The other day I just found out that I had a hand-made rug that was made in Iran and bought by my grandparents about 10-15 years ago, the rug is about 6x8 and they paid around $2000 dollars for it.My question is what is the proper way to clean a rug that is hand-made? It has not been cleaned in years only vacuumed... and also is there a market place for these rugs? if I do decide I want to sell it.
The best way to clean an oriental rug is either to wash it yourself with bicarbionate of soda and vinegar, or farm it out to be washed by a company that specializes in oriental rugs. NEVER use detergent or a chemical cleaner, or dry clean, an oriental rug. All these substances will destroy the protective lanolin in the rug. A 6x8 would be really easy to do yourself. First, vacuum it face-down to loosen the deepest dirt, then right side up. You can either lay the rug on flat, clean concrete (not tarmac), or hang it over a couple of ladders or a fence. Then, rub bicarb all over it, then saturate with vinegar; it will foam up and push out the dirt. Rinse well. The advantage of doing it on a flat surface is you can squeegee it, then hang it. If over ladders, it may take a few days to dry.
Hi, If your rug is worth that much I would have it professionally cleaned by a reputable person that specializes in cleaning persian or oriental rugs. It usually cost from 1-2 dollars a square foot. These companies have special tools that they dust the carpet with. They use compressed air with special tools that get out deeply embedded dirt that can make the foundation of your carpet dry and brittle. Often these companies have washing pits that the rugs are cleaned in that mimic how they were once cleaned in flowing rivers. They can dry your rug with air flow which is important to not leave a rug wet. They can inspect your rug for damage. Chemicals or steam cleaning should not be use as the natural oils of the wool are removed. Yes there is a market for these rugs so you should have it appraised by an experienced persian rug evaluator. Then you will have a market value if you decide to sell it but also for insurance purposes. Hope this helps.
