"A rug is knotted with a soul's yarn"
Omar Khayyam
Maintenance & Advice
Hand-knotted rugs, since they are made of organic threads, are subject to natural processes of wear and deterioration. The main alteration causes are direct exposure to sunlight and obviously tear from use.
Below you will find a few basic guidelines for a basic rug manteinance, bearing always in mind that what lies on the floor shall always been used without many compromises and that in most cases a little common sense is more than enough.
What to do
For daily cleaning, a basic indian millet, sorgun weep or even better a common vacuum cleaner once a week will do the job. We suggest reversing the rug upside down once a year and also rotating it periodically in order to avoid damage from wear to be concentrated in specific parts.
If stains show up or it gets wet, try and remove the staining substance as quickly as possible and then proceed to cleaning with cold water and soap. Just wet a clean cloth, add a little liquid soap and rub over the target portion, without soaking the rug, then remove the excess foam and humidity with another clean and dry cloth.
It is a good rule to wash the whole rug every two or three years. Even though it is a fairly simple task, it can get pretty exhausting as a wet rug gets very heavy and it is important to dry it quickly. Galleria Persiana Ahmadi has its own laboratory for all rug cleaning, maintenance and repair needs.
What NOT to do
Since they are made with organic fibres dyed with vegetal and mineral substances, hand knotted rugs can not be exposed to chemical cleaning substances.
- Please refrain from using carpet foams or agents suitable for industrial rugs, in order to avoid putting the chromatic balance of the rug at risk.
- Do not shake your rug on the balcony, nor hit it; violent mechanical action can compromise its thread and speed up decay.
- Do not wash your rug with bleach or vinegar.
- Do not wash your rug with hot water.
- Avoid keeping your rug in a closed environment for too long.
Myths & Facts
Rugs bring dust
- Rugs do not produce or bring any kind of dust. While it is true that certain low cost knottings may present deposits of wool from the final trimming phase, and that in any case cease after the initial weeks of use,
no rug contributes to render an environment dirty.
Rugs are not suitable for people with allergies or suffering from asthma.
- Hand-knotted rugs are made of natural wool, cotton and/or silk, as much as the vast majority of clothings that each of us hold in their wardrobe.
I have pets, so I can not have any rug in the house
- And why so? As much as with the first point, no rug will scrap fur from your pet.
I live in a modern house, so I need a modern rug. - Or, viceversa, I live in a classic house, do I need a classic rug?
-There is no actual "rule" when choosing the best rug for you. If really thought of what it is, as a work of art, it should be chosen as a stand-alone piece, as much as a picture in a frame: you don't select it according to your walls' color.
Besides, the lifespan of a rug is considerably more consistent than that of any other piece of furniture, and therefore we thouroughly suggest that you always choose the rug that you fall in love with for what it is rather than for how it "fits" in the room.
I heard that there rugs are knotted by children because they are the only ones with fingers tiny enough to work with such dense looms.
- Absolutely false. Mastering the art of knotting is not a matter of finger size, it is a matter of passion, devotion and experience. All rugs at Galleria Persiana Ahmadi come from laboratories that do not involve child labour.
