Table of Contents
The short answer
A hand-knotted wool or silk rug is not washed the way a fitted carpet is. The usual carpet method, hot water and detergent sprayed in and sucked back out while the carpet lies on the floor, is built for synthetic pile fixed to a backing. Used on a handmade rug it can make the dyes run, leave the cotton foundation wet for days, turn the fringes brown and take the sheen off silk. Some of that damage cannot be undone.
The wash these rugs are made for is done by hand, off the floor and usually away from the home. Dust is beaten out of the back first. Every colour is tested. The rug is washed in cool water with a detergent suited to wool, rinsed right through, and dried until the foundation is dry and not only the pile. It is slower, and it is a specialism.
So before any cleaner touches a rug you care about, find out what the rug is and ask how they would wash it. This guide gives you the pointers and the questions. If you book carpet cleaning with IHR Dream Cleaning, say that the rug is handmade and send photos and its material with the booking. What can be done for that rug, and by what method, is confirmed from the photos before any visit is arranged.
Is your rug handmade? What to look for
The care a rug needs depends on how it was made and what it is made of, not on what it is called. In shops, 'Persian' is used loosely for almost any patterned rug. The checks below take five minutes and tell a cleaner most of what they need to know. They are general pointers only. They will not tell you a rug's age, origin or value, and a cleaner is not the person to ask about those.
- Turn it over. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern is as clear on the back as on the front, and you can see the individual knots as tiny, slightly uneven bumps in rows.
- Look at the fringe. On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the end of the threads that run the length of the rug, so it is part of the structure. On a machine-made rug it is usually sewn on afterwards, or absent.
- Look for a cloth backing. A cloth or mesh glued over the back means a hand-tufted rug: wool pushed through a canvas and held with latex glue. It is made by hand, but it is a different construction with its own weaknesses.
- Check for perfect regularity. Machine-made backs show stitches in exact, even rows. Hand work is never quite regular: lines waver slightly, and the two ends may differ in width by a centimetre or two.
- Feel the pile. Wool is matt and springy. Silk is fine, cool to the touch and bright, and its colour shifts as you look from one end and then the other. Viscose, often sold as art silk or bamboo silk, looks similar and behaves very differently when wet.
- Read any label and keep any paperwork. A label stating the fibre, or the seller's invoice, is more reliable than a guess.
| Type | How to recognise it | What water does |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-knotted wool on cotton | Pattern clear on the back, fringe part of the rug | Dyes may run. The foundation dries slowly. |
| Hand-knotted silk | Very fine knots, high sheen, thin and supple | Pile distorts, sheen dulls, water leaves rings |
| Flat-weave (kilim) | No pile, pattern woven through | Dyes may run. The shape can distort. |
| Hand-tufted | Cloth glued over the back | Glue weakens. The backing can smell or come away. |
| Viscose or art silk | Silky shine, soft and heavy | Yellows, stiffens and mats, even from plain water |
| Machine-made synthetic | Perfectly even back, sewn-on fringe | Generally takes standard carpet cleaning |
Why these rugs need a different wash
Five things set a handmade rug apart from a fitted carpet. Each one rules out part of the standard method.
Wool: strong, but particular
Wool pile is hard-wearing and resists soiling well, which is why a good wool rug can go for years between washes. It has three dislikes. Strongly alkaline cleaners, which include many general carpet detergents, roughen the fibre and can yellow it and loosen its dyes. Chlorine bleach destroys it. And heat combined with rubbing makes it felt.
A wool rug wants cool water, a detergent made for wool and gentle handling. Wool also takes in a great deal of water, so a rug that feels merely damp on top can be wet through.
Silk and viscose: the delicate ones
Silk is weaker wet than dry, and its shine comes from smooth, fine fibres lying in one direction. Scrubbing or strong suction on wet silk roughens those fibres, and the patch stays dull. Water alone can leave a ring. A silk rug is for someone who washes silk regularly and can tell you how.
Viscose is weaker still. It loses much of its strength when wet, the pile mats and stiffens as it dries, and it tends to yellow or brown. A spilt glass of water can leave a lasting mark. Rugs described as art silk or bamboo silk are usually viscose, which is one reason to check the label before anyone wets one.
