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How to clean a rug: what is the best rug cleaning process?
Full immersion rug cleaning vs dry compund cleaning vs on-site surface cleaning
The most popular rug cleaning methods are full immersion (or submersion), dry compund cleaning and surface cleaning
What is the difference? Let's take a look at each process and see:
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In-situ dry cleaning
This process consists of applying a layer of dry compound to the surface of the rug, agitating with a counter rotating brush and vacuuming once the compund had dried.
Although it's called dry compound the microsponges are wetted with a cleaning solution which breaks down the soils upon agitation. The dirt and soils are absorbed into the microsponges as they dry and then vacuumed up.
Insitu rug dry cleaning, although a viable cleaning method, has some limitations:
- being done at the customers premises means no thorough dusting can be done
- it only works on rugs with a pile
- it is not efficient against spillages or pet stains which require thorough flushing
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In-situ wet cleaning
It works for fitted carpets so it should also work for rugs, right? WRONG!
This is the quickest way to ruin a handmade rugand here is why:
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handmade rugs can and will bleed colours. There is no way to control it in-situ
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handmade rugs are made of natural fibres like cotton and wool. There is no way of drying them within an optimal time frame in-situ
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handmade rugs can hold A LOT of dust and grit deep down the fibres. There is no way of dusting them properly outside a rug cleaning plant
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handmade rugs can buckle and curl. This cannot be prevented in customers' house
So asking your carpet cleaner to go over any hand made rug is a big No-No.
In-plant full immersion is the only recommended cleaning process for rugs. It is also the most thorough cleaning system as it involves removing all the dust for the back and deep down the pile and a thorough submersion clean and rinse.
Having your rug cleaned in a dedicated rug cleaning workshop (also refered to as a rug cleaning plant or rug spa) also addresses all the potential problems mentioned above:
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dye bleeding
In a specialist rug cleaning workshop, this can be prevented in 2 ways
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stabilizing the colours before the cleaning process, and / or
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flushing all the excess loose dyes before they get the chance to bond to the fibres. A bespoke wash floor or pit and a high water flow will help prevent any dye bleeding damage.
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drying a rug within an optimal time-frame.
A specialist rug cleaner will have a dedicated drying room. After a thorough rinse on the wash floor, most of the water gets extracted from the rug with the help of a centrifuge or another appropriate tool like "the rug sucker".
The rugs then get hanged on drying poles in the drying room, a climate-controlled sealed room.
Here, dry air gets blown around the rugs drying even some of the larger ones in just hours.
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dusting
Unlike in-situ cleaning where the only dust extraction method possible is vacuuming, in a rug cleaning plant 2 more thorough methods are available:
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Rug beating - the rugs get put face down on dusting grids and the back of the rug is agitated with a dedicated rug duster like "The rug badger"
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Air dusting - Compressed air is gently blown through the rug's fibres to extract all dust
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buckling and curling
Some rugs like for example the Afghan ones tend to curl or even shrink after wet cleaning. In a specialist rug cleaning unit, this can be prevented by blocking the rug. This method involves drying the rug flat under gentle tension; it can also be used to correct previous curling caused by floods or inappropriate cleaning.
In conclusion, full immersion rug cleaning is not only the most thorough but also the safest rug cleaning process.
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