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Tufted Rugs

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning.

Tufted Area Rugs are particular rugs that are made in a bit of a different manner than hand or machine knotted rugs. First, there is a primary backing that is stretched out over a frame. This backing is very similar to muslin. The particular rug design is then drawn onto this primary backing. Next, the colored fibers, or yarns, are inserted into the primary backing by poking them through the backing using a hand operated tufting gun. The fibers are then evenly cut down to create the pile. The third step consists of rolling a layer of latex adhesive onto the back of the area rug. This latex adhesive holds the tufts properly in place, as they are not knotted onto the primary backing. Lastly, finishing hems as well as a secondary rug backing are glued onto the back of the rug, which completes the process.

It is quite common for modern area rugs to be constructed in this manner. This efficient rug making process helps to make area rugs more affordable to a much larger market of customers.

One of the most common occurrences we encounter when cleaning area rugs in our facility is pet urine contamination. Treating a tufted rug for urine can be especially difficult due to the layer of latex adhesive that holds the backing on. Urine needs to be flushed out of the rug and the tufted backing can make that process difficult to carry out completely. Fortunately, a proper full submersion bath-like treatment is a highly effective way to completely remove urine from a tufted area rug. Check out some information on this style of pet odor treatment by clicking the link.

Often, a brand new hand tufted area rug will emit a particular type of noxious petroleum type odor. Unfortunately, there is not too much that can be done to completely remove this odor. The latex glue that is used within the tufted area rug will often carry out a natural process called “off gassing”. This process creates an odor similar to what you would experience in a freshly painted room or a brand new car. Any person with chemical sensitivities would be effected by this odor release more so than most others. While a proper in-facility cleaning service is the most effective cleaning method for a tufted area rug, a proper cleaning and deodorizing will not necessarily completely remove the latex odor.

As a tufted area rug ages, the latex glue that was used during the rug construction process begins to break down and disintegrate. As the latex glue continues to decay, it will cause a white silt like powder to fall from the base of the rug. Over time, the break down of the latex glue can even cause the secondary backing to become loose and separate itself from the rest of the rug. When the white powder becomes abundant and the backing starts to separate, the tufted rug owner will come to a point where they have to decide to either have the rug professionally repaired (remove and replace the latex glue and apply a new backing) or to discard of the tufted rug. Depending on the specific rug, the cost of repair can often exceed the cost of replacing the rug itself.

Feel free to contact us HERE at the Oriental Rug Cleaning Plant in Orlando with any questions you may have about tufted area rugs. Our staff is full of friendly, helpful team members who are always eager to help!

Putting The Customer First!

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning.

When you hire a company to provide any type of professional cleaning service, make sure you choose a company with a positive history that uses trained employees, proper equipment and proper methods. If you have found this thread, you have more than likely been led here by way of an online Internet search that took you first to a platform showing our abundance of positive reviews. We are proud to have so many wonderful reviews about our Oriental Rug Cleaning Plant Orlando! When we started this company, we stated with a philosophy of providing each customer with the best experience possible. When we talk about , we mean exactly that! The total customer experience encapsulates every step of the process, from the moment you contact us, through your service appointment, all the way through to when we follow up with you to ensure a positive experience. This is the foundation on which our company’s success stands.

In order for us to have gotten to a point in which we can consistently provide such a positive experience for each one of our individual customers, we regularly spend time having meetings to discuss our feedback, to discuss new ideas and to check out new equipment, solutions and procedures. We like to think of it as “continuing education” for our Oriental Rug Cleaning company. Some of our customer service methods, cleaning methods, equipment and solutions have been a continually successful part of our company’s daily operations since day one, but there have also been some improvements along the way that have helped us to keep the customer experience we provide at the highest level possible. We believe that no matter what services a company provides or how long a company has been in business, most things constantly evolve with time, so a continued effort to provide the best service or product available will help to set certain companies apart from the rest along with helping these customer experience centered businesses succeed.

If you look our company up online, you will not have to go too far to find some of our outstanding reviews. As this post is written, our reviews are growing abundantly across the Internet. Sites like Yelp and Angie’s list give customers a platform to share their unbiased experiences with the world. Even Google itself has a review system that can be quite helpful during a search for a product or service provider. Word of mouth has always seemed to be the preferred, most reliable way to determine whom you should hire or what you should purchase. When you have a friend, relative or neighbor rant and rave about how well a service company performed, or how well a certain product works, you are going to feel much more comfortable and inclined to purchase that same product, or to hire that same service provider. Well, these days, online reviews can be the best word of mouth referrals available. The key is to find a company with an abundance of reviews, this will really be able to give you an idea of what to expect with a product or service. It is always a little fishy when a company or product has a five star rating, but only has 4 or 5 reviews. But, if you see a company or product with many reviews, reaching into the hundreds and sometimes the thousands, you really can feel like the reviews are a true reflection of what you should expect out of a product purchased or a service provided. I myself cannot purchase a product or hire a service provider without doing what I feel to be my due diligence and researching online. I feel that we are lucky to have accessibility to such a wide range of reviews and ratings for services and products that really show a consumer’s true thoughts and feelings regarding particular products or services. This amazing tool that is a product of modern technology should be coveted and used regularly.

