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Jim Sabalow Artistic Associates Oriental and custom area rugs are truly “Art Under Foot”. You made a wise choice adding to the beauty of your home’s interior décor that will provide enjoyment for several generations to come. That is, if you properly care for them! Which brings me to the reason for this free message. How to properly care for your Oriental rugs, 5 potential problems to avoid that can cause irreparable damage, and why Natural Fibers, like wool, cotton, silk, etc…should be immersion cleaned, not surface cleaned. Plus, I will provide you with 4 easy steps to follow to keep your rugs in tip-top shape! Hi, my name is Jim Sabalow. Owner or Artistic Associates Carpet and Fabricare Specialists. We have an absolute passion for what we do! We are a 32 year old company, the last 8 years with our In-Plant Facility for Oriental Rugs. Debbi Pierce and I have both attended an Oriental Rug Cleaning School in Berthoud, Colorado. This is where we learned how and why rugs should be Hand-Cleaned. Later on I’ll explain about our (4) part, (8) step authentic hand-washing process, guaranteed the finest cleaning system in the world for Oriental rugs, or YOUR MONEY BACK! Now, let’s identify the first of the 5 potential problems: Problem #1: DYE-BLEED. Many of the old rugs in circulation, and even some new ones, have been dyed with vegetal dyes. There are dyes from vegetables, roots, minerals, and even some insects, to give the rug that special hue of color. Synthetic dyes usually do not cause problems. You can usually expect bleeding in some rugs due to the type of fiber they come from. For example cotton and silk rugs are quite often bleeders. What does it mean when we say a rug is a bleeder, and can anything be done to prevent it? Bleeding is when one color migrates beyond its border, and mixes with another. Red and blue are well known for that. There are several things that can be done to keep rugs from bleeding. ONLY a true professional should even attempt a rug that is a known bleeder. We at Artistic Associates clean rugs that bleed all the time, but are able to minimize or eliminate the condition. By the way, wetting a towel and placing it on the color and obtaining a transfer is called “crocking”. This simply means there is an abundance of dye in the yarn. Is it possible to guarantee 100% that a rug will not bleed, even a little. No! This is because without knowing the history of the rug and to what it has been exposed (like pet urine, etc…) it is impossible to predict how it will react. In some cases, we will continue to flush rugs with clean fresh water until it stops releasing dye. That is just one reason why it only makes good sense to trust your one-of-a-kind rug to a professional IN-PLANT facility. What if the rug already has bled? Can anything be done to correct it? Anything is correctable, but usually at great cost. So, you must determine whether or not your rug is worth it. Problem #2: FELTING OF WOOL. Wool is a protein fiber, made up of overlapping scales that protect the inside of the fiber, while repelling most foreign substances. A wool fiber is made in a zig-zag, crinkle shape that helps it spring back into shape, unlike any other fiber. Even carpet mills try to duplicate wool, because it is so resilient. Because it comes from very short staple fibers, it has to be spun to make a yarn that is then used for rugs. Wool is damaged by temperatures above 150 degrees, and so should be cleaned at lower temperatures to prevent felting. Felting is the process of causing a texture change that is permanent, by using heat and agitation that makes the fibers lay flat. Hence, you have felt hats, coats, blankets, etc…So, never allow your local carpet cleaner to attempt to clean your rug with his “truckmount” machine. Problem #3: SHRINKAGE & DIMENSIONAL SHRINKAGE. This is one of the most asked questions when it comes to washing wool and other area rugs. First, let me explain why hand-knotted rugs made of cotton and wool, both naturally absorbent fibers, can’t easily shrink, when they are properly washed using a total immersion process. This is because when the rugs are made on the loom, the foundation consists of “weft” yarns (usually cotton) going from right to left, inter-woven around “warp” (usually cotton) yarns extending from top to bottom. As each knot is placed around the warp and pulled tight, a special comb is then used to compress the wefts tightly toward the bottom, making an extremely dense pile rug. When the rug is properly washed in cold soft water, the cotton and wool are able to absorb all the water they can hold evenly in the whole rug. The tight construction of the rug holds it in its original shape, keeping it from shrinking. However, when natural fibers are wet unevenly through some