We often get asked what the difference is in what we do to the average cleaning company and so we thought writing a blog on the subject might just help.
Colour run and dye bleed:
Oriental and Persian carpets and rugs are normally naturally dyed and contain root vegetable dyes which, if not dealt with correctly and tested beforehand, will almost always run off into the other colours. It is incredibly important that one tests each and every rug for colour fastness.
We spend a huge amount of time correcting colour run not only from floods and spillage etc, but from other cleaning companies that have attempted to clean a rug with machines or excess water and do not have the experience or knowledge to correctly deal with or clean a vegetable dyed, hand made oriental carpet or rug.
This can be avoided by using a specialist like us, we remove dust completely from the rug, test for colour fastness and traditionally hand wash each rug independely. No two rugs are identical on structure and composition and therefore we do not have a standard approach – each piece is dealt with on its own merits.
We do not use heat:
You wouldn’t use heat or hot water to wash a fine cashmere sweater – so you certainly shouldn’t use it to clean and oriental rug. As a specialist cleaner of all oriental rugs and carpets, we never use heat. Water can be used on wool and cotton if tested as per above, and we only ever use ice cold water. This protects the wool from warping and shrinkage and on drying we only every hang our rugs up to dry in the natural temperature of the workshops. Using heat or machines completely removes all the natural oils in the materials and strips the lustre and vibrancy from the rug, leaving it lifeless and flat.
Traditional hand cleaning with NO machines is vital to maintain the quality and durability of your oriental carpet or rug.
Repairs:
Repairing and restoring oriental and Persian rugs is a craft and a skill which is learned over many years. Sure, anyone can grab a needle and wool and have a go, some with temporarily good results, however traditional and authentic repairs to oriental rugs can only be done properly my a skilled craftsman/woman. We only employ the very best weavers and restorers. Don’t be fooled by the ‘rug repair’ outfits that claim to provide like for like offering.
Our advice is, use your gut feeling and if it doesn’t look, feel or sound right then it probably isn’t. Common sense prevails here and when it comes to hand repair and hand cleaning of rugs as harsh as it sounds you tend to get what you pay for. So ask lots of questions and get some good advice from a professional established organisation.
If you would like some simple and no obligation advice or just to talk through what you have, please do give us a call. We love to chat and we are really friendly!
Very best
Scott C Fleming
Founder