How often should I have my rug or kilim professionally cleaned?
As a general rule, professional kilim and rug cleaning should be done every two to three years. However, if your rug or kilim is in a high traffic area, and you and members of your household walk with shoes on in your home, you may consider professionally cleaning your rug or kilim more frequently. Likewise, if your rug or kilim is not in a high traffic area of your home, you do not have pets, and you and other household members remove your outdoor shoes in the home, you may go for longer periods without professionally cleaning your rugs. In any case, it is good practice in between professional cleanings to vacuum your rugs and kilims regularly to remove the dust particles that settle in the fibers. When vacuuming, it is generally best to use a low suction setting and avoid vacuuming the fringes or other delicate areas. In addition, as we often note in our blog, if your rug or kilim is in need of repair or restoration, it is advisable, in most circumstances, to have your rug or kilim cleaned before the repair and/or restoration.
Are there any risks involved in kilim and rug cleaning?
There are always risks involved when cleaning / washing rugs and kilims. Because handmade rugs and kilims are by nature one-of-a-kind, each rug or kilim requires individual attention and poses individual risks. A common risk during the cleaning process is the possibility that the colors of a piece may run. It is important that a professional cleaning include a pre-inspection of the piece so as to assess how best to care for the piece and to minimize the risk of any damaging color run or similar problem. It is important to note, however, that it is impossible to entirely eliminate all risks, including color-run. Clients should be wary of cleaners who claim that there are no risks involved in the cleaning process.
What should I do if I find signs of moth damage?
If you have reason to believe that your rug is suffering from a moth infestation, it is very important that you take steps to eliminate the moth infestation immediately, or stop the damage from expanding if the infestation is no longer active. Remove the rug from its current location and thoroughly clean and mop the underlying area. Have your rug professionally cleaned to remove the moths. Depending on how soon you treated the rug after moths infested it, you may have to repair damaged areas. Please visit our blog for images of a live infestation.
How long does it take to clean my rug or kilim?
Generally, the rug and kilim cleaning process takes approximately 7-10 business days.
What types of rugs do you clean?
We clean all types of handmade rugs: hand knotted rugs, hand woven kilims, hand hooked rugs, dhurries, soumaks, hand embroidered rugs, tapestries, and cecims. We do not clean wall to wall carpets.
Can you remove stains from a Persian or Oriental rug?
In many cases, a professional cleaning removes at least part of a stain, in particular if the stain was not allowed to set for an extended period of time. There are additional processes, which can greatly reduce and sometimes eliminate the appearance of a stain. We highly recommend cleaning a rug as soon as possible after an accidental spill. In addition, we caution our clients not to rub any spill or stain and always blot up excess liquid in the event of a spill on a hand knotted rug or handwoven kilim.
Can I clean my own rug or kilim at home?
Yes, you can clean your own rugs and kilims in your home, but we do not recommend it if you do not have experience with the necessary kilim or rug cleaning process. In most households in the Middle East and the carpet weaving world, people clean their handmade rugs and kilims at home. However, handmade rug and kilim cleaning requires knowledge of how to clean the natural fibers, how to control dye run, and how to properly dry the rug or kilim. This knowledge is most easily gained from trial and error, which often means that the first few times one attempts to clean a piece, one may make a mistake that may permanently damage the rug or kilim. Therefore, we do not advise you to clean your rugs and kilims at home unless you have extensive experience in rug and kilim cleaning and have the necessary space where the cleaning and, equally important, the drying can properly take place.
