If you’ve invested in a
beautiful oriental rug it’s only natural that you’ll want to give it pride of place in your home so that you can enjoy it properly. This inevitably means that from time to time your rug will require cleaning. Whilst it’s always best to let the professionals clean your rug for you, it is possible to shampoo it yourself if you know how. Follow this step by step guide and your rug will look as good as new in no time...
- Begin by vacuuming your rug in situ on both sides to remove as much dust and dirt as you can. After giving it a good vacuum take it outside, hang it over the washing line and beat it to knock out any remaining dirt and dust.
- Once you’ve knocked all of the dust out of your rug, move it to a clean, flat area ready to be shampooed. A garage floor, clean driveway, or a patio will usually work well for this sort of thing.
- Wet the rug all over with cool water then do a colour run test on a small, inconspicuous area with a very mild, ammonia-free rug shampoo. If the colours don’t run then you can proceed with shampooing the entire rug, using a soft, long-bristled brush to clean the front and back.
- Brush the shampoo softly into the rug in the direction of the pile, ensuring that you wet the nap completely with the soapy water.
- Use a soft brush to gently clean the rug’s fringes with the soapy water. Run the brush along the fringe, away from the body of the rug, repeating until the fringes are clean.
- Use a hose to rinse the entire rug with cool, running water. Be sure to completely rinse out all of the shampoo from the front and back of the rug.
- Remove any standing water from the rug using a clean squeegee. Run it along the grain of the rug until you’ve squeezed out all of the excess water, then lay the rug flat to air dry.
- Make sure the rug is fully dry on both sides before you move it back into its original position, then gently vacuum to smooth it out.
