Oriental rugs are some of the most sought-after, prized rugs you can find. Famed for their exquisite appearance, beautiful designs and expert crafting techniques, based on years of tradition, it’s easy to understand why Oriental rugs are often regarded as treasured works of art. If you’re lucky enough to be the proud owner of an Oriental rug, looking after it properly is key, and this will include using the services of a specialist Oriental rug cleaning London business for professional cleaning. But you might also wonder, can you clean an Oriental rug yourself at home? Here’s everything you need to know.
1. A word of caution
A quick search online may reveal lots of links to websites or articles that tell you how to clean an Oriental rug at home. But, before you dive in with the cleaning fluid, it’s important to note that just because there’s information available, doesn’t mean to say this is the best, most effective or safest way to clean your Oriental rugs.
In fact, there’s a very real risk that you could damage the rug if you don’t clean it properly, which is a big gamble to take if you paid a lot of money for it in the first place, and it’s an investment piece. Here are some other problems you might face.
2. Rug discoloration
When something gets spilled on an Oriental rug, taking swift action is important to stop the spillage becoming a permanent stain, but don’t put your rug at risk of damage by being too hasty.
You might have a cleaning product under the sink which you’ve used on other rugs before to remove stains, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work just as effectively on an Oriental rug. This style of rug is usually made from natural materials like wool, silk and cotton, and natural dyes, which are all very delicate, and may have very different cleaning requirements compared to a modern, synthetic rug bought from a local bargain-basement store.
If you use the wrong cleaning product on an Oriental rug, especially if it contains chemicals such as bleach, you could end up causing the rug to become discoloured. Stains might also end up looking worse than they did before, even permanently marking the rug.
The dyes in the rug could also start to run if you don’t clean the rug in the right way, or use the correct cleaning solutions.
If you’re not sure how to remove a stain from your Oriental rug, and you don’t want to run the risk of discolouring it, contact a UK rug cleaning spa specialist that has experience at removing stains from Oriental rugs.
A professional rug cleaning business will also test the dyes in a rug before cleaning commences, to check which cleaning methods and treatments to use to make sure dye bleeding doesn’t occur.
3. Fabric damage
Another problem with trying to remove stains from an Oriental rug yourself, or any other dirty marks for that matter, is that if you rub or scrub rug fibres excessively, you could cause damage to the fibres in the rug, ruining its appearance and reducing its longevity.
The natural fibres in Oriental rugs are often more delicate, sensitive and vulnerable compared to other rug materials, so it’s really important that you treat the rug with kid gloves if you do try to remove any dirt from the rug yourself. Alternatively, by using professional Oriental rug cleaning London services, you can have peace of mind that the staff will know exactly how to handle your rugs and what kind of pressure to exert to safely clean it, without causing fibre damage.
4. Overwetting a rug
In your haste to remove a stubborn stain or dirty mark from a rug, you could accidentally end up wetting it more than you intended, or more than the rug is capable of handling. Some rug materials like silk can easily become damaged if they have contact with too much water, so in order to prevent any problems from arising, it’s better to trust the experts rather than trying to clean an Oriental rug yourself.
At a UK rug cleaning spa that is dedicated to cleaning Oriental rugs, the cleaning technicians will know exactly how much water can be used on a specific type of rug material, for safe cleaning.
Another problem of trying to clean an Oriental rug yourself at home is that if you do overwet it, it could take a long time to dry, which then puts it at risk of mould and mildew growing in the rug, as well as odours.
On the other hand, professional rug cleaners have specialist equipment to clean rugs using minimal water, and facilities that can aid the drying process. This dramatically reduces the likelihood of mould and mildew development in the rug.
5. Inadequate cleaning
Whether you find a homemade hack for cleaning an Oriental rug online or you hire a machine to clean the rug, the reality is you’ll never obtain the same high-quality cleaning outcomes you can expect to achieve compared to using a professional Oriental rug cleaning London business instead.
At best, you might be able to retrieve some of the surface dirt from the rug, but without professional equipment or in-depth rug cleaning knowledge and skills, the deep-down, ingrained dirt in the rug will still be left behind.
Professional cleaners not only access dirt from your Oriental rugs at surface-level, but they can remove stubborn ingrained debris, including microscopic germs, bacteria, dust mites, pet soiling, stains and odours in all parts of the rug – even if your rug is only suitable for hand-cleaning.
Another problem of trying to clean an Oriental rug yourself is that if you use a soapy detergent, residues might end up left stuck behind in the fibres of the rug. Being sticky, these residues act like a magnet for attracting more dirt to the rug, making it become unclean again in just a short amount of time.
A professional UK rug cleaning spa with expertise in Oriental rug cleaning, such as Carpet Bright UK, will use natural, safe cleaning solutions that don’t contain chemicals or cause sticky residues to be left behind in the rug. This ensures the rug will stay cleaner for much longer.
When your Oriental rugs need professional cleaning, give Carpet Bright UK a call.
