Rugs first started to gain popularity in the 1700s, and ever since then, rugs have become a very important component of many homes. Rugs have changed a lot over the years, but Persian carpets have hardly changed at all. They still boast their very unique and traditional patterns and methods of weaving, not to mention their colors.

Persian rugs are arguably one of the most famous types of rugs out there, and that is one of the reasons why they are often so expensive. But what happens when it’s time to clean your oriental carpet? The thing about this type of oriental rug is that you can’t clean it as you would any old carpet.

Instead, it needs a special degree of care if you want to make sure that it doesn’t get ruined. Keep reading and learn more about cleaning a Persian rug and if you might need to hire a professional to get the job done.

What You Need to Know About Persian Carpets

What is so special about Persian rugs anyway? Can’t you just get your trusty old vacuum cleaner and clean it as you would with any other carpet? Not necessarily.

Before we go into the details about how to clean these carpets, it is first important to understand why they are so delicate and prized. The first thing you should know is that these carpets are entirely made by hand. They are made from very small and intricate knots that only a pair of hands can create.

This is in contrast to almost every single other type of carpet which is spit out in a hurry by factory machines. The knots that make up the rug are unique to Persian rugs and they are essential for getting the particular texture and pattern of colors that these rugs are known to have. Real Persian rugs come straight from Iran, which used to be called Persia.

The method of creating these rugs goes back hundreds of years and is passed down through the generations. These rugs are so valuable that many people have tried to sell fake rugs in an attempt to scam wealthy people out of their money. Real Persian rugs can be differentiated from fake ones by their sheer luxury and attention to detail.

The Details

The amazing thing about these rugs is that they are so intricate that every inch has at least 500 knots that, again, were all done by hand. This tight weave gives Persian rugs a very unique texture and it is also what allows these rugs to have such detailed patterns. Some of the most complicated patterns include medallions, ribbons, and examples of architecture.

These rugs are also known to be very thick and heavy. After all, they are very dense, so it only makes sense that they should be quite heavy. This is one of the factors that makes them difficult to clean.

So, if you have a real Persian rug on your hands, how should you go about cleaning it without accidentally ruining it?

How to Clean a Persian Rug Superficially

If you don’t want to give your rug a deep clean, a good alternative idea would instead be to remove the dirt and dust from the surface layers of your carpet. Doing this is not too hard and you can even do it on your own. One thing that you might not expect is that you can technically vacuum a Persian rug.

However, when doing so, you will need to be very careful. You won’t want to use a vacuum cleaner or a setting that is very intense or uses a lot of hard bristles to scrape the carpet. This is especially true if you know that your carpet is very old because, of course, older fabric will be much more delicate compared to newer fabric.

It is also important not to use the vacuum on the edges of the carpet where there might be fringes. This is because the fringes would get sucked up into the vacuum cleaner where the vacuum might tear them off or tear them apart. Also, it is important to always follow the grain of the carpet when you use a vacuum.

If you go against the grain of the fibers, there is a good chance that your vacuum could end up making your carpet look pretty ragged. It is also important to use a gentle setting if you really want to use a vacuum. However, if your carpet is very old or already showing some signs of wear, it may not be a good idea to use a vacuum at all.

Instead, it would be best to get a broom and sweep your rug.

What You Need to Know

It may sound strange to sweep a rug, but because Persian rugs are so tightly woven, this technique can actually work. If you use a broom, be sure to use one with generally soft bristles such as straw.

Also, don’t move the broom back and forth, but instead in one direction, following the direction of the rug’s fibers. This will ensure that the fibers don’t get snagged or pulled by the brook. Also, the motion of the broom will help kick up and remove whatever pieces of dirt and dust might be stuck to the surface of the carpet.

This can help bring out the superficial colors and textures that the rug has to offer. If your rug isn’t too big or heavy, you can always bring it outside and shake it out. That way, it will be much easier to remove whatever might be stuck to the surface.