As we have already mentioned, the key is in the number of reviews. The more reviews there are, the more comfortable you should feel that the reviews are genuine and honest. Our Oriental Rug Cleaning Plant Orlando as well as our Oriental Rug Cleaning Facility Tampa has earned many reviews online; thanks to the work we continuously put in to ensure that our customers are always receiving the best service and customer experience possible. These reviews are a direct reflection of the service experience you will receive when working with our company. We will continue to put the complete customer experience at the top of our list of importance, and it will continue to show by way of happily satisfied customers. We feel so confident in our reviews and service, thanks to the effort put forth by every member of our Area Rug Cleaning team!

Our rug technicians operate a variety of service equipment to perform our full immersion washing process in our facility. This method uses a cool water full immersion flushing process that replicates the ages old river wash, which along with our proper equipment and solutions, provides the best and safest wash for all of your area rugs, no matter the material the rug is made of or even the construction type of the rug. All of the equipment we use is the best and most reliable equipment on the market. Our rug washing solutions are safe, biodegradable solutions that are highly effective for treating a variety of rug types, making is a safe yet effective solution that is used to help loosen up the fibers, making the debris much easier to remove. During each rug washing service, our technicians will perform very thorough pre cleaning and post cleaning inspections, which help the technicians to identify any possible concerns and proceed with the proper cleaning methods. Our technicians are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to any of the services they perform. Customers are always encouraged to ask any questions they may have or to point out any particular concerns they may have about their area rugs. After the initial in depth pre cleaning inspection is carried out in our facility, our friendly technicians will advise you on any issues or concerns that are recognized and what should be done going forward.

A combination of our high end professional equipment, safe and effective solutions, proper methods and constant employee training give our area rug technicians everything they need to provide each and every one of our customers with the best service and customer experience possible! We are happy to say that we have honestly earned each one of our reviews by way of starting our company with and continuing to put the total customer experience at the forefront of importance! Give us a shout and see for yourself. Use us once and you will see why our customer retention rate is out of this world!

Don’t Forget The Maintenance!

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning, Uncategorized.

Here at our Oriental Rug Cleaning Plant, we perform a full immersion washing process on all of the area rugs we clean. This service is meant to replicate the “River Wash” area rug washing technique that has been carried out since the first area rugs were woven, and is even still carried out today in some areas of the world. When people would wash their area rugs in a river, this was a way to clean the rugs thoroughly while also keeping the fibers from being subjected to excess abrasion which caused early deterioration. Essentially, this is a safe and thorough method for treating all types of natural fiber area rugs. To replicate this process, your rug is laid out on a custom built floor where we can thoroughly flush the rug safely throughout the entirety of the cleaning. Flushing the rug helps to naturally agitate the rug fibers which helps to loosen up any dirt or debris that resides within the area rug. As the debris is loosened from the fibers, it is carried away with the running water. This is a natural result of the flow of the river water when carrying out a river wash. So, with using a custom built tank, pump and hose system, we can actually replicate this process in our facility. Using a hand operated orbital machine, the technicians have the added benefit of being able to pull any remaining dirt or debris that still resides at the base of the rug out. This delicate and effective cleaning process helps us to yield fantastic results with each rug we treat.

Our process is a highly professional service that can only be carried out by a trained professional in a facility using high end equipment. This type of professional cleaning is typically recommended to be carried out every one to three years, depending on the individual usage of your area rugs. However, there are circumstances that will call for an impromptu professional rug cleaning service. While it is unfortunate, spills or random messes can and most likely will occur. When you do have an unfortunate accident involving your area rug, whether the rug is natural or synthetic, you need to act quickly. Depending on the nature of the accident, the fibers of your area rug could be subject to different types of damage. Fiber damage typically shows itself in the way of permanent staining. This can happen with standard wear and tear, foot traffic typically being the main culprit. Besides regular wear caused gradually by foot traffic, accidental messes are an unfortunate byproduct of life itself. When you do have an accident on your in home area rug, you can act quickly to help reduce the possibility of permanent damage. Once you have completed your initial in home clean up, the next step would be to have a professional cleaning service carried out. Regular maintenance will help to extend the life of your area rug, but proper accident treatment will also help to keep your rug looking as good as possible for the remainder of the rug’s life.

We always love to do what we can to help our customers stay informed and equipped with the knowledge of what it takes to treat and maintain their coveted area rugs. Sometimes in these posts, we like to share some information that helps to achieve these goals of proper rug maintenance. Below, we will provide some information that we think will help with your maintenance routine needed to keep your area rug looking and feeling good and fresh for as long as possible!

Take your fleece floor covering outside. Shake off any free soil or tidy that has amassed on your mat since getting it or cleaning it last. Earth and clean rubbing against floor covering filaments really end up being harming to the nature of the carpet over time. Make certain that it is dry wherever you shake it out. Shaking a wet floor covering can additionally install the earth you are attempting to expel. In the event that conceivable, assign a region where you can hang a clothesline and hang the fleece mat that way. Beat against the floor covering with a sweeper to help shake it clean.

Run a vacuum over your mat. Vacuum the carpet in a V type shape to interchange the vacuum’s heading and counteract pulverizing the filaments of the fleece floor covering. Rehash this 3 times over the fleece mat. To shield soil from working up and installing itself in your sensitive floor covering, at any rate, you ought to vacuum consistently: twice per month. Vacuum the underside of your fleece mat once at regular intervals. Ensure the vacuum has a setting of a high tallness to abstain from fomenting the mat unnecessarily. Shrinkage, heaping, and general harm to the fleece strands can be a consequence of fomenting the carpet excessively.