sort of topical cleaning, portions of the rug are going to take in more moisture than others causing dimensional shrinkage, which may or may not be correctable. So, trusting your valuable rug to a knowledgeable professional will eliminate this from happening. Problem #4: PROPER CLEANING AGENTS. Should rugs only be washed in plain, cold soft water, or can certain cleaning agents be used, and if so, whish ones? Yes, just as you can use shampoo on your hair, you also can use very specific cleaning agents on wool. We at Artistic Associates have 4 different cleaning agents that are specifically designed to clean wool and cotton. One is called ORVUS. All cleaning agents need to have a neutral Ph of 7, or even slightly below. High alkalinity is very damaging to wool fibers. (Anything above an 8 Ph) Infact, never, never use any kind of bleach, especially chlorine bleach, because it will totally dissolve wool. Problem #5: NEVER EVER DO ANYTHING TO YOUR RUG. Oriental rugs were made to last several hundred years, and therefore don’t need any attention whatsoever, Right? Wrong! The absolutely worst thing you can do is nothing. There is no excuse for not properly maintaining your rugs. We have cleaned rugs that were never moved for 10-20 years. Guess what happened? Moths and beetles practically consumed the rugs. Wool and Silk are protein fibers, and therefore provide a food source for moths and beetles to lay their eggs. We recommend 4 simple steps to keep your rugs looking their best, maintain their value, and capture the admiration of your friends and relatives. A good reason for inspecting your rugs frequently is to avoid unwanted water intrusion, which can cause the foundation (usually cotton) to be totally consumed by fungus, making the rug simply fall apart. For example, do your have a live plant suspended above or sitting on any of your rugs? Now is a good time to check. NOW, WHY SHOULD WOOL & ORIENTAL RUGS BE WASHED BY TOTAL IMMERSION, AND NOT JUST SURFACED CLEANED? Improper surface cleaning drives soil deeper into the fiber, making it more difficult to remove. That’s because natural fibers are extremely absorbent, taking any kind of liquid deep inside the fiber. When we clean rugs, we allow the rug to drink in as much cold, soft water as possible, before we begin using any cleaning agents. This is because of the principle of “first thing in, last thing out”. By totally immersing rugs we are able to clean every minute detail, and even flush and rinse out various forms of contamination. It also enables us to clean the foundation, which you can’t see, but is very important to the life and value of the rug. 4 SIMPLE, EASY STEPS TOWARD PRESERVING AND PROTECTING YOUR ORIENTAL AND WOOL RUGS: Step #1: REPOSITION YOUR RUG EVERY 6 MONTHS, 180 DEGREES. This will allow for even wear over many years to come. It will also permit you to inspect your rug, carefully checking under the rug, pad, and floor for critters or other evidence of parasites. You will also be able to clean your floor! Step #2 VACUUM VERY CAREFULLY Vacuuming should be done with a vacuum having a beater bar only, no brushes. Also, be careful not to catch the fringe in the beater bar. If this is done by someone other than yourself, be sure to give them proper instructions. Again, always be alert to infestations of any kind. Step #3 INTERIM MAINTENANCE (BETWEEN WASHINGS) AIR-DUST & DEODORIZE This is to freshen your rugs in between regular thorough washing. AIR-DUSTING & DEODORIZING will remove impacted soils, dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens. We provide same day service by picking up your rug in the morning and returning them that afternoon. This is an investment in your rug for about half of our rug washing service. Step #4 THOROUGH WASHING OF RUGS EVERY 1-3 YEARS Authentic hand-washing of rugs should only be done by an IN-PLANT FACILITY. Never, never should you entrust your rug to an on-location carpet cleaner. As we have already mentioned, oriental and other natural fiber rugs need to be totally immersed in water. This will allow every square inch of the rug to be rinsed, flushed, and groomed so as to be free from contamination and abrasive soil. Washing rugs puts back much needed moisture. SO, REMEMBER, A RUG IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR RUGS, AND THEY WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH YEARS OF ENJOYMENT AND PLEASURE! I hope you found this consumer awareness message to be helpful. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a free in home audit, please call us as 916-483-7400. Why do Homeowners Abuse and Neglect their beautiful Oriental and other Area Rugs, instead of Properly and Regularly washing them? HERE ARE SOME REASONS WHY CONSUMERS DON’T CLEAN THEIR AREA RUGS:
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