Oriental Rug Restorative Cleaning - Part 5

What can I do to care for my rug?


We offer a free bottle of professional carpet spot-out to our clients for the 'oops' moments in life.  It's refillable for life - just bring the empty bottle to our office at 206 E 6th Street in Kearney, and we will exchange is for a new bottle.  The Spot Out is a neutral spotter, so it will not harm fabrics.  Even so, we recommend testing the product on an inconspicuous area first.  

It is also helpful to have a spotting kit on hand for the in-between times to take care of minor spills.  Spotting kits can be extensive (see picture below) to cover any spot or spill, or simple, such as our spot-out bottle for most general issues.  It is also important to blot (not rub) the area so that you are not grinding the spot deeper into the fabric or spreading it to surrounding fibers.  Visit our online store (our store number is 1978) or stop in at our Kearney office to see our line of home care products, specially designed to keep homes clean between professional cleaning visits.      

Finally, if the problem is beyond your ability, call for professional help.  Yellow Van Cleaning & Restoration is available to assist with any cleaning problem.  We are happy to lend our expertise during a free cleaning estimate.  We also recommend that for any delicate fabric, such as silk, chintz, seagrass, bamboo, sisal, or Navahol rugs, that you work with a professional cleaner.  These fabrics require more care in cleaning.  

Oriental Rug Restorative Cleaning - Part 4b

The Cleaning Process - cont'd

How do you clean oriental rugs?

As we’ve mentioned, maintenance is important for the life and value of your oriental rug.  The cleaning process typically has 4 steps: 1) Vacuum 2) Soil removal 3) Wash 4) Specialty Services.

3.  Washing the rug - Each rug is evaluated to determine when it is appropriate to submerse (or wash) the rug.  Submersion cleaning is a more thorough cleaning option, but it may not be the best choice for certain fabrics.  Certain materials shrink when wet, so that needs to be taken into consideration.  Also, some dyes are susceptible to 'bleeding', which means the rug needs to be tested or have a "dye-lock" applied to prevent colors from running.  A cleaning solution is applied to the rug, and worked into the fibers, then water is used to flush out the dirt, leaving the fibers with a deep clean.

4.  Specialty services might include urine removal, fabric protection application, or repair.  If the rug has a severe odor or has urine in it, it will require additional treatments and possibly multiple washings to improve.  We can advise the best treatment and suggest what options are available so you can make the best choice for your rug and your budget.  Fabric protection can be applied after cleaning to deter soils and keep the rug looking its best!  This is especially useful for rugs that will have high traffic or be exposed to food and other soils.  We can contract with specialized rug companies who perform repairs on valuable and irreplaceable rugs.   

Oriental Rug Restorative Cleaning - Part 4a

The Cleaning Process

How do you clean oriental rugs?

As we’ve mentioned, maintenance is important for the life and value of your oriental rug.  The cleaning process typically has 4 steps: 1) Vacuum 2) Soil removal 3) Wash 4) Specialty Services.

1.  Vacuuming with a high quality HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Arresting) filter is an important first step.  A HEPA-filtered vacuum means that you are not putting dirt back into the air when you vacuum.  At Yellow Van we use Windsor commercial-grade vacuums—if you’re interested in trying one for your home, give us a call at 800-828-3969.

2.  Soil removal has evolved over the years.  Perhaps your Grandma used to take rugs outside and beat them.  That was one way of removing the loose soils.  Today, we have the technology to do a similar process without the dust cloud.  A Rug Badger uses harmonic vibrations to remove the dirt without causing unnecessary abrasion to your rug.  Soil is likely to be found deep in the fibers of the rug.     

Yellow Van video!

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Maintenance Challenges - Part 3

Busy homes with people and pets.
The typical family runs on a tight schedule these days with sports activities, lessons, school, meetings, homework, and other commitments.  This means lots of traffic in our homes!  Also, 62% of homes in the U.S. have pets, which adds to the maintenance demands.  Then add in the day-to-day items of spilled food, tracked-in dirt and grime, and the occasional water intrusion, and you have a floor that needs some regular care!

My flooring doesn’t ‘look’ dirty, why should I clean?

High quality rugs do a great job of hiding dirt; that’s part of why they are so popular!  The carpet in a home is the biggest filter for the air you breathe—so imagine how much more filtering has to happen in a home that does not have wall-to-wall carpeting.  Regular cleaning removes the dirt trapped between fibers, which, over time, will damage the rug if it is not maintained.   

Online Scheduling

Schedule on your time!  Schedule your next cleaning service online - www.yellowvan.com.  You can access our schedule when it's convenient for you.  Watch this video to see what we mean!

Oriental Rug Restorative Cleaning - Part 2

Flooring has changed since the 70s.

From wall-to-wall shag to hard surface flooring, there have been several changes in our homes.  Today we see a return to soft surfaces with oriental rugs over ceramic, stone, or wood floors.

Why are rugs popular?

Rugs help dampen noises.  They may also be selected for their aesthetic appeal or as an investment.  Perhaps the rug has a sentimental value or other appeal.  Rugs also help act as a filter.  When homeowners remove the carpet from their floors, they are taking out the biggest filter in their home.  This can cause more particles to stay airborne, instead of becoming captured by the carpeting.  Rugs also do a great job of trapping soils, and they hide dirt well.  Many times, rugs will not ’look’ dirty, which is why we recommend regular vacuuming and scheduled maintenance for cleaning rugs.  Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed weekly using this formula:  # of people & pets = # times to vacuum per week. 

   

Wall to wall carpeting

Hard floor surfaces

Hard surfaces with rugs on top

Best of both worlds!