Dyes that run
Dye bleed is the damage owners fear most, and rightly: red that has run into ivory does not wash back out. Any rug can bleed, whatever its dyes, if the dye was not properly fixed and rinsed when the rug was made. The risk rises with hot water, alkaline detergent, long soaking and slow drying. It rises again where a pet has urinated, because old urine loosens dye, and on rugs whose worn areas have been touched up with ink or paint, which washers do come across.
The test is simple, and a careful washer does it on every colour, not on one. A damp white cloth is pressed onto each colour in turn for a short while and checked for transfer. If a colour moves, the method changes or the rug is not wet-washed at all. You can do the same test yourself on a corner, with cool water, before you call anyone. It tells you what to mention.
Fringes and the foundation
Most hand-knotted rugs are built on cotton threads, with the pile knotted round them. Cotton is the part you do not see and the part that suffers most from a bad wash. It dries far more slowly than the wool on top. If it stays damp it smells musty, and cotton that is left damp again and again weakens until the rug cracks when it is folded. That is why a plant pot should never stand on a rug.
The fringe is the visible end of those cotton threads. Left wet, or dried slowly with detergent still in it, it turns brown. The quick fix, bleaching it white, weakens the cotton so that the fringe wears away sooner. And because the ends of the rug hold the last rows of knots in place, a fringe torn by a vacuum brush or a machine is where a rug starts to unravel.
Dust in the foundation
A handmade rug is dense. Grit works down between the knots and collects at the base, far below anything a vacuum reaches from the face. A rug that has lain in an Abu Dhabi home for a few years can hold a surprising weight of fine sand. If that rug is wetted first, the sand becomes mud inside the foundation and dries there. So a proper wash starts dry: the rug is turned over and the dust is shaken and beaten out from the back before any water goes near it.
How a proper rug wash works
The details vary from one washer to another, but the order below is the general practice of the trade, and each step exists for one of the reasons above. Knowing it lets you judge the answers you are given.
- Inspection and record. The rug is measured and photographed front and back. Existing wear, stains, repairs and damage are noted and agreed with the owner before the rug goes anywhere.
- Dye test on every colour.
- Dusting. The rug is laid face down and the dry soil is beaten or vibrated out of the back. Then both sides are vacuumed.
- Washing. The rug is wetted through on a wash floor and washed by hand or with soft brushes, in the direction of the pile, with cool water and a detergent suited to wool or silk. Both sides are washed.
- Rinsing until the water runs clear. This is what a machine on a living room floor cannot do: flush right through the rug and carry the soil away.
- Removing the water, with a squeegee worked along the pile, a wringer or a spinner, so that drying starts from damp and not from soaked.
- Drying flat or hung in moving air until the foundation is dry, not only the pile.
- Finishing. The pile is brushed to lie one way, the fringes are cleaned and combed, and the rug is checked against the record made at the start.
Why it is usually done away from your home
Every step needs something a home does not have: a floor that can be flooded, a great deal of water with somewhere to drain, and a room where a rug can dry for as long as it needs. That is why this kind of wash is normally done at a rug-washing facility, with collection and delivery, and why it is counted in days, not hours. A wash offered in your living room in an hour is a different service, whatever it is called.
Why on-site wet extraction is risky
Hot-water extraction, often called steam cleaning, is a good method for fitted synthetic carpet and for many machine-made rugs. Our own published carpet method is shampoo or hot-water extraction, chosen to suit the fibre. Our general sofa and carpet cleaning guide also says that delicate or antique rugs are tested on a hidden corner first and that some are better sent to a specialist. These are the reasons.
- The machine cannot dust the rug first, so the grit in the foundation is wetted where it lies.
- It normally uses warm or hot water and a detergent made for synthetic carpet. Both raise the risk of dye bleed and both are hard on wool.
- It wets the rug where it lies. The back never sees air, and the floor underneath gets damp. On marble or wood that can mark the floor as well.
- It cannot rinse through. Whatever is loosened and not sucked up stays in the rug, along with the detergent.
- If a colour starts to run halfway through, there is no way to stop it or flush it out on the spot.
- The cleaning head and its suction drag across fringes and across wet silk.
When cleaning at home is reasonable
None of this means a handmade rug can never be touched at home. Thorough dry vacuuming of both sides does more good than most people expect and puts no water into the rug. A sturdy wool rug whose dyes have tested stable may take a careful low-moisture surface clean between full washes. Machine-made synthetic rugs are generally fine with the standard carpet method.
