Pre-Inspect.
The condition of each rug – look for fading, discolouration, stains, wear, pre-existing damage, colour instability and odours. We determine the clean ability of each rug and the appropriate cleaning procedure to be used. (See note below)
Dusting.
Dry soils (fine dust and grit) can act like sandpaper on a rugs fibers. Causing premature wear and loss of colour. Dust and particulate matter lying deep within the rug are removed using a thorough, yet gentle power vacuuming to the front and back of each rug. This is followed by the use of either compressed air, this step is often referred to as “air washing” or the rug is gently shaken using 40,000 harmonic vibrations per minute to effectively and safely remove the dry soils, this is known as “dusting”.
Pre-Treat.
Spots, spills and stains using the most advanced spotting and stain treatment and stain removal techniques. The most common stains we treat are pet urine stain removal, tea/coffee stain removal and red wine stain removal from wool, silk and tencel rugs.
Pre-Clean.
Rugs are pre-soaked to help release dirt and soils more safely and easily from the wool and silk fibers. If a rug has pet urine contamination, this part of the process uses solutions to help break down the uric acid crystals and neutralise the bacteria which has been causing any odours.
Clean.
Using only solutions which are safe for use on wool, silk and other delicate fibers, these are gently agitated into the rug fibers using a soft brush, designed specifically for this task. These rug wash solutions slowly dissolve, encapsulate and suspend the ground in soils.
Rinse.
To further remove soils and cleaning residue, the rugs fibers are thoroughly rinsed, rinsed and rinsed again, until the water runs clear. Then the rug is placed into our rug centrifuge to spin out the remaining water, leaving the rug slightly damp to the touch.
Restore.
The direction of the pile, referred to as the nap, is restored by hand with special grooming tools.
Dry.
The rugs are hung to dry in our climate controlled drying room using warm air, air movers and dehumidifiers.Which ensure we are able to get your rug dried as quickly and as safely as possible, eliminating the risk of oxidisation.
Final Inspection.
We maintain the highest standards, so our final inspection process is thorough. We don’t hesitate to repeat any steps that might be necessary to provide you with the cleanest and healthiest rug possible. It’s that final touch that means so much.
*NOTE: During step 1, pre-inspection – we may determine that additional steps beyond standard cleaning are necessary to restore your rug to its best possible appearance. Standard cleaning is done at our normal or quoted price. Unusually heavily soiled rugs, excessive spotting, by-hand cleaning, deodourisation, and situations that require extra labour or materials may require an additional charge.
Knowledge & Expertise
Specialist knowledge of fine Persian and Oriental rugs is critical when choosing a cleaning method. To prove our expertise, we will send over one of our experts to you at no charge, so as to explain in greater detail the different treatments that can be used on your specific handmade rug.