Area rugs have been laying around on hardwood and tile floors for many, many years. (Get it? LAYING around. )
Over the past 10 years they have exploded in popularity as homeowners have replaced their carpet with a hard-surface floor.
Some rugs are part of an inheritance, some are purchased from another country through travels around the world. Still others are purchased from an interior designer or a local rug dealer. And some rugs are custom made to fit a particular decor and style.
Wherever area rugs are purchased, these area and Oriental rugs can cost thousands of dollars. Or you can buy an inexpensive one at your local Home Depot, Target or Wally-World. (The image below is for you Vacation movie fans!)
If the rug is an heirloom, a valuable Oriental rug, a rug that matches a set of rugs throughout your home, or goes perfectly with the family room furniture, having it professionally cleaned the RIGHT way will save you a tearful headache down the road.
Trust us – we see this every day!
Having a little knowledge before selecting a professional area rug cleaning company will help to ensure a safe experience with great results for you and your beloved rug.
We’ve included a list of questions for you to ask with of course the answers you will want to listen for.
What to Ask Your Area Rug Cleaning Company
1. How does your company clean rugs?
Correct Answer: We have several cleaning processes. We’ll use the one that is safest and best for your rug.
Wrong Answer: We clean all rugs with hot water extraction. Our process is dry-cleaning. (Believe us, this process will not remove the embedded soil out of the rug! ♀️)
2. What type of cleaning processes do you use?
Correct Answer:
Mirza Rug Wash Machine
Or any other “specialty” rug cleaning machine of this type.
This is a gentle process that keeps the rug flat while going through the cleaning process. The rugs are thoroughly rinsed and go through two rollers to remove the excess water and set the nap on the rug.
The majority of rugs can be cleaned using the Mirza wash system, as seen in the image below.
This is done with a high-powered portable cleaning machine made especially for upholstery cleaning. It uses either a dry cleaning solvent or very little water.
This process is used on rugs that have unstable dyes to avoid the colors running together.
Delicate rugs such as silk and tapestries require a hand cleaning.
Rotary Agitation Process
This is an upright machine that loosens the soil in extra dirty rugs. Then they’re run through the rug wash machine to remove the loosened soil and clean the fibers.
Wrong Answer: Cleaning the rug in the home using a method that would normally be used to clean carpet.
There are several reasons we don’t recommend this process:
- The floor that sits underneath the carpet may get wet, either underneath or on the edges causing discoloration or damage to the floor.
- Hot water could cause the colors to run (especially rugs with pet urine) or cause the rug to shrink (depending on the fiber).
- Rugs take a long time to dry if not dried properly. If the rug does not dry within 24 hours it could end up with a musty odor.
3. Do you do pet odor removal?
Correct Answer: Yes. We do two different types of treatment. One is a topical deodorizer that removes light pet urine and other light odors.
The other is a submersion odor remover using live enzymes that remove heavy pet urine and other odors.
There is a 99% chance the odors can be removed.
Wrong Answer: The regular cleaning process will remove all odors or there is no way to remove pet odors completely from the rug.
4. How do you dry the rug?
Correct Answer: In a large heated and humidity-controlled dry room that will dry the rugs within 12-18 hours.
Wrong Answer: The rugs are dried on a concrete floor using air movers. This will fly with a small rug, however, the large ones dry much quicker when they’re hung in a dry room.
Some rugs that do not dry quickly can do what is called “cellulosic browning” and require a special technique to remove the discoloration.
Ask the Right Questions
You don’t have to be an expert to determine if an area rug cleaning company is the right choice for your rug.
By asking these questions you’ll get a feel for whether they’re experts or not. And heck, when all else fails, check out the companies Google reviews because they tell a story. (Not to brag – okay, maybe a little – but our reviews are pretty awesome.)
If you have an area rug cleaning question you would like answered, give us a shout! We love a good challenge.
Here are a few links we think you might find helpful:
A Peek Into a Day of Our Rug Wash Technicians
How Much to Clean My Area Rug
