Rugs and Carpets

When you have a fire or a water loss, one thing is inevitable…you will need your carpets cleaned and restored. Oriental rugs are often the most expense by the square foot and need special attention. Handling the rugs in a proper manner immediately will save you headaches down the road.

The first task you will want to do is extract the water from the rug/carpet immediately! The longer a rug sits in water the higher the chances are that the dyes will migrate. Color correction can be difficult and maybe impossible if your rugs/carpet is older. Immediate extraction will greatly reduce this risk.

When extracting the water, move your wand WITH the grain. This will do two things…one: It is physically easier to do and puts less stress on your body & Two: It will prevent and minimize fiber distortion which on some rugs is nearly impossible to fix.

If you have to move your rugs from one area to the next, please DO NOT STACK THEM! The dyes could run from one carpet to the other. In the end you could have just a pile of ruined carpets. To alleviate this problem do one of two things…One: Roll the rugs up and place in plastic bags (Only if you are transporting and removing quickly from the plastic, long term storage will not allow the rugs to fully dry and may cause mold growth). Two: (Best Option) – Place a sheet /towel on the rugs and roll them up individually.

One of the most popular and possibly the most damaging ways to dry thick rugs and carpets are too put them out in the sun to dry. Even a short trip in front of the sun’s rays could fade your rug. I would even recommend not placing your rug in a place where the sun hits it for long periods of the day inside your home let alone outside. This will surely damage your wet carpet. Better idea is to extract the water and put some fans near it to get air moving and dry it out faster. If you must lay them out in the sun, lay them top side down and on a flat surface.

Lastly, do not dry drip your rugs. Dyes can go into your wool fibers if you do this, or run into the other dyes of your carpet. It may end up looking more tie-dye than intricately designed in the end. If there are no dyes, you still shouldn’t drip dry. Carpets are often thick enough that if will never fully dry the one end the water is dripping off.

In summary, remember these carpet restoration tips:

1. Extract the Water Immediately
   2. Extract water WITH the grain
   3. Do not stack your wet rugs
   4. Never dry in direct sunlight
   5. Do not drip dry

There are many types of liquids that can spill in the household from paint to make-up to hot coffee, without doubt the most common type of liquid we spill on our rugs is a drink. Whist hot drinks are usually more difficult to tackle than cold drinks, some cold drinks have artificial colouring that can prove very difficult to remove and milk in particular if not treated correctly can leave a greasy residue and sour smell days later.

Whatever drink you spill on your rugs the first point of action should be to absorb as much liquid as possible, the most effective way to do this is to use kitchen roll or toilet tissue. The best way to absorb the liquid is to split the kitchen roll or tissue in individual sheets and lay them on the stain to absorb the liquid, discarding the wet sheet and repeating the process again and again until you can absorb no more liquid by simply laying the paper sheet on the stain area. Once you have the liquid from the top surface of the rugs pile you have to ascertain how deep the stain has sunk into the pile.

The next step really depends upon the type stain but in ninety percent of cases the best application would be to apply heavier pressure to the paper sheets to absorb as much liquid from the base of the pile as possible. Once you are satisfied that you have absorbed as much moisture as possible from the affected area you need to determine the level of discolouration and potential stickiness on the rugs surface pile.

What do I mean by stickiness? All drinks including alcohol are made up of water plus other ingredients, the main ingredient usually being a sugar or a sugar derivative, either way when the water evaporates from the liquid you are left with a sticky residue.

On minor stains I find that a plain baby wipe or a face wipe, the ones that don’t contain lanolin or moisturiser can be used to gently wipe any residue from the affected area. On more severe stains clean lukewarm water and a clean white cloth is what you need for the next stage. Soak the clean cloth in the water and gently dab it onto the affected area making sure that water is transferred to the stain. Then again apply kitchen roll or toilet tissue and laboriously absorb and repeat the process until the stain is removed. Only if the stain is persistent should you resort to detergent.

Assuming you don’t have a suitable foam type stain removal agent for rugs at hand, choosing the correct detergent from your household supplies in the kitchen cupboard is always a big issue. As I stated earlier the common choice is often washing up liquid. The big problem with this choice is it’s a highly concentrated detergent designed to remove grease from a ceramic surface which is smooth, therefore easy to rinse off the excess detergent residue. Your rugs and carpets are a fabric that will absorb detergent residue and over time if the residue is not fully removed it will start to harbour dirt particles creating a soiled patch. If you going to use a household use a fabric detergent, the washing machine powder you would use to clean your clothes.