Wash the mat once the greater part of the soil has been expelled. Wipe the floor covering with cool water and a gentle fluid cleanser or carpet cleanser. Wash the edges of the floor covering with a similar arrangement. Ensure that you wet the mat, giving careful consideration to the snooze of the floor covering. When you brush your hand against a mat toward the external edge in direct movements, one side will feel harsh and the opposite side will feel delicate. The delicate side is the rest side. Apply the foamy water toward the snooze side. To complete the activity, flush all the lathery arrangement off the floor covering altogether with water. Ensure all cleanser is out of the mat before proceeding to the following stage.  Dry your floor covering quickly. Fleece floor coverings require a broad dry so do your best to dispose of any abundance dampness on the mat by crushing it out or hanging it out to dry under the sun. Never put them in a dryer, yet don’t hesitate to utilize warmers to help encourage its drying speed. Once the rest of the carpet is dry, turn it over, and dry the back of the floor covering. Ensure the two sides of the mat are totally dry before setting it back on the floor. In the event that the material feels solid subsequent to drying, vacuum the carpet once again or brush it tenderly to bring a portion of its delicate quality back.

We do hope that this information will help you to keep up with your proper maintenance routine for your beautiful in home area rugs. However, don’t forget to have your professional cleanings carried out in a proper facility every one to three years, or whenever there is an unfortunate accident. Our Orlando Rug Cleaning professionals are always ready to help answer any questions you may have, or to provide a fantastic service on your beloved area rugs!

Why Are Oriental Rugs So Expensive?

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning.

When selecting an oriental rug, some may get sticker shock.But there are many things to consider what makes an Area Rug so relatively expensive. People often talk about the number of knots per square inch, but that is just part of the equation.

We will provide a short list considerations for determining an Oriental Rug’s value. The knot type and size is an aspect of determining the quality of a rug’s construction, but there are many other factors to consider. The number of knots per square inch alone does not answer many questions.

1) Condition vs Age

Not only is the condition of the rug a major factor but the age of the area rug will also come into play when trying to determine a value of your rug. Being there is a limited supply in old and one-of-a-kind handmade rugs, this can be one of the most important reason that we as appraisers consider when determining the value of an oriental rug.  A good rule of thumb is the older the rug and the better condition the rug is in, then most of the time the higher the value will be.  There are always exceptions to the rule and certain rugs that hold enough value that may be in need of some repair or restoration, can still hold a high value, depending on how easy of a fix and what is wrong with that rug.

2) Origin of Your Rug

The country of origin is of particular importance in determine what the value of a rug can be. The labor and technique for the different countries can vary widely and this plays a big part in what an appraiser will determine your rug is worth.

The country of origin impacts the values of antique rugs too. A particular region, village or tribe may be know for their style or beauty during the time that the carpet was made. The Turkish village of Usak in Central Anatolia and they have been weaving Usak carpets there for hundreds of years.  These types of  rugs should continue to hold its value and increase with proper maintenance.  In addition to the fact that labor is more expensive here, these higher quality new rugs go through more time consuming weaving and finishing processes like hand spinning the wool and dying the wool in small batches than most other types of new rugs. The fact that an Usak rug is authentic (actually made in the Usak village) adds to its potential long term value.

 

3) Materials

The materials and craftsmanship are important factors since these are involved not only in the quality of the construction but also in a carpet’s esthetic appeal.  The most common materials for Oriental rug construction are wool, cotton and silk. There also many types of materials labeled silk in newer rugs like banana silk, cactus silk and even some synthetics like viscose. Be carful when trying to select a “silk” style rug, as many faux silks are out there, and are sold as real silk. These faux silks do not last nearly as long and the quality is horrible in relationship to real silk. It’s important to know that not all wool is the same. There are significant differences that you can see and feel in the grade of the wool that is used and the way it is spun before it is woven. The higher elevation areas tend to raise sheep with more luxurious coats which translates into a more luxurious rug pile. Hand spinning the wool versus machine spinning the wool makes a softer and more natural looking pile with a nicer handle to the rug.

 4) Dyes Used

Natural dyes vs Synthetic dyes: The natural dyes are consistently preferred to the synthetic chromium dyes for their natural beauty.  When rugs are dyed using natural dyes the colors appear less intense and saturated.  They are more complicated to make and require more expert knowledge than the synthetic dyes. The knowledge and scarcity of these experts adds value to a rug that has been woven with naturally dyed wool.

5) Knot Density and Structure

The art of Oriental rug weaving has been historically passed down through families from mother to daughter.  Today weaving patterns are largely still traceable geographically although there are some countries where labor is less expensive that have trained weavers to tie knots that are not indigenous to the area where they are now being made.  While knot size is a consideration, the more important consideration is the density of the wool and how the knots are tied.  One quick way to tell some about the durability of an Oriental rug is to feel the handle of it.  If it is very loosely woven it is going to feel very flimsy in your hand it is not going to wear as well as a rug with a sturdier but still supple handle.

