No matter what interior trends and styles come and go, owning an oriental rug is never likely to go out of fashion. Renowned for their many eye-catching and intricate designs, colours and patterns, these knotted or hand-woven rugs have their origins in countries spanning Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. Owning an oriental rug is a privilege, and many people regard them as more than just a rug, but as an artwork in their own right. Looking after your oriental rug is key to its longevity and maintaining its beautiful condition, and this all starts with getting into a regular cleaning routine. If you’re wondering whether you can clean your oriental rug at home, our oriental rug cleaning London specialists can give you all of the tips and advice you need to know.

The importance of maintaining your rugs

Whilst getting your oriental rugs professionally cleaned is a vital part of their general upkeep, they will still need maintenance at home on a daily and weekly basis, and there are lots of things you can do to help keep your oriental rugs in tip-top condition. However, it’s essential to proceed with caution, and to know that home cleaning methods are never a substitute for professional care.

Shaking the rug

Like any rug, an oriental rug is bound to pick up dust and dirt as it gets used, so proper maintenance care is required to keep the grime at bay, and to prolong the lifespan of your rug.

Loose dust and particles can quickly build up in hand-knotted oriental rugs, especially compared to other types of rugs, so keeping on top of this is important. Take the rug outside and shake it or hang it over a washing line to gently beat the dust out on a regular basis.

Vacuuming the rug

Vacuuming is also crucial when owning an oriental rug, and this should be done at least weekly or more often, all depending on where the rug is situated and how much foot traffic it receives.

When vacuuming your rug, make sure you use the right attachment or setting on your hoover, and remove the beater bar. Always vacuum towards the pile, instead of working against it, and go slowly. Vacuum both sides of the rug, and be careful of any fringing, as this can easily get caught up in the machine.

If your vacuum machine isn’t suitable for use on your oriental rug, use a soft-bristled brush to gently sweep the rug in the direction of the pile.

It’s worth remembering that vacuuming won’t remove all of the dust, dirt, odours and organisms from your oriental rug, so you’ll still need to consult with off-site rug cleaning experts who specialise in cleaning oriental rugs. They will use much more effective methods for removing the surface and embedded debris and dirt than your own vacuum cleaner alone is capable of.

Removing stains

When something gets spilled onto your oriental rug, you might wonder whether you’ll be able to remove it yourself at home. Some experts claim that mixing one part white vinegar with eight parts warm water and applying it to the rug, after you’ve gently blotted it first with a clean, absorbent cloth, can lift stains out of the rug.

If you decide to try a detergent on the rug, it’s really important that you use one that’s formulated for the type of fabric in your oriental rug, such as a wool-safe detergent, and follow the instructions given by the manufacturer.

Because the natural fibres in oriental rugs can be very delicate and sensitive, it’s really important to do a spot test first.

Discoloration or dye bleed can easily happen if you don’t use the right cleaning solution for your oriental rug, because natural materials like wool, silk or cotton, which oriental rugs tend to be made from, are more vulnerable when cleaning.

So whilst you can attempt to remove stains from your oriental rug yourself at home, experts generally don’t recommend it, especially if you want to be sure that a rug is cleaned properly, safely and carefully.

At Carpet Bright UK, we have our own dedicated rug cleaning spa which is set up for cleaning oriental rugs and removing stains and other dirt from their fibres, with all of our cleaning technicians trained to understand which methods and techniques to ensure safe cleaning for your precious rugs.

Deep cleaning the rug

It’s common knowledge that if you want your oriental rug to be thoroughly cleaned, it will need deep cleaning, but can you do this at home with a hired steam cleaning machine?

The answer is no. For starters, steam cleaning can damage the fibres in an oriental rug, and the heat from the cleaning process can cause sensitive dyes to bleed.

What’s more, cleaning an oriental rug is a much more complex process compared to cleaning a synthetic, machine-made rug, and it most definitely requires knowledge and expertise when it comes to deep cleaning it. 

The equipment used to professionally clean oriental rugs is too bulky to bring over to your home, so in most cases your rugs will need to be taken to an off-site rug cleaning centre, where the rug will be washed using hand methods and specialist tools such as an automatic rug dusting machine, and a submersion cleaning pit. This is the most effective and reliable way for looking after your rugs, ensuring they can last for generations.

Careful drying

When you attempt to clean your oriental rug at home, it’s important to be mindful of how much water you use. Excessive amounts of water can be damaging to the rug, potentially resulting in the rug shrinking or fibres even falling out.

Then, there’s the problem of drying it. Oriental rugs can be quite heavy and hold onto moisture, so it could result in a lengthy drying process, and if the rug is kept damp for too long, this could encourage mould to grow, and discoloration of the rug pile.

This is another reason why it’s invariably better left to the experts to clean your rugs, because a professional rug cleaning spa will make sure that your rugs are dried properly, so these problems don’t occur.

For example, at our fully insured oriental rug cleaning London business, we never overwet your oriental rugs when deep cleaning them, and we thoroughly rinse out the moisture from the rug using a special machine called a centrifuge, which spins at 900 rpm, so around 90% of the water is extracted from the rug. We even have a designated room for drying the rug, where the heat and temperature levels are regulated to provide the optimum drying conditions, for the safety and care of your rugs.

If you want to make sure your oriental rugs are cleaned and dried safely, correctly and carefully, contact Carpet Bright UK.