How often should you clean an oriental rug?

The short answer

For most handmade rugs in most homes, we recommend a professional clean every two to three years. It does wonders for the life of a rug, and it is the surest way to keep its colours bright.

That is a starting point and not a rule. A rug in a quiet bedroom can often go longer. A rug in a hallway, or under a dining table where chairs are pulled in and out every day, usually needs it sooner.

Why vacuuming is not enough

Vacuuming and spot cleaning are good for a rug and worth doing regularly. What they cannot reach is the fine grit that works its way down to the base of the pile.

Every time someone walks across the rug, that grit rubs against the fibres. Over the years it wears them down from the inside, long before the surface looks tired. A professional clean takes out what a vacuum leaves behind.

Signs it is time

• The colours look duller than they did, or a traffic path has gone grey.
• You fold back a corner and the pile near the base looks noticeably darker.
• There has been a spill, a pet accident or a smell that spot cleaning did not shift.
• Pets or children spend much of the day on it.

Any one of these is a good reason to have the rug looked at, even if its last clean was recent.

What to do between cleans

• Vacuum along the direction of the pile, and keep the vacuum off the fringe.
• Blot a spill straight away with a clean white cloth. Rubbing spreads it.
• Turn the rug every so often, so it wears and fades evenly.
• Use a pad. It protects the knots on the back and stops the rug shifting. We cut rug pads to size.

Not sure? Bring it in

Call either showroom or bring the rug in, and we will look at it with you and tell you what it needs. If it needs repair as well as a clean, we do that in house.