What matters is that the decision is made rug by rug, after someone has looked, and that you are told which kind of clean you are getting. The differences between the methods are explained in shampoo, steam or dry cleaning.
What to ask any cleaner first
These questions apply to any company, ours included. A cleaner who handles such rugs properly will answer them without hesitation. A vague answer is an answer too.
| Ask | A sound answer |
|---|---|
| Where is the rug washed, and by whom? | A named place and method. If it goes to a specialist, they say so. |
| How is the dust taken out before washing? | From the back, dry, before any water. |
| How do you test the dyes, and what if one runs? | Every colour is tested. If one moves, the method changes or the rug is not wet-washed. |
| What detergent, and what water temperature? | A product suited to wool or silk, and cool water. |
| How is it dried, and for how long? | In moving air until the foundation is dry. It is never returned damp. |
| What do you do with the fringes? | Cleaned by hand, without bleach. |
| Have you washed silk, viscose or old rugs? Do you ever decline one? | Yes to both, with reasons. |
| How is the rug recorded at collection? | Photos, measurements and existing damage, shared with you. |
| Who is responsible if it is damaged or lost? | A clear statement in writing before the rug leaves. |
| What result do you expect on my stains? | A realistic range, not a promise. |
| What is the price based on? | A written quote covering size, fibre, collection and delivery. |
Answers that should make you pause
Any one of these is a reason to keep the rug at home for now.
- A price and a promise given without seeing the rug or a photo of it.
- A claim that all stains will come out. Nobody can know that, least of all about pet urine, dye run or sun fade.
- The same quick method for every rug, whatever it is made of.
- Whitening the fringes with bleach, offered as a feature.
- A rug returned still damp, or rolled up damp for delivery.
- An opinion on the rug's age, origin or value given as part of the cleaning. That is an appraiser's work, not a cleaner's.
What to send us when you book
Our carpet cleaning is quoted from photos, and our service page asks customers to mention the fibre, especially for wool or silk rugs. For a handmade, silk, viscose or old rug, the photos settle more than the price. They settle whether the rug should be cleaned at home at all, and how. Send these with your booking.
- The whole rug from above, in daylight.
- A close-up of the pile, and a close-up of the back with a coin or a ruler beside it for scale.
- The fringe and the side edges.
- Any label on the back, and the fibre if you know it: wool, silk, viscose, cotton or a mix.
- Each stain or damaged area, with what caused it and how long ago.
- The size, length by width, in metres.
- What has been done before: earlier washes, products used on stains, and any time a colour has run.
- The floor it lies on, and whether it sits in direct sun.
What happens next
We look at the photos before any visit is arranged and tell you what can be done for that rug and by what method. If the photos show a rug that is better handled by a specialist rug washer, we say so. Quoting from photos is free and carries no obligation to go ahead. Any work starts only after you have the scope and the price, and payment is by card from My bookings on this website once the price is confirmed.
The published prices, and when they apply
Our price list gives carpet cleaning at AED 10 per square metre and small rugs from AED 50, with a smallest order of AED 100 per visit, VAT included. Whether those figures apply to a particular handmade, silk or antique rug depends on what the photos show, because fibre type is one of the things a carpet quote depends on. You will have the price before any work is agreed. How the fabric-care list works is set out in our sofa, carpet, mattress and curtain prices explained, and every figure is on the price list.
Looking after a handmade rug between washes
A handmade rug needs washing far less often than it needs looking after. These are the habits that matter. The general routine for any carpet, including spills and sand, is in keeping a carpet clean between professional washes.
- Vacuum with suction only, no rotating brush, in the direction the pile lies. Stop short of the fringes.
- A few times a year, turn the rug over, vacuum the back, then vacuum the floor beneath.
- Turn the rug end to end every few months so that wear and sunlight are shared.
- Use a rug underlay on tile and marble. It stops the rug slipping and cushions the knots against the hard floor.
- Keep plant pots off it, and move a rug away from an AC unit or a window that drips.
- Blot spills at once with a white cloth and cool water, and stop there. No shop-bought stain removers on wool or silk.
- Look under furniture and along the edges for moth or carpet-beetle damage: bare patches, loose tufts, fine webbing or gritty specks. These insects like wool that lies dark and undisturbed. If you find signs, vacuum both sides thoroughly and speak to a rug washer and a pest controller.
- Before storing, have the rug clean and fully dry. Roll it, wrap it in cotton and keep it off the floor. Never store it folded or in plastic.
