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Oriental Rug MaintenanceTips and Tricks on how to help preserve your precious PersiansFor years people believed that because Oriental rugs are valuable, they must be pampered like fine China. But Persian carpets are more durable than you might think.
When they are dirty, they can be washed (unlike wall-to-wall carpeting, which can be surface cleaned only). And when they are injured they can be fixed. Their dyes resist fading and running, and their wool, full of natural oils, keeps many potential stains from penetrating and setting. We have seen that in the Middle East some new rugs are thrown into the streets for “aging,” where they are driven over by trucks and camels alike. They come through the ordeal looking much improved. Rugs are, as they say, forgiving. Still, rugs need a congenial atmosphere and a little attention to help combat their several natural enemies including direct sunlight and moths. Rugs Fade in Sunlight. Be Careful! The effect of direct sunlight on your oriental rugs is quite severe. Sunlight streaming through a window directly onto a rug is virtually guaranteed to harm it, whether morning or afternoon, southern or western sunlight. Naturally dyed rugs and synthetically dyed rugs suffer equally. Colors fade unevenly and wool and cotton dry out and become brittle. A good rug can be spoiled in a month or less. You can eliminate or prevent the problem by keeping the curtains closed or by having your windows professionally coated with mylar (an invisible film which can be applied to your windows and which filters out harmful ultraviolet light) Moths The second major enemy of Oriental rugs is moths. The moths you need to worry about are small and hardly noticeable. They are the same moths that raid food in the pantry and wool clothes in the closet. Rugs or portions of rugs covered by furniture must be disturbed from time to time to prevent moths from settling in. That means moving furniture off rugs every several months or so and vacuuming or sweeping. When inspecting rugs for moth activity, remember that most moth damage is to the back of a rug where moths are least likely to be disturbed. So examine the back of the rug along its perimeter and look for moths, moth larvae or the casing or webbing they leave behind. How to Keep Your Oriental Rugs Clean Rugs gradually wear as they are walked on. That can’t be avoided, but you can lesson the problem by turning or rotating your rugs from time to time so they don’t always get walked on in the same places. Walking on a dirty rug shortens its life prematurely. Dirt and sand fragments act like sandpaper as you grind them into the surface of your rug.
The copyright of the article Oriental Rug Maintenance in Antiques & Collectibles is owned by Eftihia Maria Kougianos. Permission to republish Oriental Rug Maintenance in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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