subject: Complete Rug Cleaning [print this page] Before there were carpets there were rugs, and before there were rugs there were animal skins. Rug cleaners today, like chem dry who provide local rug cleaning services, are usually engaged in rug cleaning of area rugs, the practical type used in high traffic areas of the house. They may also perform rug cleaning of the more decorative rugs that provide colourful contrast to the plain fitted carpet or hard wood floors beneath them. Occasionally their rug cleaning services have to demonstrate the expertise necessary to clean an antique rug, probably an Oriental rug, made of wool or silk, rather than the synthetic blends more common nowadays. Nomadic tribes first used sheepskins as blankets and rugs before progressing to the stage of weaving the wool into purpose-made rugs. There are remnants of rugs found in tombs dating back as far as 4,000 years ago.
The earliest rugs would not have needed rug cleaners, as such, as multi-purpose rug/blankets would simply been shaken out every day and perhaps put out in the sun and fresh air to be hung over the edge of balconies for a few minutes. As the art of rug-making became more complex, more and more elaborate patterns were incorporated into the designs. Colours originally came from various seeds and plants that were made into natural dyes. Entirely made by hand without looms at first, eventually vertical and then horizontal looms were introduced. Different styles of knotting were invented, along with fringes. Until the Chinese started making silk rugs, all rugs were made from wool. The Tibetans still make rugs out of wool that are used for everything from floor seating and sleeping to wall hangings and horse saddles. Many of these rugs are still made by hand, although machinery is used for some stages of the process, such as spinning yarn. There are important rug industries in India and Nepal, with most Tibetan rugs being made by Tibetans in exile. Techniques for rug cleaning of modern versions of these traditional rugs would depend to some extent on the materials being used not all dyes are natural in the newer rugs. Those rugs surviving from the 19th century have a limited range of colours all natural: red (madder plant), blue (indigo), yellow (rhubard) and browns/greys (walnut).
Rug cleaners given a newer Tibetan rug to clean would find it had more complex designs and a much wider range of colours than the early examples. But originally seating rugs, or rugs arranged on long, low benches, were the only form of seating furniture used in Tibet; thousands of rugs were woven for use in wealthy homes and in monasteries. Rug cleaning services would have consisted of the use of water to wash the rugs, followed by drying outside in the sun. Now that imitations are available with original designs being copied in synthetics such as polyester, rug cleaning for a modern Tibetan rug might not be any more complicated than that used for most area rugs. So your local chem dry rug cleaners would have no problem restoring them to their usual stunning brilliance.