6) Hand Knotted vs Machine Woven 

Like anything there is a “higher-end” material and way its made vs a cheaper less labor intensive way to buy. The vast majority of the time machine woven rugs are cheaper in cost to purchase, thicker in relationship to hand knotted, as well as heavier. These are made in factors by the dozen. On the other hand you have hand knotted rugs that can take months to finish one rug. Usually thinner in appearance and much lighter then machine made. Price can vary greatly when comparing similar looking rugs that are hand knotted or machine made, but when it comes down to it, Hand Knotted rugs are almost always of better quality and value.

Hopefully this blog helps you understand there are many variables that come into play when determining a rugs value. The  combination of materials, construction, visual appeal determined by the weaving technique, type of materials used and ply of those materials are all factors when appraising a rug. There is no magic tell tale factor like knot counting that can solely determine the quality or value of an Oriental rug. If you have a question about your rug or a rug you are looking to purchase, give us a call and we will be happy to help in your decision making.

Don’t Forget, We’re more than just rugs!

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning.

While we are proud of being a local company that provides a fantastic Area Rug cleaning service, we want everyone to know that we do provide in home services as well! One side of our company is full of expert, professional hot water extraction cleaning technicians. Our technicians are friendly, knowledgeable, trained experts who do their best to provide each customer with the best service experience possible! We use high end truck mounted units to perform all of our in home hot water extraction cleaning services. These machines, the equipment and solutions we use, combined with our technician’s skill, give us all we need to provide you with the best service possible. We can perform this truck mounted unit, hot water extraction service on synthetic carpet, upholstery, area rugs and tile and grout in your home. In this post, we will go over some information regarding your in home carpets. Some maintenance tips and information that we think can be helpful to anybody with carpet in their home!

Have you vacuumed of late? Here is the best cover cleaning tips we can give, that will help keep up a solid floor in your home. Vacuuming is the most vital custom of the week with regards to your cover. Earth, dander and numerous other dreadful things will be gathered once a day in your homes cover. To amend this circumstance we suggest vacuuming no less than 1-3 every week. Making a point to hit the high trafficked territories altogether and in addition the edges of the rooms. Keeping up an appropriate calendar of vacuuming upkeep will protect the best probability of life span of the life of the cover. For more awesome tips or to set up a meeting with us, look at our site.

Do-it-without anyone else’s help Tips. Lets say you have family and companions approaching your home for the occasions and your pooch simply had a mishap amidst the room. Try not to freeze, take after these means to help expel stiff-necked spots or spills that may gather in an inconvenient house.

1. Utilize a wet vac or some kind of extraction strategy to evacuate however much fluid and soil from undesirable zone as could be expected.

2. Treat the undesirable territory with a cleaner as particular to the spot/recolor as could reasonably be expected. It is vital not to utilize any sanitizer whenever, ever! Delicately smear the spot, don’t twirl as this could spread the spot.

3. On the off chance that the stain remains, begin once again and pour water on the region to wash and hose. Don’t oversaturate, yet do put enough to wet the spotted region satisfactorily.

Utilize these systems at your own particular hazard, if all else fails call a cover cleaning proficient. Continuously pretest in a subtle region in the event of shading misfortune or seeping of hues. Wet vac is more proficient in expelling soil and water then a towel.

Constraining that “activity path” look. Numerous safety measures can be taken however first and for most the most essential approach to keep movement paths from making there where into your house is to remove your shoes when you enter. We likewise prescribe moving furniture around frequently, this assists with the littler looking beaten territories before furniture. The most dismissed and to a great degree key to appropriate upkeep of your cover is to vacuum no less than 1-3 times each week. Putting down sprinters in high trafficked regions is another incredible plan to help with unmistakable activity paths. We additionally suggest a cleaning by an expert like clockwork to a year. What’s more, when an expert cleaning is done, make a point to get a cover protectant connected. Every one of these tips connected accurately will leave your cover looking like new for a considerable length of time to come.

Why is support required? A spotless cover indicates excellence and style as well as expands the life expectancy of your cover while keeping allergens and conceivable nuisances out of your home. Call an Orlando cover cleaning proficient when your house is prepared for a cover “cosmetic touch up”. Absence of upkeep can transform your cover into a microorganisms filled play pen. Every one of these reasons legitimize the need to as often as possible clean your cover. Notwithstanding, there are essential things about cover cleaning that you ought to learn before going up against the errand to abstain from accomplishing more damage than great.

Here are some Essential Upkeep Practices. Right off the bat, it is obligatory that you vacuum your cover in any event once every week, excessively ignored cover will break down significantly speedier at that point all around looked after cover. This guarantees coarse particles don’t find the opportunity to cut cover filaments, thus dragging out your cover’s life. It is fundamental to keep up a legitimate vacuuming regimen, while making a point to get the corners/edges of rooms also, as this is regularly dismissed as a result of its level of difficulty. There are other awesome choices to help with the magnificence of your cover, for example, moving furniture around to various areas guaranteeing not to cause recognized activity designs in a specific territories. Making a point to clean under couches and other difficult to move things on a month to month premise. These practices will help drag out the life of your speculation.

Proficient Cleanings are required. Despite how well you hold fast to your cover cleaning customs, there comes a period in a cover’s lifetime when it must be cleaned all in all by an expert to reestablish its lustrous look. Proficient cleanings ought to be done at least 1-2 times each year. Make a point to pick a qualified organization and do your exploration on that particular organization before settling on your official choice. Cover cleaners now and then can get negative criticism, yet rest guarantee there are respectable organizations out there.

