WE ARE CURRENLTY NOT OFFERING RUG CLEANING SERVICES.
CLEANING SERVICES
An oriental rug is much like any fine work of art. They appreciate with the passage of time and have been the standard of luxury that has proven countless times their increased value over the years. It is essential for you to protect your investment through proper care and cleaning to increase the life and value of your rug. Lexington Oriental Rug Co. is committed to excellence in value, selection and service. We can provide long term for your oriental rug through our Professional Hand Cleaning and Restoration Service. Call us today and keep your rug looking beautiful for generations. Lexington Oriental Rug Company employs an expert staff to perform cleaning and repair services for our clients. All services are completed by hand, without the use of a rug washing machine, steam heat, or harsh chemicals. We recommend that you have your rug cleaned every one to two years to ensure the softness, durability and richness of color in your rug.
Pickup and Delivery Services are currently not available.
CLEANING & RESTORATION PRICING
– Normal Cleaning: $2.50 per sq. ft.
– Heavily soiled cleaning: $3.50 per sq. ft.
– Pet Stain/Urine Damage: $4.00 per sq. ft.
– Fringe Trim: $10.00 per linear ft.
– Add False Fringe: $20.00 per linear ft.
– Simple Selvedge Repair: $20.00 per linear ft.
All other restorations, repairs require an in-store quote. Due to the nature of hand-made oriental rugs, not all rugs can be cleaned due to colorfastness or construction Lexington Oriental Rugs provides no guarantee that all stains/odors can be removed. Lexington Oriental Rugs is not responsible for damage that occurs due to the construction of rug being cleaned.
CLEANING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The best way to keep a rug clean is to keep it from getting dirty in the first place. If possible, remove shoes before walking across your rug. We understand that this is not always practical, but it will help to ensure the long life of your rug. Have your rug cleaned only when it really needs it. For high traffic areas, cleaning may be necessary on a yearly basis. For other lower traffic areas, cleaning may only be needed every 5-7 years.
DOES MY ORIENTAL RUG NEED CLEANING?
The short and easy answer to this question is that your rug needs to be cleaned if it is visibly dirty or if it fails one of our cleaning tests . Pick up a corner of the rug and while holding it, gently kick the back of the rug or ripple it vigorously. If a cloud of dirt flies out of the pile, the rug is dirty and needs cleaning. Kneel down on the rug and rub the pile vigorously with your hand. If this leaves dust or dirt on your hand- the rug needs cleaning. With the pile facing up fold part of the rug back upon itself so that the pile opens along a line of knots. Look down into the base of the pile at the foundation of the rug. If the warp and weft look dirty, there is dirt deep in the pile where a home vacuum cleaner cannot reach it. The rug needs cleaning.
CAN I CLEAN MY ORIENTAL RUG MYSELF?
We do not recommend under any circumstances trying to completely clean your rug at home. Spot cleaning in the home may be necessary, but total cleaning of a rug without the help of a professional will likely lead to damage in your rug. Do not dry clean or steam clean your rug!
WHAT ABOUT SPOT CLEANERS OR CHEMICALS?
Do not use any spot cleaners other than water or club soda with contacting your rug cleaning professional first. Most spot cleaners available at your local grocery are made for wall to wall synthetic carpeting. These usually contain harsh chemicals and bleaching agents that are not for use with wool or natural fibers.
SWEEPING & BLOTTING
It is always best to attack spills immediately. The best way to prevent a spill from turning into a stain is by blotting up as much moisture as possible with clean towels. Begin at the outer edge of the stain and blot towards the center. Do not rub the spill. This will allow the spill to sit on top of the pile, and will not allow the spill to leave a ring where the stain would be. The best way to blot any kind of solid spill is to take a spoon and scoop it up, making sure not to rub the stain into the carpet.
VACUUMING YOUR ORIENTAL RUG
Oriental rugs, like most carpeting should be vacuumed on a regular basis. Unless your rug is an antique, vacuuming often will not harm the life or value of your rug. No special vacuum cleaners or equipment are needed despite what a vacuum salesman will tell you. Do not vacuum the fringe of your rug, it may become caught in the beater bar and will damage the fringe. Try not to vacuum against the pile of your rug, as excessive vacuuming against the nap can cause undue wear.
BLOT AWAY YOUR STAINS
Spills of almost any nature may be removed without permanent stain if taken care of right away. The sooner you clean the spill, the less likely it will become a stain. Most spills will sit on top of the pile momentarily, allowing you to clean up before the spill can work into the pile of the carpet. Blot or scrape away any excess spill or stain immediately. If necessary, dilute the spill with a moderate amount of water, and then blot the wet area until all of the stain is removed. Repeat as necessary. Brush or scrape away any excess immediately to prevent penetration or possible chemical reactions.
CRUSHED PILE
To up-right any pile that has been indented or crushed by the legs of heavy furniture, first moisten the indented area, then brush it against the nap. This will bring the nap away from the foundation of the rug. Once you have pulled all of the nap upright, use a soft brush to brush the nap uniform with the nap direction of the pile. Use a towel to remove any excess moisture, and make sure that the area is completely dry before use.
