Restoring the rug to its optimum condition thanks to their years of experience the video below explains a process professional cleaners use on old 100 wool rugs.
How to antique wash a rug.
Scrub the rug in a circular motion.
Professional cleaners come in handy.
Then lay the rug where it can get plenty of air to dry.
The only time you should be taking any liquid cleaner to your vintage rug is to spot clean a stain.
Lay the rug flat to dry.
Then using a clean rag go over the washed rug one more time to remove some of the soap.
But my newest old rug purchase made me think about how to actually clean a rug at home.
A beautiful vintage rug can be a piece that pulls an entire room together adding depth color and texture to your space.
For stubborn stains make a mixture of water vinegar and dish soap and rub it onto the spot.
Then use cold water and a clean cloth to lift the stain.
Don t steam clean your rug.
The solvents used will dry out the natural oils in the wool fibers making them weak and brittle.
To deep clean a smaller wool area rug choose a sunny moderate day.
Stroke the antique rug gently so as not to damage the pile while washing it with soapy water.
Vacuum or brush the rug to loosen compacted.
I got the rug on ebay using the tips that i shared in the post on how to buy affordable vintage rugs.
Once the top side is dry flip it over so the bottom can dry as well.
You can use a 2 1 dish soap water solution to remove and disinfect food or drink spills.
Take the rug outside and hang it over a sturdy clothesline porch railing or a couple of solid chairs use a broom tennis racket or rug beater to hit the rug all over to loosen deeply embedded dirt.
Remember not to scrub it vigorously as it can seriously damage the rugs making your hard effort futile.
Shake out the dirt.
To be quite honest we walk on rugs and unless they smell weird or have a big stain i don t think to clean them.
Then if you re dealing with mud or a mild stain vacuum your rug.
To clean your rug blot spills with a clean white towel and scrape up solid debris as soon as you can.
A few dos and don ts.
Here s the backstory on the rug.
To clean an oriental rug spot clean any stains by first blotting up any excess liquid with a paper towel.
Then begin to wash the fringes while rubbing them and finally wash the rugs again thoroughly.
Do not dry clean your rug.
Don t forget to wash the back as well.
Buying a wool rug is one part of the journey maintaining it in pristine condition is another.
Think of the havoc heat wreaks on a wool sweater.