How to Vacuum an Oriental Rug

Genuine, handmade Oriental rugs require special care and cleaning to maintain their beauty, originality, quality and worth. This is particularly true with antique Oriental rugs, which are extremely susceptible to damage by vacuuming and other cleaning methods. By vacuuming your Oriental rug carefully following these steps, you preserve its appearance and longevity.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vacuum nozzle attachment
• Vacuum brush attachment

1. Use your vacuum's nozzle with an attached brush to vacuum your Oriental rug for regular cleaning. This technique is the ideal way to vacuum an Oriental rug.

2. Move the brush in one direction slowly with the grain of the rug. A back and forth motion potentially damages the rug's sheen.

3. Vacuum over the rug and the fringe in the same direction. Then lift the nozzle back onto the rug and continue vacuuming over the next section of fringe. If you move the nozzle brush back and forth over the fringe, you could tangle it or break it off.

4. Set a vacuum with a power brush or beater bar to the highest setting if using a nozzle isn't possible. Setting your upright's power brush to this setting means the brush is the furthest from the top of the rug's pile, so that it's just touching the top of the rug.

5. Run your power brush vacuum very lightly over the rug, so as to avoid a raking effect. Use the power brush as infrequently as possible, steering clear of the fringe.

Tips & Warnings

• Vacuum the back of the rug once a month to preserve its quality.
• Do not run a vacuum with a power or beater brush over fringes. The power brush shreds the fringes, as they get sucked up and chewed up by the rotating brush.