ROTATION OF YOUR ORIENTAL RUG
To ensure even wear, your rug should be rotated at least once a year. Depending on the amount of traffic, your rug may need to be rotated more often.
HANGING & STORAGE
Before hanging a rug on the wall, you need to be certain that the warp threads can stand the strain. Never use nails or staples to hang your rugs for long periods of time. Use a strong holder such as specially designed rug clips, or a rod and finial set to distribute the weight of your rug evenly. If your rug is going to be stored for a long period of time, it is best to wrap it in newspaper or shipping paper with moth balls. Never use airtight plastic bags. Rugs should never be stored in a humid, damp, warm, or poorly ventilated room.
WHAT IS THE BASIC PROCESS OF RUG CLEANING?
Your rug goes through a process that is relatively simple, yet very thorough. After inspection, your rug is vacuumed thoroughly. It is vacuumed from the top, then from the back, then from the top again. This technique loosens and removes a percentage of the “dirt” material that is in the pile of the rug before the wet process of the cleaning is involved. Next, your rug is rinsed with clean water, to further remove any dirt or debris before and soap or detergents are added. Once the rug has been rinsed completely, a combination of a mild detergent and clean water are applied to your rug. This solution is gently massaged into the pile of your carpet, where it attaches to any dirt or debris and can be rinsed away. After cleaning with the “soap” solution, a clean water rinse is applied. You rug is thoroughly and completely rinsed until all soap solution and dirt is removed. A squeegee presses out most water before a water vacuum sucks out as much moisture as possible. The squeegee is applied again, this time being used to push the nap of the rug back into place as much as possible. The rug is draped over set of wooden poles and lifted for drying. Air is continually passed over the rug in a temperature and humidity controlled environment to ensure complete and fast drying. Once the rug is dry, it is vacuumed once again to revitalize the nap of the rug and bring softness back to the wool.
YOUR RUG MAY LOOK DIFFERENT, BOTH IN TEXTURE, COLOR, AND SHADOWING
Relax, your rug will look normal, it just needs a little time and use to help it along. During the cleaning process, your rug gets thoroughly wet, causing the wool fibers to contract and matt together. The nap of the rug, which is usually consistently directional, becomes erratic during the scrubbing process. And the removal of dirt and debris will often brighten the colors of a rug. The texture and “shadowing” of the rug will return to normal with time and use. The wool fibers will separate naturally through use or can be sped us with soft vacuuming. As the rug is used, the nap of the fibers will relax and be restored to its original position, eliminating light and dark “shadows.”
YOUR RUG MAY SMELL DIFFERENT
The majority of hand-knotted oriental rugs are woven with wool as the main pile fiber. Wool is a natural fiber, shorn from sheep, and contains many natural oils. As any other natural fiber, when is becomes wet, the smell of the fiber becomes much stronger and more apparent. Once the rug has been completely dried, vacuumed, and properly aired out, this stronger scent will go away. If your rug has been marked with pet urine, other pet stains, or has had mildew damage, these scents may actually become more apparent with cleaning. This is due to the unique chemical nature of each occurrence of the damage type, and unfortunately may not be able to be remedied. Depending upon the situation, deodorizing processes may be used on your rug. Consult with your rug cleaner if you have concerns or questions about odors.
THE STAINS MAY NOT COME OUT
Depending upon the type of stain and how long it has been in the rug, some stains may not be able to be removed with a normal cleaning process. Such rugs may require stronger chemical processes, or in extreme cases re-weaving to remove tough stains. Due to the chemical nature of some stains, the process of removing them may actually harm the wool, or even cause the dyes in the wool to bleed. In short, ultimately, some stains will simply not be able to be removed through cleaning.
THERE MAY BE SOME STAINS OR MARKS THAT YOU DID NOT NOTICE BEFORE
The cleaning process both saturates and agitates the wool in your rug. Some stains can actually get worse or even appear where they were not noticed before. If you were to spill ink from a normal ink pen, for example, the stain would be relatively small, with the majority of the ink soaking into the base of the rug, and the stain on the pile being smaller. Once the rug becomes wet, the ink stored in the base of the pile will spread, causing a larger stain. Let your cleaning company know about and specific stains in your rug before cleaning takes place.
THE WOOL MAY NOT INITIALLY FEEL AS SOFT AS IT WAS BEFORE
The wool in your rug has gotten wet, causing the fibers to clump or matt together. Gentle vacuuming and normal foot traffic will soften the pile, loosen the fibers, and bring the texture and softness back to normal. In many cases, your rug will actually be softer than before!
MY RUG HAS “PULLS” IN THE PILE FIBER
This is very common when cleaning hand-spun wool fiber rugs. Because the spinning is all done by hand, the tension and amount of twist along the length of the fiber is not uniform. The agitation that takes place during normal cleaning can cause some of these fiber to relax and “pop” loose. This is a normal breaking-in process for this type of rug and is not considered damage. Simply clip the top of the loose fiber off with a pair of sharp scissors. Be sure to clip the fiber even with the top of the pile. If you have questions about the loose “pulls”, ask you cleaning expert or rug dealer, they can explain this to you fully.