Like any textile product, rugs will start to lose their lustre after a while. Here are some tips for keeping it looking its best.

1. Vacuuming: One of the most important measures that you can take to keep your rug clean is to vacuum it regularly. Over time, dust and larger particles will make their way into the pile of your rug - particularly if it is in a high-traffic area. This build-up of material increases the friction between fibres and will make the rug more vulnerable to wear and tear. On top of this, dust coated to the outer layer of the rug obscures the original colours, making them less vibrant and attractive. Regular vacuuming will remove most of this detritus, extending the rug's lifespan and allowing the colours to shine as intended. For the best results, we recommend vacuuming the front of the rug daily if possible, and the back of the rug every few weeks.
   

2. Spot-Cleaning: If something is spilled on the rug it can cause staining and the dyes to run. The best way to stop this is to immediately soak up as much as possible with kitchen towels or other suitably absorbent materials. After this, prepare a very dilute solution of washing-up liquid and water. Take a moment to identify the "direction" of the pile by stroking it. You should feel less resistance in one direction than the other. Apply the cleaning solution with a sponge along the direction of the pile (not scrubbing back-and-forth). Continue to soak up the moisture and repeat until the affected area is restored to its original state. Soak up any remaining moisture and leave to dry. This method will usually work with natural fibres like wool, silk or cotton. It is advisable to shield the floor underneath before you begin.
   

3. Professional Cleaning: While the above tips will do a lot to keep your rug looking its best, domestic maintenance has its limitations. Dust and other particles will make their way into the foundation of the rug, where even the more powerful vacuum cleaners will struggle to extract them. The spot-cleaning method described above also has the drawback of moistening this accumulated dust, further entrenching it into the foundation. This is also true of at-home solutions like using a carpet cleaning machine. Other household residues will also come to coat the fibres, making them less colourful, flexible, and more vulnerable to damage. The advantages of our service is that the dust is gently massaged out of the foundation in a large tumbling machine before it is washed. We can also use powerful stain-removing agents that would otherwise be difficult to remove at home and would damage the rug, as our process involves fully immersing it in flowing water. This removes all of the products we use to shampoo and condition the pile, along with any remaining particulates, leaving the rug soaking in clean water. This itself is a problem, as even water can be enough to cause the dyes to run if it is not removed. For this reason, we use heavy duty centrifuges to purge the excess water in seconds, leaving the rug relatively dry. The rest is gently evaporated away when we hang it in our humidity-controlled drying room. Depending on how much traffic the rug gets, we advise having it professionally cleaned every 2 - 3 years. This will keep them looking their best for decades to come.

Our hand-knotted rugs are all extremely hard-wearing, but as is true of clothes, curtains, upholstery, and any other textile product, they require a little TLC from time to time in order to look and feel their best. Click the link below if you wish to get a quote for our professional rug cleaning service.