There are diverse things that you can do to make your cover tolerant to soil. The most widely recognized that takes a shot at the cover is by applying soil and earth retardants. At the point when appropriately connected, these items will make standard vacuuming more powerful since they enhance the floor coverings capacity to repulse outside particles.

Something else that a cleaning by an expert will do is deal with is the leeway of terrible scents. Fleecy rugs can create amusing smell if cleaned without utilizing an antiperspirant item. To counter this, add heating pop to your vacuum cleaner’s sack or utilize proficient antiperspirants each time you clean your cover.

Make sure you Stick to it! Holding fast to a strict cover cleaning plan is one of the most straightforward things you can do to keep up your cover in its new state for quite a while. In spite of the fact that this won’t not be simple particularly if your home cover is a high movement territory, it is an action that isn’t just worth attempting yet in addition fundamental to the carving of your floor coverings life.

You may ask what the difference is between a machine you rent from the store and having a professional clean using a truck mounted unit.

Numerous mortgage holders take a gander at there messy covers and feel that leasing a Mat Specialist will give them the cleaning they need and spare a minimal expenditure as opposed to calling an expert cover cleaning organization. The facts may confirm that you can spare a couple of bucks, yet the cleaning results won’t be the same as an expert cleaning organization that has very prepared workers and utilizations top quality gear.

When you lease a cover machine you have to lease the machine as well as purchase the cleaning arrangement, which is likewise not on a par with the cleaning arrangements that an expert cover cleaning organization will utilize. In the end you have spent about as much it would to call an expert. Numerous cover shampoos that are accessible at neighborhood supermarkets and tool shop have oxidizers in them that causes a fading impact which gives a false sense that it is cleaning since it is a lighter shading yet as a general rule it isn’t evacuating all the earth and soils yet it is changing the shade of the rugs. Once the floor coverings have changed to a lighter shading and the blanching impact has occurred it is frequently lasting unless it is redyed back to the first shading.

Likewise when you choose to lease a Floor covering Specialist and handle cleaning the rugs yourself you should contribute a ton of your chance which a great many people think about significant. When you enlist an expert Orlando cover cleaner, they will plan your arrangement for when you need it and by and large it will take them around 2 hours to finish the cleaning of your floor coverings. When somebody chooses to the activity they need to go lease the machine spend no less than 4-5 hours to finish a similar activity that a cleaning organization could complete in a fraction of the time. When they are finished with doing the cleaning they need to clean the machine they leased keeping in mind the end goal to recover the store that they needed to leave and restore the machine back to where they leased it from. When it is altogether said and done leasing a Mat Specialist will go up against normal no less than 3 times as long as an expert cover cleaning organization and will give you a lesser quality cleaning.

Like New in Orlando will give an expert administration at about a similar cost of a second rate leased machine. We utilize truck mounted units, with warm in upwards of 230 degrees with weight unmatched from a leased or compact unit. Make a point to teach yourself on the distinctions.

If you have any other questions about maintaining your in home carpeting, don’t hesitate to reach out! We extend our high standards for service throughout the entirety of our company and we would be happy to service your home!

We Clean More Than Rugs!

Written by Oriental Rug Cleaning Orlando on . Posted in Rug Cleaning. No Comments on We Clean More Than Rugs!

While our company specializes in full immersion and submersion washing and treatment techniques for natural fiber and synthetic area rugs, we also have a division that handles in home cleaning services. This includes carpet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning and even non natural fiber area rug cleaning. As long as the material is synthetic and not pure white, our technicians can perform a heavy duty, highly effective cleaning service in your home. Our company has been performing in home hot water extraction cleanings for our customers in the Central Florida area for many years. The owner of our company spent well over a decade working in the industry before deciding to go out on his own and start Like New Carpet Care as a small, sole proprietorship company. He started by finding his own customers and performing all cleaning services himself. As his customer base continued to grow, he then decided to begin morphing the smaller sole proprietorship company into a fully functional company, employing technicians and office staff. The foundation of our company began as and will continue to be based on customer satisfaction. Seeing that the industry was mostly based on performing services as quickly as possible in an effort to turn a quick dollar, he decided that he wanted to conduct his business in a different way. It is our company motto to do right by the customer! We have never and will never take part in any form of bait and switch tactics whatsoever. Our technicians will never quickly rush through your cleaning either. Our technicians are trained to be effective, but not to rush. These highly skilled technicians will never leave a service until they are absolutely sure they have achieved the best results possible. We charge a fair rate and focus on providing the best service possible, this combination separates us from the competition in a great way!

All of our in home cleaning services are Hot Water Extraction cleaning services, using Truck Mounted Units. This process is commonly referred to as a Steam Cleaning. While the steam is simply a byproduct of the highly heated, highly pressurized water, it is a visual staple of this particular type of cleaning process and that’s where the nickname comes from. This particular cleaning process is widely regarded across the industry as the most effective carpet cleaning service out there. It is also as safe as it is an effective method of carpet cleaning. While most companies (our own included) will typically apply a pre-spray solution to the carpet prior to beginning the actual cleaning process, it is still known as the safest and most effective carpet cleaning method. We use an enzyme based pre spray with a deodorizer mixed in. This pre spray is applied to the carpet and left to dwell for around 15 minutes or so before the cleaning process begins. It will help to kill any germs or bacteria living in the carpet, while also loosening the fibers which allows them to open more easily, helping the cleaning to be as thorough as possible. Once the actual cleaning process begins, the truck mounted unit takes over.

