustain damage when hot water, steam and cleaning chemicals from steam cleaning machines come into contact with them.
Using cleaners with bleach
Don’t panic if you find a stain on your oriental rug—and definitely don’t reach for a carpet cleaning spray. Using a standard household cleaning spray on delicate oriental rugs is one of the worst things you can do, especially since a lot of household cleaners contain bleach. Bleach will discolor any type of fabric and damage the fibers of oriental rugs. Along the same lines, many non-bleach cleaners can also cause serious surface damage.
Putting rugs in the washing machine
You know that keeping your oriental rugs in good condition requires sweeping and washing them on occasion. But what you don’t want to do is put these handcrafted, delicate items in the washing machine! Fine materials like wool and silk will almost certainly come out of the machine with irreparable damage. With proper care and maintenance, your oriental rugs can last years, while improper maintenance like machine washing can have a tremendous impact on their lifespan.
Call the team at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center for the most reliable and professional oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ!
Oriental rugs and Persian rugs are considered works of art and collected by many people across the globe. Even though they cost a lot more, these precious rugs are ultimately just like the rest of the rugs in your home in that they get dirty over time. Unlike the rest of the carpeting and rugs in your home, though, you can’t just run the vacuum over them every couple of weeks when you think they’re a bit dirty. They need to be cared for on a regular basis. Continue reading to learn a bit about Oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ and why it’s a better idea to let a pro handle your cleaning needs.
Cleaning wool rugs
Vacuuming is the first step in cleaning wool rugs. Keep in mind, however, that household vacuums can damage wool rugs if they’re used incorrectly. Our method is a little different. We begin by slowly running a vacuum along the front and back of your wool rug three times; this will lift a good portion of the dust and debris. After it’s been vacuumed, we’ll mist your rug with a mixture of special rug cleaner and water. Next, we’ll shampoo the rug. Once we’ve carefully finished shampooing the rug, we’ll clean the fringe, which requires a sponge or special rug cleaning brush. Once your rug is nice and clean, we’ll hang it up to dry and give you a call when it’s ready for pickup.
Why hire a professional?
As you can see, cleaning an wool Oriental rug isn’t all that easy! It is very time consuming and complicated—and that was just a brief explanation of the process. Really, unless you’ve got a lot of time on your hands and you’re a big DIY-er, bringing in a professional to clean your rugs is a good decision:
Save yourself some time: Unless you’re retired, you have a finite amount of free time on your hands. Do you really want to spend your time cleaning your rugs? No way! Let us handle all of your rug cleaning so you can spend your time doing other things.
We know what we’re doing: Colored wool tends to bleed when cleaned. That’s one of the reasons why cleaning Oriental rugs is such a time consuming process—you’ve got to take time to ensure the colors don’t bleed. Luckily for you, we know what we’re doing, and you can rest easy knowing that your rug’s colors will remain intact.
The job will be done right: Going along with the previous point, we’ll get the job done right the first time! If you try to clean your rug yourself, you could wind up having to clean it several times before it looks as good as you want it to. All we need is a few hours with your rug and it’ll look as good as new.
Your rugs and carpets are precious—leave them in the hands of our trusted pros at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. Give us a call today to learn more about Oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ and all of our other cleaning services.
Big stains on your oriental rug don’t look pretty, but the same can also be said for small stains. The best way to avoid stains is to be careful around your rugs, but unfortunately, life will throw all sorts of obstacles at you. Children, pets and careless guests are bound to contribute spills and track in dirt from outside. You have two options when it comes to dealing with stained oriental rugs: either clean them yourself, or call in reinforcements.
Want to call a professional rug cleaning company? From initial inspection to the cleaning process, drying and final inspection, the team at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center is there for your rug from start to finish. If your oriental rug does not pass our final inspection after it has dried, we will repeat the entire process until it is stain-free.
Want to try removing surface stains on your own? If so, let’s take a look at some helpful stain removal methods and tips for oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ:
Act quickly: The most important step of rug stain removal is to take immediate action. Blot up excess liquid with a stack of paper towels or a clean cloth, because the longer a stain sits, the harder it is to get out. This is why stubborn stains occur, and why you’ll sometimes have to go through the cleaning process more than once.
Test a small spot first: It’s best to test a small, inconspicuous spot on the rug—like a corner—before applying any type of cleaning solution to the stained portion. Testing ensures the solution won’t ruin your rug with fading, discoloration or color bleed.
Blot gently: After the initial blotting phase, make sure to continue blotting throughout the cleaning process. Regular blotting—not rubbing—will remove both the stain and any cleaning liquids that have accumulated in the area.
Don’t use bleach: While bleach is great for removing stains in the bathroom or kitchen, it’ll ruin your oriental rug. The color in the fibers will get bleached, leaving you with a dull looking rug.
Dry it: Instead of letting them air dry, oriental rugs dry best in front of a fan or hair dryer. Never leave your rug in the sun, because it can fade.
Additionally, it’s important to have the necessary supplies on hand to ensure you’ll be able to clean your rug when the time comes to do so. In your cleaning tote, keep clean white, absorbent cloths, as well as a sizable white sponge. Spray bottles make for easy application. Put a white vinegar solution in one and a detergent solution in another, or use a preferred mixture. If you do nothing else, at least soak up the stain, blot it and call a professional.
Oriental rugs are both beautiful and functional, whether they’re on the floor or hung on the wall as decoration. Accidents do happen, which is why you need to be prepared. Know the basic stain removal methods and always keep the right cleaning supplies on hand. However, if you are not comfortable cleaning your oriental rug yourself or prefer that a professional handle the cleaning process, don’t hesitate to call the experts at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center for oriental rug cleaning in South Amboy, NJ!
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