Of course, if your carpet is huge and heavy, it won’t be such an easy task. Instead, you might need to get a few people to help you pick the rug up and move it outside where you can shake it and whack it a few times to get all the dust out. But what if you need to give your rug a much deeper clean?

In that case, it may be a better idea to leave that task to the professionals.

Deep Cleaning Your Persian Rug

While you can technically give your rug a deep clean on your own, this is not recommended. This is because you won’t have the professional knowledge to operate a deep cleaning machine and, besides that, you also won’t have the knowledge to deep clean a Persian rug in particular. Going through with this on your own could end up with you ruining your rug completely.

This, of course, is not something you want to risk, especially since these rugs can cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. For that reason, it is a much better idea to hire a professional carpet cleaner. Of course, you need to make sure that you hire a cleaner that knows a thing or two about cleaning Persian carpets specifically.

Hiring a general carpet cleaner won’t help you very much since they probably won’t know anything about cleaning Persian carpets. But once you find a professional that knows all about cleaning these unique carpets, you’ll be in luck. Deep cleaning such a carpet is a very delicate process and it needs to be done in a very careful way to keep from ruining the carpet.

Deep cleaning isn’t always necessary unless the deep layers of your carpet are filled with dirt, dust, stains, and other debris. If your carpet hasn’t been cleaned in many years, then it is probably time for a deep clean. This is important because a deep clean can also remove allergens that may have been stuck in the carpet for many years.

What to Know

That way, your carpet will be clean and the air quality in your home will be greatly improved. However, it is important to first know if the colors in the carpet bleed. If that is the case, deep cleaning the carpet will be an even more delicate issue.

Deep cleaning usually involves the use of a lot of water to flush out whatever debris might be stuck in the deeper layers of your carpet. A simple vacuum or broom won’t be enough to remove the debris that is not on the surface of the rug, and of course, they won’t be able to remove stains either. Deep cleaning, on the other hand, can make your carpet look brand new.

After a professional is done deep cleaning your carpet, you will find that your carpet will look much brighter and its colors will be far more vibrant. This is because the carpet won’t be hindered by a layer of dust and dirt. You may even find that some stains on the carpet have completely disappeared after a deep clean.

Of course, not all stains can be completely removed, but some can be faded to the point where they are almost impossible to detect. Whatever the case, if you want your Persian rug to have some life back in it again, hiring a professional to deep clean it may be the answer.

Depending on the type of rug you have, the professionals may clean it by hand, with a rotary cleaner, or whatever other method will best clean and preserve your rug.

How to Keep Your Persian Carpet in Good Shape

Once you have a professional clean your Persian carpet, there are a few ways in which you can keep it clean and in good shape. For one, it is important to keep your rug out of sunny areas. Persian rugs do not like the sun one bit.

This is because the sun’s UV rays are very damaging and they can break apart different materials on a molecular level. This is why things tend to become bleached and brittle when left out in the sun for too long. This will also happen to your rug if you’re not careful.

Each fiber of your rug has a bit of natural oil in it, and when you leave your rug out in a sunny place, the sun will slowly destroy those natural oils. This will leave the carpet fibers very brittle and dry.

What Else Should You Know?

This, of course, will make your rug all the more fragile. This is not to mention that the sun will eventually bleach all the beautiful colors that your rug has to offer. So, to make sure that your carpet stays in good shape, move it to a more shady place in the house so you won’t have to deal with these problems.

Another thing to keep in mind is rotation. Rotating your rug around once or twice a year is a great way to make sure that your rug doesn’t wear down too fast. If you keep your rug in one place, then it will get the same level of traction from whoever steps on it.

This can leave very obvious spots of wear on your carpet while the rest of it is virtually untouched. To avoid this type of damage, all you need to do is rotate the rug every once in a while. That way, the traction will be spread out across the rug and the rug should stay in good shape for a longer period of time.

All About Persian Carpets

If your Persian carpets only need some superficial cleaning, you can probably do it yourself. But if you need a more serious cleaning, it is essential to hire a specialist. That way, you can rest easy knowing that your rug won’t be damaged in the cleaning process.

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