There are two different main types of machines used for any hot water extraction cleaning services that are performed. Those units are truck mounted units and portable units. The names of these two units are quite descriptive as to what they actually are. The truck mounted units are larger machines that are permanently mounted into service vehicles. These large machines are the industry standard when it comes to performing the most effective, thorough cleaning service. They are quite expensive, require regular maintenance and also have many tool attachments that can perform a variety of particular cleaning services. A truck mounted unit takes the water it is fed and heats it up to near boiling temperatures. It then pumps this highly heated water out through a specially designed cleaning hose at very high pressures. Believe it or not, the highly heated, highly pressurized water does most of the work. That is one of the reasons this service is much more preferred than other cleaning services. It does not actually require harsh chemicals to be dumped onto your carpet.

This hot water extraction method is used along with our truck mounted units to perform all of our in home cleaning services. Our most commonly know in home service would be our carpet cleaning service. Most in home carpet is standard synthetic carpet that is typically made of nylon, polypropylene or polyester. These synthetic materials are used to help make the carpet durable enough to last you many years. Most carpet, if well maintained, can give you a good 10 years or so of comfortable and attractive flooring. Part of making your synthetic carpet last its full life, would be regular maintenance. The first, simplest and seemingly obvious form of maintenance would be regular vacuuming routines. Depending on usage, you would want to vacuum your in home synthetic carpeting anywhere from once a week, to every other day. This will help to remove any newly added surface contaminants such as dirt, dust, hair or sand. If left alone for extended periods of time, these loose and seemingly insignificant pieces of debris can actually begin to compound deep into the base of the fibers of your carpet. This creates staining, matting and hard flat spots across your carpet. A simple, regular vacuuming can remove most of this floor debris and help to prevent permanent damage that can reduce the life of your carpet. On top of your standard weekly maintenance, it is also recommended to have a professional carpet cleaning service performed at least annually. Certain guidelines put forth by the EPA can have you set in a recommended schedule of every six months, or even every quarter of the year. We typically recommend annual professional cleanings, as the more frequent cleanings are recommended for more extreme circumstances. Highly trafficked offices, homes with many in door pets or homes with many members who create a lot of traffic or messes would all fit into categories of more frequent cleanings. Most standard single family homes are good to go with weekly vacuumings and annual professional cleanings. Our hot water extraction method is a highly effective and safe treatment for your carpet. We do use a synthetic carpet specific prespray that contains a deodorizer, as well as bacteria killing enzymes.

When a technician performs this in home carpet cleaning service, the first step of the cleaning process is to liberally apply that specific and safe carpet prespray across the surface of the carpet. It only needs to dwell long enough to let gravity pull it down the the very base of the synthetic carpet fibers. The prespray will help to condition the carpet fibers which will cause them to open up a bit more, making it easier to remove as much deep seeded debris as possible. The enzymes and mixed in deodorizer help to kill any germs or odor causing bacteria. Once the carpet prespray has sat in long enough and did its job, it is time to begin the actual hot water extraction cleaning process. This is carried out by hooking a special carpet cleaning tool which is called a wand, directly up to the truck mounted unit that is mounted in our service vehicles. These truck mounted units will provide water that is heated to near boiling temperatures, pressurized at high rates, straight out to small, special jets at the base of the carpet wand. This highly heated and highly pressurized water is incredibly effective at blasting deep down to the base of the carpet, loosening any stuck debris and bringing it to the surface where it can be safely removed by the attached vacuum pump. This highly heated water is an extra step in our aim to remove germs and bacteria. The dirty, contaminated water is sucked up just as quickly as it is sprayed out. This is thanks to a high powered vacuum pump that is part of the truck mounted unit located in each of our service vehicles. The strong vacuum sucks all the dirty water out of your carpet and stores it in a dirty tank that is also mounted within each service vehicle. This dirty water can later be properly disposed of.

On top of carpet cleaning, our in home service technicians can perform other services such as tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning and synthetic area rug cleaning. All of these services are carried out in a very similar manner. Based on the individual circumstance, what we are cleaning and what the materials are, the technician will use a specific prespray for the precleaning application. We have individually specific presprays for tile and grout, for upholstery and for synthetic area rugs. There are also separate, special tools that are attached to the truck mounted unit that are used for the variety of in home cleaning services. Cleaning tile and grout requires the same high heat and high pressure that your synthetic carpet uses. This helps to provide a deep cleaning down into the grout, as well as across the surface of the tile. For upholstery, the heat is typically the same, but the pressures are dialed down a bit. This is to help avoid over saturation. Most upholstery has layers of padding that if they become too wet, can take a long time to dry or can even have reappearing water spots. For in home synthetic area rugs, it is almost identical to the carpet cleaning process. This is only typically recommended for smaller, often used synthetic carpets. This cannot be done on natural fiber rugs or rugs with urine. Our in facility area rug cleaning is the safest and most effective route to take when cleaning any area rugs, no matter the make.

Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!

Pets Can Be Pesky!

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While we are all pet owners and pet lovers here at the Oriental Rug Cleaning Plant, we do know the headaches that a beloved pet can cause involving your in home area rugs. We have yet to be able to speak to our pets, or read their minds, so typically have to make educated guesses as to who they do what they do. There are a few theories out there as to why our dearly beloved pets find it necessary to urinate on our beautiful in home area rugs. The most commonly accepted reason also makes the most sense. The thought is that the pet is simply marking its territory. This is something that all living beings have been doing (in their own way) for as far back as history can trace. Pets can feel the need to mark their territory for a number of reasons. If the pet is moved into a new living space, it will typically take it upon itself to mark certain areas with urine to show that it is now that pets space, this can include any new area rugs, or any area rugs moved with you. If the space where the pet is located has any traces of other pets or past urine spots, the pet will feel inclined to urinate or spray on top of those areas to replace the present odor with their own. Old urine spots may not always be clearly noticeable to the average human, but the increased capacity for a pet’s odor identification leads them right to the affected area. This is more common on area rugs that are purchased in conditions that are not brand new. Another thought on why pets urinate on your in home area rugs is that they mistake it for a patch of grass. This idea seems to be quite plausible. It is understandable that the fibers on an area rug can be mistaken by a pet to be grass, especially if the area rug is laid out on a hard surfaced floor.

When a pet does urinate on your in home area rug, for whatever reason, it can be difficult to remove without the proper treatment. The reason it can be difficult to remove entirely is mostly due to what the pet urine consists of. When a pet urinates on your in home area rug, the urine itself contains Bacteria, Ammonia, Uric Acid and Various Hormones. This combination can make urine much more of a tough task to fully neutralize and remove than other types of spills that might occur on your in home area rug. During the process in which the urine breaks down as it settles into your in home area rug, the ammonia that resides within the urine begins to increase in concentration. As the increase in concentration grows, there are then organic chemical substances, which contain sulfur, that begin to produce themselves. These high in sulfur organic chemical substances are called Mercaptans. Mercaptans are what is to blame for the terrible odor that is left behind when a pet urinates on your in home area rug. Even if the mercaptans are thin and low in concentrate, they still produce a very strong odor that cannot be missed. The mercaptans found in your pet’s urine are the same natural chemicals that produce a very powerful odor that skunks emit when they feel threatened. I’m sure at one point in time we have all seen a skunk in action on television, or have at least heard stories of the terrible, immobilizing spray that a skunk can and will emit. Mercaptans are also a key part in the ever so terrible odor of some rotting vegetables. Due to the naturally occuring substances that come out along with the urine, there are particular solutions and methods required to neutralize and remove the odor and stain causing substances within the pet urine.

If and when your beloved pet urinates on your in home area rug, you do want to treat it as soon as possible. The quicker you are able to treat and remove the urine, the better chance you have at preventing a heavy odor and possible permanent staining. Permanent staining occurs when serious damage is done to the fibers in the rug. Whether natural or synthetic and even with a protective coating, the right kind of spill that is left unattended to for too long can absolutely cause permanent damage to any and all fibers that compose your in home area rug. While urine is not the most detrimental bodily fluid that your pet can emit onto your in home area rug, it can still be difficult to remove and can cause permanent damage. As soon as your pet urinates on your in home area rug, you will want to take a rag, towel or paper towels and begin to blot or dab the liquid urine up as much as possible. Make sure you are blotting and dabbing the urine up, as rubbing it will only pull some of the urine up, while forcing the rest deeper into the fibers of your in home area rug. It may sound a bit extreme, but if you have a shop vac, or a wet dry vac, you can use this to remove the maximum amount of urine from your area rug, which could help to make the professional cleaning of the area rug more effective during urine treatment portion of the washing process. Once you have removed most of the liquid pet urine off of the area rug’s surface fibers, you can then begin to treat the area rug a bit more deeply. But, you must proceed with caution, as you do not want to be the reason that permanent damage is caused. The safest way to treat your in home area rug a bit more deeply prior to having your professional washing completed, is to mix warm water, dish soap and white vinegar into a bowl and use this mixture to try and clean up some of the urine that is sinking into the area rug a bit more deeply. After you have cleaned as much of the liquid urine up, off of the in home area rug and you have made your evenly mixed cleaning solution, you will want to slowly pour a little bit of the solution right on top of the urine affected portion of your area rug. Do not over saturate the area, pour what seems to be just enough to dilute out through the remaining urine. This mixture helps to neutralize some of the odor, while helping to kill some of the bacteria as well. This helps more so in preventing permanent staining of your in home area rug. After you apply the solution mixture to the urine affected area, you will want to blot or dab it off, just like you did during the initial step during this in home area rug treatment. Repeating this step 2 or 3 times may help to remove as much of the urine and what the urine leaves behind as possible. After you complete your in home urine treatment, you want to make sure that the treated area is properly dried completely. Believe it or not, proper drying of an area rug is one of the most important steps in the cleaning process. If an in home area rug is not dried properly, serious damage at the base of the area rug can occur. Whether the area rug is natural or synthetic, tufted or un tufted, wetness at the base of the rug for an extended period of time can cause mold, mildew or rot which can destroy your rug. The dark, damp atmosphere is perfect for small bugs as well. Bugs that will reproduce and or eat away at the base fibers as well as the pile fibers of your area rug will work their way into the wet areas and begin to cause their damage before you can even notice.

