Many homeowners believe that cleaning an area rug is the same as cleaning the wall-to-wall carpet in their home. They might rent a machine from the grocery store or hire a carpet cleaning company to come in and steam clean their valuable oriental or wool rug right on their living room floor. This is one of the biggest and most potentially damaging mistakes you can make. Area rugs, especially hand-woven oriental rugs made from natural fibers like wool and silk, have a completely different construction than synthetic, machine-made carpet. They require a specialized, gentle, and highly controlled cleaning process that can only be performed in a dedicated facility by trained professionals.
The Problem with Surface Cleaning on Your Floor
A standard carpet cleaning company typically uses a hot water extraction method (steam cleaning). This process involves spraying a high-pressure solution of hot water and detergent onto the carpet and then immediately vacuuming it up. While this is effective for cleaning the surface fibers of a synthetic wall-to-wall carpet, it is a terrible method for an area rug.
- It Doesn’t Actually Clean the Rug: This method only cleans the top surface of the rug’s pile. It does nothing to remove the pounds of dry soil, dust, and grit that have settled deep into the foundation of the rug over years. This abrasive soil acts like sandpaper, slowly grinding away at the rug’s foundation fibers every time you walk on it.
- Risk of Over-Wetting and Browning: It’s very easy to over-wet a rug with this method. The excess moisture can soak through to the floor underneath, potentially damaging your hardwood or other flooring. It can also cause the natural fibers of the rug to “brown out” or yellow as they dry.
- Risk of Color Bleeding: The high heat and harsh detergents used in carpet cleaning can cause the dyes in a hand-woven oriental rug to bleed and run together, causing irreversible damage to the rug’s intricate design.
- Sticky Residue: The detergents used often leave behind a sticky residue that can actually attract more dirt over time, causing the rug to get dirtier, faster.
The Professional Rug Cleaning Process: A Full Immersion Wash
Professional rug cleaning is a multi-step, labor-intensive process performed in a specialized plant. It’s more like a spa treatment for your rug than a quick surface clean.
- Inspection and Dusting: The rug is first thoroughly inspected for any pre-existing damage. Then, it is put through a machine called a “rug duster,” which uses gentle vibrations and compressed air to safely remove pounds of dry, abrasive soil from deep within the rug’s foundation. This step is critical and is something that can never be achieved with an in-home cleaning.
- Full Immersion Wash: The rug is then placed in a shallow wash pit where it is completely submerged in cool water and a special, pH-neutral rug shampoo. It is then gently agitated with soft brushes to clean every single fiber, from the top of the pile to the bottom of the foundation.
- Thorough Rinsing: The rug is then thoroughly rinsed with fresh, clean water to remove all the dirt and the cleaning solution, leaving behind no sticky residue.
- Controlled Drying: The rug is put through a special centrifuge that removes up to 95% of the water in just a few minutes. It is then hung to dry in a temperature- and humidity-controlled drying room to ensure it dries quickly and evenly without any risk of color bleeding or mildew.
As industry resources like the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) explain, different types of rugs require very specific cleaning methods.
Your Palm Desert Rug Cleaning Professionals
Your valuable area rugs deserve to be treated with care and expertise. Don’t trust them to a carpet cleaner. For rug owners throughout the Coachella Valley, the team at Magic Rug Cleaners provides a specialized, in-plant rug cleaning service designed to safely and thoroughly clean all types of area rugs. Contact us today to schedule a pickup.