Frequently Asked Oriental Rug Questions
Frequently Asked Oriental Rug Questions
Here are some of the questions we receive regularly about wool and silk oriental rugs. If your question isn’t in the list, give us a call and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. We want it to be a helpful resource for everyone, so please let us know. Check out some of our other pages for proper rug cleaning techniques and maintenance.
Interior Design Questions
- If a room is rectangular – what shape should we use?
- What size and shape should go under a round table?
Oriental Rug Definition Questions
- What does 40 pile high rug mean?
- What is a polypropylene rug?
- How do I determine the quality of hand woven rug?
- Why does some wool rugs feel like silk rugs?
- What are the average costs of oriental rugs?
Rug Care Questions
- How do I wash my wool rug?
- Will high temperatures hurt my wool rug?
- Is it harmful for babies to play on an olefin rug?
- Should you air out an area rug?
- How can I remove musty smell from Oriental rugs?
Interior Design Questions
If a room is rectangular – what shape rugs should I use?
This answer depends on the type of furniture you are putting in the room. Typically, dining rooms are the most frequent rectangular room we decorate. And a good rule to follow with dining room tables is this:
“The area rug tends to look at its best if it’s the same shape as the table – round with round, rectangular with rectangular.”
What shape rug should go under a round table?
The rug will look best if you put whatever shape the table is and match that to the rug. Rectangle rugs will look great under a square table.
Oriental Rug Definition Questions
What does 40 pile high rug mean?
First, that word pile can be confusing. Pile is the fibers that are on top of the rug if you will. A shag carpet will have long, thick pile.
An easy way to remember this is just like you can have a pile of papers, on rugs you have a pile of fibers.
Typically, in the description of a rug you will read the pile height. The longer the fibers, the larger the pile height number. A .40 pile height rug is 4 tenths of an inch tall fibers, so it has short fibers. Shag carpets tend to range from .4-.75 pile height.
What is polypropylene rug?
This is a synthetic fiber or fake. Unlike your “real” oriental rugs, which are made of wool or silk. Polypropylene is a man-made material, which consists of plastics and other chemicals. We recommend having only natural fiber rugs in your home.
How do I determine the quality of hand woven rug?
Oriental rugs that are hand knotted or hand woven are very pricy as it takes many months and even years to create. If you have a hand woven rug and are looking for a cost evaluation, call a professional that can help you determine origin and age, this will help give you determine what kind of quality your rug is.
Why does some wool rugs feel like a silk rug?
This is because they usually will have a blend of both wool and silk. Many times, some of the designs in the rug will be silk and the majority of the pile will be wool. Wool is one of the most common materials available for rugs. Silk, however, is rarer and usually costlier. This is why the price points for silk rugs are so much higher.
What are the average costs of oriental rugs?
This question will have many answers depending on the size, materials, and origin of the rug. If you buy a rug produced with synthetic materials, it will cost much less than an organic wool rug.
If a rug is more common or machine made then it will be substantially cheaper than a rug that is hand woven and from a country that only produces quality rugs. Make sure you understand what kind of rug you are dealing with, as many times sellers will try and say a rug is of certain origin or creation type and be a cheap Chinese rug from the internet.
Rug Care Questions
How do I wash my wool rug?
The most reliable way to care for your wool rug is to have it professionally cleaned. Do not put your rug in the washer or use under the counter cleaners on it, this will destroy your valuable wool or silk rugs.
Will high temperatures hurt my wool rug?
The short answer is yes. Just like heat can damage your hair, which is a natural occurring fiber if you will, heat can cause damage to the wool fibers in your rug. This is why we do not recommend steam cleaning your wool rugs. Make sure you choose a professional that uses a submersion style washing, this replicates a river washing and this is the go to cleaning method for proper cleaning.
Is it harmful for babies to play on an olefin rug?
Rugs containing olefin which is also known as polypropylene are made from the same kind of things as plastic. It is possible that over time they can release VOCs. In the long term, we would suggest only natural fiber wool or silk rugs for your home.
Are Rugs Ok To Be Put Outside?
Yes, there are so many benefits to airing out your wool area rug. The sun’s UV rays are one of the most effective methods of removing odors from your rug. Though with that being said, there are many circumstances which you would not want to leave your rug outside in the hot sun for to long as this can possibly fade the colors on your wool rug. Good rule of thumb is about an hour or so outside.
How can I remove musty smell from Oriental rugs?
The best way to handle a musty smell is to get your oriental rug professional cleaned by a local rug cleaner. Many odors need special kind of cleaning solutions to rectify unwanted smells in the rug.
If you are looking for a wool rug cleaning specialists give us a call and we can help guide you for your rugs specific needs!
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