Spills, floods and pet accidents
What you do in the first hour matters more on these rugs than on any other floor covering.
A spill
Blot with white cloths, pressing and not rubbing. Add a little cool water, blot again, and keep going until the cloth comes up clean. If you can lift the rug, put a dry towel under the spot as well as on top, and dry it quickly with a fan. If you see the rug's colour on the cloth, stop adding water, keep blotting dry and get the rug to a specialist. A colour that has started to move keeps moving for as long as the rug is wet.
A leak or flood
A leaking AC, a burst pipe or a mopping accident can leave a rug soaked from below. Get it off the wet floor at once. Do not leave it rolled or folded while wet, because that is when colour transfers from one part of the rug to another. Lay it flat on something that lets air underneath, with a fan on it and the AC running, and call a rug washer the same day. A soaked wool rug is very heavy, so get help to lift it and support its weight evenly.
Pet urine
Urine passes straight through a handmade rug into the foundation and onto the floor. Blot from both sides and dry it, but do not use a pet stain product on wool or silk unless its label says it is suitable for those fibres. A surface clean will not reach urine in the foundation. Only a wash that flushes through the rug does, and old urine may already have changed the dye.
Tell the cleaner about every accident, since it affects how the dyes are tested. The general advice for a home with animals is in pet hair, odour and accidents on sofas and carpets.
Common questions
Can a Persian rug be steam cleaned at home?
What is sold as steam cleaning is usually hot-water extraction, and for the reasons above it is the wrong starting point for a hand-knotted wool or silk rug. Some sturdy rugs with stable dyes tolerate a careful low-moisture clean. That is a judgement for someone who has seen the rug and tested its colours, which is why we ask for photos before agreeing to anything.
How often should a handmade rug be washed?
Far less often than a fitted carpet. With regular vacuuming and no accidents, a rug in a living room is usually washed every few years, and one in a quiet room can go longer. Wash sooner after pet accidents or a flood, if dust puffs out when you slap the back, or if the colours still look dull after vacuuming.
The six to twelve months we suggest for fitted carpets is a different matter, and the reasoning for each kind of fabric is in how often sofas, carpets, mattresses and curtains should be cleaned.
Can I wash it myself with a hose, on the roof or in the yard?
For a handmade rug, no. You cannot test and control the dyes. A soaked wool rug is too heavy to handle without straining it, and hanging it over a wall bends the foundation while it is at its weakest. In the middle of the rug the cotton stays wet long after the surface is dry, and strong sun fades the side facing up. The saving is small beside the risk.
Is it risky to wash a very old rug?
Condition matters more than age. An old rug with a sound foundation can wash well in the right hands, while a much newer one with brittle cotton, moth damage or old repairs may not stand soaking. A specialist finds this out by handling the rug before deciding, and sometimes the right answer is dusting and a surface clean only. Be cautious of anyone who is confident without having handled it.
Why did the fringes go brown, or the rug go stiff, after cleaning?
Brown fringes mean the cotton dried slowly or with detergent still in it. A stiff, harsh pile means detergent was left in the wool or the wrong detergent was used. Both are signs of a wash that was not rinsed properly. A specialist can often improve them with a correct wash. Bleach is not the cure for the fringes.
Can a handmade rug be dry cleaned?
Not in the sense that a suit is. What is offered as dry cleaning for rugs is usually a low-moisture method, in which a compound or foam is worked into the pile and vacuumed out. It can freshen the surface of a suitable rug between washes. It does not remove the dust in the foundation or anything that has soaked through, so it is maintenance and not a wash.
The rug smells musty after cleaning. What now?
The foundation is still damp. Do not put the rug back on the floor. Stand it or lay it so that air reaches both sides, run a fan and the AC, and tell whoever washed it straight away. A rug that stays damp for days is being damaged, and humid summer weather makes that happen faster.
Before you hand a rug to anyone
Find out what the rug is, try the damp-cloth test on its colours, and ask the questions above. If the answers are vague, keep the rug at home and keep vacuuming it. A handmade rug is rarely harmed by waiting and often harmed by haste.
For the fitted carpets and everyday rugs in the same home, our carpet cleaning page sets out the method and what a visit includes. For a handmade, silk or antique rug, book online, say what the rug is and send the photos and its material with the booking. The scope is confirmed from them before any visit is arranged.
