Oriental rugs add a touch of elegance to your home
. This type of area rug can be found in a variety of sizes and colors to fit any room. They work great as throw rugs or as a focal element.
However, the plush pile of an oriental area rug can become dirty. As these rugs are expensive you will want to protect their quality by keeping them as clean as possible. Some owners choose to hang their rugs so that no one ever walks on them. Others place oriental rugs on their floors where they will have to be cleaned frequently.
To see if your oriental rug is dirty, take your hand and push firmly down into the rug pile. Gently rub your hand back and forth for at least ten seconds. If you notice dirt on your hands after doing this it is time to clean your rug.
The first step in cleaning an oriental rug is to vacuum it. Most of the time this is the only cleaning you need to do as long as you do it well and do it often. Make it a point to vacuum your rug one to two times a week.
If more in depth cleaning is necessary you will need to beat the rug after vacuuming. This will help rid your rug of dirt that the vacuum may not have picked up. You need to hang the rug outside in an area that you can beat it and won't get dust on anything. Use a rug beater to beat the dust from the rug. If you suffer from allergies or you feel that the rug is dusty you may want to wear a mask.
After beating you will move your rug to a flat area and begin washing. Make sure the area you are using is clean. Experts suggest using a driveway, a garage floor, or a deck for this step.
Wet the rug with cool water and begin apply rug shampoo on a small area to test. Allow the shampoo to set for ten minutes and then rinse it off to see if it is safe enough to use. If there was no fading or bleaching then you can proceed.
Using a bristled brush you will spread the shampoo on the damp rug and scrub to remove stains and other debris. Wash the entire rug using this brush and your rug shampoo. When you are brushing make sure to do so with the grain of the Oriental's pile. This will allow you to get all of the dirt out of the rug. Also, make sure you clean down to the nap of the rug.
To clean the fringed edges of an Oriental rug brush gently over the fringes in a downward motion to avoid placing shampoo on the rug. This will remove the dirt and debris from the fringes.
Rinse the rug with cool water. Use a squeegee to remove excess water and then hang the rug up to dry.