Cleaning Oriental Rugs

      This page offers a number of tips about how to clean your Oriental rug. 

      See also our discussion of caring for your rug.

      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), and leaving your outdoor shoes at 

      the entrance to the house tracks in much less dirt.

      Have your rug cleaned only when it really needs it. For rugs in some areas 

      this will mean a yearly cleaning. Rugs in other areas can go several years 

      and more without needing professional cleaning.

      To judge how dirty a rug is, try one of these methods:

        Pick up a corner of the rug and while holding it, kick the back of the 

        rug sharply. If a cloud of dirt flies out of the pile, the rug is dirty 

        and needs cleaning. NOTE: some dust and wool fibers are normal! 

        Kneel down on the rug and rub the pile vigorously with your hand in a 

        short arc for 5 to 10 seconds. Look at your fingers and palm: if your 

        hand is dirty, the rug needs cleaning. 

        With the pile facing UP fold part of the rug back upon itself so that 

        the pile opens along a line of knots. Look down into the base of the 

        pile at the foundation of the rug. If the warp and weft look dirty, 

        there is dirt deep in the pile where a home vacuum cleaner cannot reach 

        it. The rug needs cleaning. 

      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.