How to Care for Oriental Carpets

Oriental carpets are a common fixture in many homes. Still, some people think they are especially difficult to care for, which might be true if you have one that's old and fragile. In that case, you may want to hire a professional. For everyone else, however, oriental carpets are a practical and easy-to-maintain floor covering.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vacuum cleaner
• Rug shampoo
• Soft, long-haired brush
• Window squeegee

1. For everyday care, regularly vacuuming the rug, top and bottom, will be enough to maintain it. Occasionally, however, lift up a corner of your rug and kick it from below. If a cloud of dirt comes up, you will need to wash the rug. Do not wash the rug more often than necessary as it will shorten the rug's life. Go to Step 2 if your rug needs washing.

2. Wash the rug with warm water and rug shampoo. Test this water-and-shampoo solution on a corner of the rug to ensure color fastness. Brush the rug with the shampoo, using long, linear strokes, in the direction of the carpet's nap. Do not scrub vigorously and be sure to keep the nap wet with the shampoo-and-water mixture.

3. Wash the carpet's fringes with the water-and-shampoo mixture by combing away from the body of the rug with the brush.

4. Rinse thoroughly with cool, running water, a task best accomplished outdoors with a garden hose.

5. Squeegee the excess water out of the carpet, scraping the squeegee across the carpet fibers in the direction of the nap.

6. Lay your carpet flat to dry. When the nap is dry, flip the carpet over to dry the underside.

7. Vacuum the carpet once more to remove any stiffness in the carpet's nap that might result from drying.

References

• How to clean oriental rugs