On persistent rug stains you can mix your detergent with water to make a weak solution and gently dab the stained rug using the solution and a clean white cloth, then apply clean water and absorb with tissue to remove the detergent residue. Never vigorously rub the stained area it will only make things worse. Ensure that all residues of sugar and detergents are remove with clean water as these will attract dirt and appear as a soiled patch in coming weeks.

Persian Carpets: A Brief History

A most important part of Persian/ Iranians art and culture, Persian Carpets, has been undoubtedly one of artistic magnificence nurtured for more then 2,500 years. Iranians have achieved a degree of excellence through their centuries of creativity, unmatched imagination and talent. Persian Carpets are an integral part of an Iranian home, which is the most valued possession for Persians.

History

To know the exact history of Persian Carpets, we have to follow a path of cultural growth of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known. Many people in Iran have invested their whole wealth in Persian carpets, which is often referred to as an Iranian’s stocks and shares. For many centuries, the Persian carpet has received international acknowledgment for its artistic splendor. In palaces, famous building, rich homes and museums throughout the world a Persian carpet is amongst the most treasured possessions. Thus, today Iran produces more carpets than all the other carpet making centers of the world put together.

The history of the carpet is divided into three main periods, i.e., Zoroastrian period, Islamic period & Modern period. All of these periods are elaborated below:

Zoroastrian period

* Unique archaeological excavation in 1949
* Pazyryk carpets were discovered among the ices of Pazyryk Valley, in Altai Mountains in Siberia
* The carpet was found in the grave of a Scythian prince
* Believed that the carpet from Pazyryk is not likely a nomadic product, but a product of the Achaemenid period.
* By the sixth century, Persian carpets of wool or silk were renowned in court circles throughout the region

Islamic period

* The carpets of Khorassan, Sistan and Bukhara, were in high demand among purchasers because of their prominent designs and motifs
* During the reigns of the Seljuq and Ilkhanate dynasties, carpet weaving was still a booming business
* Sheep were specially bred to produce fine wool for weaving carpets
* The earliest surviving of the Persian carpets is of a Safavid (1501-1736) carpet known as the Ardabil Carpet
* The carpets are woven in 1539-40 according to the dated inscriptions
* The foundation of silk and the pile of wool with a knot density of 300-350 knots per square inch
* The size of the carpets were 34½ feet by 17½ feet ( 10.5 meters × 5.3 meters)
* There is much variety among classical Persian carpets of the 16th and 17th century

Modern Period

* Iran exported $517 million worth of hand woven carpets in 2002
* Iran’s carpet exports amounted to US$635 million in 2005, according to the figures from the state-owned Iran Carpet Company
* In October 2007, National Iranian Carpet Center revealed that hand-woven carpets have ranked first in country’s non-oil exports and hold the third position among overall exports

Design & Material Used

The making of Persians Carpets is done using traditional styles and patterns used by the ancestors of weavers or designers. This traditional way of designing is used for simple rectilinear designs. While, for elaborate curvilinear designs, the patter are carefully drawn to scale in the proper colours on graph paper. Each square on graph paper becomes a knot, which allows an accurate rendition of even the most complex design. With the change in creativity, imaginations and thoughts, little change has been observed in art of weaving. Today, computers are used in the production of scale drawings for the weavers.

The use of quality material help in weaving most impressive and eye catching range of Carpets that is widely demanded for its durability, stretchability and design. Some of the material is listed below:

* Wool: Kork wool, Manchester wool & Camel hair wool
* Cotton
* Silk

PS: To know more about it, please click on Persian carpets

For more detailed information about fire and water damage restoration visit our site athttp://www.fgswpa.com/ FGSWPA or for emergency services 24 hours 7 days a week call First General Services of Western PA at 1-800-553-8426.

At http://www.rugzone.co.uk We buy rugs in bulk and we sell at lower prices, we have many rugs that exclusive to us in the UK and we commission the manufactures to produce larger sizes. Most of the rugs we offer are in stock for immediate dispatch, an order taken before 2pm Monday to Friday will normally be dispatched the same day for Next working day delivery.

Now that you have taken the time to read this post, take the time and read my many other posts, am sure you will find a good deal and what you need.