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Can you clean your Oriental Rugs like you clean Carpets?

by | May 2, 2016 | Carpets, Oriental Rug | 0 comments

Difference in Cleaning Oriental Rugs and Carpets

Oriental_RugsOriental Rugs, when kept and maintained, keep the longevity of your investment.

If you have any type of rugs in your home, including both Oriental and Persian options, and regular carpet as your floor covering there are a few important things to keep in mind. One of the most important is that you should never clean your area rugs the same way you would your regular carpet.
The reason is pretty significant. The carpet that is in your home is usually manufactured on a machine that utilizes a synthetic material. This means it can make 15 feet of carpet each minute. The main parts of the carpet face fiber, which is held in place with a special latex adhesive and plastic type of backing material.

TRADITIONAL CARPET CLEANING

The majority of carpets in a home are able to be hot water extracted and this is the best option because it is both fast and effective. However, due to issues with pH balance in the carpeting, the same methods should not be used on area rugs. Another thing to consider is the surface under the area rug. Just having a typical carpet cleaning on an area rug vs the custom wash can result in color bleeding as well as possible damage to the surface underneath.

CLEANING AREA RUGS

The majority of area rugs, especially the hand knotted options are made all by hand from all-natural materials. It can take a month to two years to create a single Oriental rug. Most area rugs are made of wool, which is a very complex animal fiber.

Due to this complexity, there are hundreds of small crevices that can cause soil to become trapped. Handmade area rugs are also typically made up of natural fiber, rather than fiber that is held in place with a special backing like found in carpet. What this means is if you want to get the rug completely clean. It has to be cleaned all the way through it – not just on the top, which is what happens when common carpet cleaning methods are used.

Most area rugs are made of wool, which is a very complex animal fiber. Due to this complexity, there are hundreds of small crevices that can cause soil to become trapped. Handmade area rugs are also typically made up of natural fiber, rather than fiber that is held in place with a special backing like found in carpet. What this means is if you want to get the rug completely clean. It has to be cleaned all the way through it – not just on the top, which is what happens when common carpet cleaning methods are used.

There are a number of area rugs that are also made from other types of natural fibers, such as jute, cotton and silk. This means that each area rug has to be cleaned in a special way. If you use the similar cleaning solutions as used in carpet cleaning it can cause irreversible damage. This is why area rugs should be cleaned with specialized solutions instead of high PH soaps or detergents. These are neutral cleaners that will remove the dirt and soil all the way through without causing damage to the rug, which will help it remain great looking year after year.