Why It’s Better To Clean Area Rugs By Hand
March 16, 2015 02:57:06pm
The terms “handmade,” “hand-knotted,” and “handsewn” are often synonymous with quality, and when you have an article made by hand, it is unique and personalized. Persian and Oriental rugs are some of the best examples of this, as each rug is meticulously crafted by hand over the course of many weeks, months, or even years. Cleaning rugs by hand, likewise, provides a unique level of care that is suited for your rug and its particular needs. After investing in a handmade Oriental rug of the utmost quality, why would you have it cleaned any other way than by hand?
Machine-Washing Rugs vs. Hand Washing Rugs
High quality Persian and Oriental rugs last for decades and are really quite resilient. After all, we walk on them, spill liquids on them, arrange heavy furniture on them, our pets and children play on them, and they are subjected to all the rigors of daily use. With routine maintenance, a high quality rug can last for generations, but a single trip to the wrong rug cleaning service can wreak havoc on it. The best indicator of a good quality rug cleaning service is its method of washing. Find the rug cleaning service that hand washes rugs, and you’ll find the best choice for your rug!
Machine-Washing Rugs
Many rug cleaning companies cut corners by batch washing rugs, or washing multiple rugs sequentially in industrial sized washing machines. This method is not as effective as hand cleaning and can be quite harmful to the rugs. Here’s how:
- Machine washing rugs does not provide individualized care. As your rug tumbles around in the wash, the dirt and grime from your neighbor’s rug is being mixed into your own rug!
- If the dye in one rug bleeds during machine cleaning, the dye will transfer right into your rug.
- The mechanical process of machine-washing can be brutal on any rug, and the finer the rug, the more damage the washing machine will do. Older Oriental rugs can begin to fall apart in a washing machine, and antique rugs can disintegrate.
Hand Washing Rugs
Hand washing is the safest, most effective, and most thorough method of cleaning Oriental and Persian rugs. A rug bath allows each rug to have individualized care in these ways:
- The soil level and the types of stains can each be addressed uniquely, paying close attention to the fiber content, the type of the rug, the age of the rug, and other details that would affect the process.
- The temperature of the water and the pH levels of the cleaning solution are all formulated for the individual rug.
- A dye test is performed for each rug to ensure that the dye will not bleed or transfer when the cleaning solution is applied and the rug is immersed.
- Each rug goes through a detailed process of cleaning. It is fully immersed, shampooed on both sides, rinsed in a constant flow of water, and allowed to thoroughly air dry.
- The fringe is cleaned separately so no dye is transferred from the rug, and no graying occurs.
The hand-cleaning process involves multiple steps and is not as easy as loading rugs into a giant washing machine and pressing the “start” button. The process also involves training in order for technicians to be able to do it correctly, and requires special tools for the job, including a specially constructed rug bath. These features mean that cleaning rugs by hand takes extra time, and that the cost will be higher than the production oriented rug cleaners charge for sending your rug through the washing machine. However, this also means that our rugs are cleaned more thoroughly and more safely, and with the quality and attention to detail that will preserve the rug for years to come.
The Best Jacksonville FL Area Rug Cleaning Company
At RugPro Oriental Rug Cleaning, we clean your rugs only the way we would want our own rugs to be cleaned: one by one, in the old world style, by hand. We have invested in rug bath equipment that is truly the best in the industry, outfitting us to thoroughly and safely clean even the finest and rarest of Persian carpets and Oriental rugs. To say we train our technicians is an understatement; we rigorously instruct and coach each technician to expertly clean your rug while handling it with the utmost care. Rug owners as well as collectors and aficionados in the greater Jacksonville area, surrounding neighborhoods of Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, an Ortega, and along the Ponte Vedra and Atlantic Beaches trust only us with their fine heirloom rugs. Schedule an appointment with us, and know your rug will be given the absolute highest possible level of cleaning, service, and care.
