How to Protect and Clean Your Rug

How to Keep Your Rug Clean

The best way to keep a rug clean is to keep it from getting dirty in the first place.

Removing outdoor shoes when entering the house (as people do in most rug-weaving countries) is a good idea if this accords with your lifestyle.

Bare-foot or sock-foot traffic is much gentler to a rug than a hard outdoor-shoe sole or spike heel.


*Clean It Yourself* It's easy to clean small rugs yourself. The process is best done in a utility room or garage (on a clean floor) or outside on a clean driveway or paved walk on a nice, sunny day: Vacuum both sides well. Shampoo the rug with cool water and mild liquid soap or rug shampoo (don't use strong detergents, ammonia water or sudsy ammonia water). Test for color run in a small area first. Use a soft, long haired brush or a firm, non-shedding sponge. Brush the pile firmly with linear motions in the direction of the nap: don't scrub too vigorously. Wet the nap thoroughly with the soapy water. Wash fringes with the same soap solution. Use a laundry brush and brush repeatedly away from the pile. Rinse thoroughly with running water. Squeeze out excess water--a rubber window squeegee works well. Squeegee the pile repeatedly in the direction of the nap until no more water is forced out. Lay flat to dry. When the nap feels dry, turn the rug over; the back is probably still damp. Dry Thoroughly. If the pile feels a bit stiff when dry, brush gently or lightly vacuum.

*Rug First Aid....* Always try to work on the spill so as not to increase the area of the spill. *Food spills/Pet urine* Of the most common spills, urine presents the most severe problem. It can cause severe color run in the rug, and the odor can be very hard to remove or disguise. Urine can also chemically damage the structure of a rug by making the foundation hard and less supple, and the presence of urine in a rug can help attract moths. Repeated wettings can cause the foundation of the rug to loose mechanical strength to the point where the rug cracks and breaks when rolled or folded. In case of a food spill or urine on a rug, the problem is much more easily handled if the spot is treated promptly, before the spill is allowed to dry. Blot up as much liquid as possible with paper towels or a clean, white cloth. Try to rinse out as much of the spill as possible. A smaller rug can be taken outside and rinsed with a hose and cool water (try not to saturate the whole rug--it will take much longer to dry if you do). With a larger carpet, the corner or edge can be laid in a plastic dishpan and saturated with cool water or a bucket or plastic garbage can can be placed under the wet area of the carpet and cool water poured through the rug (make a hollow in the carpet over the container before you pour, and don't exceed the capacity of the container under the rug!). Add about 1 cup of white vinegar per gallon to the rinse water--vinegar helps prevent colors from running and will help neutralize the urine odor. After the rug has been rinsed, blot dry and sponge with rug shampoo or with the solution given below. Let dry thoroughly (drying a wet area of a larger carpet can be hastened by arranging the carpet so that air can circulate both top and bottom--drape the end of the carpet across a lawn chair, or put a sawhorse or painted bench under the rug in the area of the wet spot).

*Pet stool, regurgitation* If a pet regurgitates on a rug, you are faced with removing a complex mixture of foodstuffs, saliva, and stomach acids. Depending on the foods involved, this mixture can actually work as a dilute dye to stain the pile a different hue. If a pet regurgitates or defecates on a rug, clean the area immediately by picking up as much material as possible with paper towels or with a clean, white cloth. If necessary, use a tablespoon to scrape up all the foreign material. Blot the area dry and immediately sponge several times with rug shampoo or with the cleaning solution listed below. Don't scrub hard--too much manipulation of the pile can spread the stain. Sponge in the direction of the nap.

*Spot Cleaning Solution* · 1/4 cup white vinegar* · 1/2 tsp liquid dishwashing detergent · 2 cups tepid water *Most Oriental rug dyes are acid-fast. By adding a little white vinegar to the wash water you make the wash water more acidic, and this reinforces the bond between the dyestuff and the wool in the rug, and so helps prevent the colors from running. Finally, sponge the area with cool, clean water to finish. Use absorbent towels or a firm, non-shedding sponge. Don't use a brush so stiff that it pulls fibers from the pile. Don't scrub hard at the pile. Sponge in the direction of the nap. Place some towels under the spot to keep floor or pad from getting wet. Dry thoroughly. When the nap feels dry, check the back of the rug to be sure the area is completely dry.

*Blotting & Stain Removing* When spills occur, dilute with plenty of water. Next, blot from the edge of the spill towards the center. Avoid rubbing the area. For solid spills, take a spoon and carefully scoop-up the material. It is always best to attack the spill immediately. The following information and chart will help you eliminate most stains. For further advice, contact us. We will be glad to help. *Stain Removal General Procedure* Always rub or brush lightly from the outer edge toward the center of stain to prevent spreading or causing "the ring" when using solvents, especially on twist rugs and pile carpets. On old, dry, or stubborn stains, saturate, blot, and brush. Repeat this operation as often as necessary to remove the stain completely. *Stain Removal Package* You must move quickly, so please keep a small container with the following items close: Clean Cloths A Clothes Brush Mild Detergent (No bleaches or alkalies) White Vinegar Dry Cleaning Fluid Weak Ammonia (7% solution) Sponges Alcohol Glycerin *How to Clean Stains* Work quickly. Blot up excess spills with paper towels. Do Not Rub. Apply antidote(s) as shown on list with a clean cloth working from edge to center. Do not soak. Pat with paper towels. Dry with fan or hair blower. Restore pile with clothes brush. *Removing Wax* Put a blotter or brown paper bag over the spot. Put hot iron over the blotter. Wait a few minutes until the wax is absorbed into the blotter. Repeat if necessary. Move the iron constantly and do not let it stay in one place. *Removing Ink* Saturate the spot with hairspray. Allow it to dry. Brush lightly with a solution of water and vinegar. *Removing Glue* Saturate the spot with a cloth soaked in vinegar or alcohol. *Removing Chewing Gum* Press ice cubes against spot. Wait until it becomes brittle and breaks off. Use spot remover to vanish last traces of the spot. We treat your rugs like they were our own.