Wool, cotton, silk. Room-sized, pillow-sized, floor coverings, religious prayer rugs, animal decorations. Century-old or recently imported from Far and Middle East countries. We are talking about Oriental carpets, of course. Since the beginning of the High Middles Ages, oriental rugs have become an integrated part of our lives. Many people choose to buy at least one Persian or Oriental carpet in their lifetime; some are lucky enough to inherit one in the family. These rugs can get quite costly, up to a few tens of thousands of dollars – so their maintenance should definitely be a matter of great concerns for all owners.
But wouldn’t it be great to be able to actually prolong the lifespan of your Oriental carpets while cleaning them? Most people choose to vacuum their carpets as a quick and efficient fix for first and dust. Let’s dissect the topic and find out a few vacuuming tricks that should help you significantly increase the life expectancy of these gorgeous carpets.
The Popularity Of Vacuum Cleaners
- Vacuum cleaners are on top of most people’s preferences when it comes to quick and effective cleaning tools for their homes.
- They can help you save precious time and energy you would otherwise spend on sweeping with a broom.
- They also efficiently remove allergens from the carpet fibers and remove nasty pet hair.
- Advanced robotic vacuum cleaners can even be programmed to clean your home when you are not at home. So why wouldn’t you choose vacuum cleaners as your go-to cleaning tool around the house?
- Manually cleaning an Oriental rug is likely to take a few good hours, and most of us do not have the physical time, mood, or energy to go through the hassle. Since a vacuum cleaner can effectively clean a carpet within a few minutes, the only question that remains is how to make the most of this time and increase the lifespan of our carpets in the process.
Is A Vacuum Cleaner Too Aggressive For My Oriental Carpet?
- Some people fear that today’s advanced vacuum cleaners may be too aggressive when it comes to cleaning wool or silk Oriental carpets and area rugs. Since these vacuums come with beater bars, there are some problems rising. However, it’s nothing that cannot be fixed with a few simple tricks.
- What you can do is remove the soil form your wool or silk carpets with the help of a broom. Make sure you do the sweeping from left to right. Stay away from the end-to-end movement, as you will risk damaging the fringes. Done with the sweeping? It’s time to plug in your vacuum cleaner. Make sure you turn the beater bars off. Another solution is to rise the head of the vacuum cleaner as high as you can.
- Do a thorough vacuuming of the entire rug and pay attention to the fringes. They can easily get “swallowed” by your vacuum cleaner and broken or severely damaged.
- You are highly recommended to sweep and vacuum the underside as well as the top of your Oriental carpet to effectively dislodge all of the embedded dirt. Sand and dirt are responsible for causing the wear-and-tear of the fibers in your carpets and rugs. So make sure you do that at least once or twice a year.
- For better results, you should get in touch with a professional Oriental rug cleaning service like the NYC Steam Cleaning service. They specialize in advanced cleaning services for homes and commercial spaces. Steam cleaning and eco-friendly services are the ones that distinguish them on market; they also specialize in Oriental rug cleaning and they rely on advanced cleaning products that are environmental-friendly and organic. Get in touch with them and find out exactly what they can do for you. They also provide free estimates and they promise one of the fastest response times in case of emergencies.
- They can thoroughly vacuum your Oriental rugs and eliminate up to 90 percent of the total soil.
How To Prolong The Life Of Your Oriental Carpets
- Use the so-called “compass cleaning method”. The width direction of your carpet needs to be vacuumed first, following the east to west direction. Next, the vacuum should be turned around 180 degrees, and the vacuuming should go from west to east. Once the laying direction of the pile is established, the vacuuming should go in the respective direction. This three-sided vacuuming process should ensure that all soil has been successfully removed from the fibers.
- Keep in mind regular vacuuming is the number one solution to preserving Oriental carpets and prolonging their life. But if the vacuuming is done incorrectly, the job will be pretty much in vain.
- Carefully assess the location and makeup of the rug, as well as its level of soil. Flat woven carpets require the use of the upholstery attachment instead of the vacuum. If this attachment is missing, see that the rotary brush is as high as possible. The bristles should not touch the carpet. Flat woven rugs should be vacuumed across the width.
- A tufted rug should not be vacuumed aggressively. Avoid intense suction or you will break the fibers. Rely on the upholstery attachment and always vacuum in the pile’s direction.
- Vacuum your carpets at least once a week, or more for rugs located in high foot traffic areas. Dust all decorative wall rugs at least once a year.
- Carpets that have received a deep cleaning from professional cleaners can be lightly vacuumed until the upcoming session.
