Don't be a "doityourselfer" when it comes to cleaning your area rug. Why? Well, do you know the difference between wool and silk? Synthetic and natural fibers? Nylon and polyester? It's unsafe to clean wool they way you would clean nylon. And if you cleaned nylon the way you clean wool, your not getting your moneys worth.

Determining what type of area rug you have Natural fibers like wool, silk and cotton are considered "fine fabrics." The reason is because they are sensitive to certain chemicals, cleaning methods and agitation.

Most companies won't clean "fine fabrics," or even worse, they don't know the difference. Check the label on the back of the rug to identify what type of rug it is. If there is no label refer to our rug identification guide.

Cleaning Nylon Area Rugs

Nylon rugs are cleaned using the steam cleaning method just like your carpet would be cleaned. We apply an enzyme-based pre-treatment, then extract it using the truck mounted carpet cleaning unit. 90% off carpet in residential homes is nylon. It's safe to use the powerful vacuume system and high heat that a truck mounted carpet cleaning system offers.

Cleaning Wool Area Rugs

Wool rugs are more comples to clean. Although some wool rugs can be steam cleaned most are considered "fine fabric" and need to be cleaned using the "solvent cleaning," or "foam cleaning" methods. These methods iare more of a shampoo than a steam clean. When steam cleaning a wool rug we use low heat, low water pressure and minimal agitation. Sometimes it's necessary to clean the rug several times.

Wool has many cleaning sensitivities. Because of these we use pH neutral pre treatments that contain no enzymes. Our methods will not release dyes in your rug allowing it to bleed. Our methods will safely and affectively remove soiling trapped withing the carpet rug fibers without damaging it.

Area Rug Cleaning FAQ's

• How long does it take the area rug to dry?

  It depends on what type of rug it is. Synthetic rugs will dry within a couple hours. Natural fiber rugs like wool and cotton can take several hours.

• Will steam cleaning damage my rugs?

  It will not damage synthetic upholstery, and some wool rugs. All synthetics are safe to steam clean and can be cleaned just like we would your carpet. Some wool rugs are safe to steam clean too as long as the heat is low, water pressure is low and safe chemicals are used. Other wool and natural fiber rugs like cotton and silk must be cleaned by hand using the foam method.

• What results should I expect?

  Again, synthetic rugs clean much like carpet so you can expect very clean and refreshed rugs. Natural fibers are more absorbant so they are easily stained.

• How often should I clean my area rugs?

  It depends on the amount of traffic it gets. For rugs that get high traffic we recommend at least once a year.