Wool and oriental rugs
Washed by hand, dried flat, returned with a card.
For hand-knotted and hand-tufted wool rugs, runners and silk blends: the ones that shouldn't go through a machine.
We test the dyes first, dust the rug out on both sides, wash it by hand with a pH-neutral wool shampoo, rinse until the water runs clear and dry it flat.
Dye test on a wet white cloth before any wash
Dust taken out on a table and by vacuum
Hand wash, clear-water rinse and flat drying on racks
Fringe washed and combed
Pile combed and set, with a photograph back on your floor
Services
The edges of the job.
What is extra
Treating a heavy stain or old pet accident beyond a standard wash
Edge binding or re-fringing, done by a restorer we name
Storage past the date we agree
A set return date inside our usual time
Before pickup
Clear the rug of furniture or tell us what is on it
Note any stain, how old it is and what you've used
Keep dogs in another room while we roll it
What we do not do
Wash fine antique silk we judge too fragile; we say so and suggest a conservator
Promise a bleeding dye will hold
Clean a rug with active mold
Questions about this job.
Can a wool rug shrink or bleed?
Dyes can run, which is why we test them first. If a dye moves, we stop, photograph it and call you before going further. We can't promise a rug with an unstable dye comes back unchanged.
How long is the rug gone?
Usually two to three weeks, longer in the fall. The written estimate gives the return date.
Do you wash silk?
Silk-and-wool blends often, yes. Fine antique silk we look at first, and may send you to a conservator.
Send a photo of your wool rug.
A photograph of the whole rug and one of the back is enough for a written estimate.