You do want to have a professional urine extraction and washing service done as soon as possible once the pet has urinated on your in home area rug. That’s where we come in! We will pick your nice, in home area rug up and bring it back to our full washing service rug facility for full and proper treatment. Once your area rug is in our facility, our professional rug technicians will perform a deep and thorough inspection. If there are any concerns at all during the inspection, a member of our friendly staff will call you to discuss and advise. Once we begin the washing process your rug will be thoroughly dusted prior to beginning the pre cleaning urine extraction. The urine extraction process is a full submersion process that involves flushing the area rug thoroughly, prior to submerging it in a special extraction bath. The bath is a custom tub that is full of a proper mixture of urine neutralizing solution and water, that work along with a flushing system that ensures the entire rug is completely and thoroughly flushed throughout. This is where the urine is neutralized, broken down and pulled completely from the rug. After the urine extraction is complete, the rug is then moved to the wash floor to complete the remainder of the immersion area rug washing process. The professional, in facility urine extraction method combined with our full immersion washing process is a highly effective area rug treatment that cannot be replicated in home. When the time comes, reach out to the pros and we will be happy to help!

Rug Variety.

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Being that we are professionals in the Oriental wool rug washing industry, we do know a thing or two about the equipment and solutions that are required to complete a safe and thorough cleaning. No matter the style or method used to wash a high end natural fiber rug, there are going to be some tools that are required to achieve the best results that are possible. When a natural fiber rug is washed in our facility, we use a variety of tools, solutions and methods that are highly effective. Our rug technicians are thoroughly trained in all of the techniques and tools that are used during the rug washing process. This helps to ensure that no matter which portion of the process a rug technician is completing, that technician will know exactly what they are doing.

Natural fiber rugs can actually come in an enormous variety of types. The commonly used term to describe natural fiber rugs is “Oriental Rug”. The term is generically used, but does actually fit any rugs that were originally crafted in the area known as “The Orient”. Oriental Rugs typically are hand woven or machine made in an area that reaches from Northern India to Central Asia to The Middle East. This area even covers rugs made in North Africa to Morocco. This area is also referred to as “The Rug Belt”. These days most rugs are mass produced using large machine looms. These looms can crank natural fiber rugs out at a pace that is incredible when compared to hand weaving. A large, heavily detailed hand woven natural fiber area rug can take over a year to craft. There are differences between the two, with the most prominent being lifespan. If a hand knotted woven natural fiber rug is cared for and used properly, it can last for generations. A machine woven natural fiber rug typically has a lifespan of around twenty years.

High end natural fiber area rugs can be labeled by more specific areas where they are crafted. Persian, Iranian, Turkish are all great descriptive terms for area rugs as they give you a more specific idea of where the come from and how they were crafted. Often, hand woven area rugs will have unique features about them based on where they were crafted. Different knotting techniques (Persian Asymmetric Knot or Turkish Symmetric Knot), different fibers (Wool, Silk, Cotton), different dyes (Vegetable, Insect, Synthetic) and even different visual pattern designs (Floral or Geometric) can help to identify what region of the planet an area rug is from. Natural fiber hand woven rugs typically have clearly distinct tells based on where they were crafted. It is quite common for Asian or Middle Eastern rugs to have pictures essentially woven into them. Landscapes are very common, as are images of important people, places and events.

As mentioned before, it can be quite difficult for the untrained eye to spot the difference between a hand woven area rug and a machine made area rug. There are some differences you can find if you know what to look for. One crafting type is called Hand Knotting. Rugs made by using a hand knotting process are crafted on a loom that is specially designed to help the rug weaver successfully knot the rug by hand. The hand knotting process is greatly admired for it’s artistic craftiness and length of time the process has been used. The size of the specialty loom determines the limits to the size of any rug crafted on it. The specialty rug weaver creates the pile of the rug with these hand knots. The knots are inserted into the foundation of the rug by the rug weaver and are tied by hand. The weaver begins at the bottom and works their way upwards with the knots. This operation is very delicate, intricate and time consuming. We mentioned earlier that a highly detailed hand woven rug can take over a year to craft and you may now be able to understand why. Hand knotted rugs are most commonly made of wool, with a base of cotton warps and wefts. They can also have pile made of cotton, silk or jute. Often, silk will be used in a wool pile rug to accent or highlight particular patterns woven into the rug. Natural fiber rugs crafted through the hand knotting process are often used as collectible art. If you think about it, there is a great chance you have been somewhere that has had a hand knotted rug displayed on a wall as a piece of art. These types of area rugs are typically a bit more expensive than other types, but the long life span makes it well worth the purchase.

Another type of hand woven natural fiber area rug is a Flat Weave Hand Woven Rug. These rugs are typically made similarly to hand knotted rugs, in that they are crafted by hand by a master rug weaver using a loom. Although, these rugs are crafted using a flat weave as opposed to a more prominent hand knot. The hand knotting process provides the area rug with a taller pile. The taller, thicker pile provides more weight to help keep the rug flat and in place. Hand knotted rugs with a high pile usually have a softer more comfortable feel to them as well. The flat hand woven rugs differ from hand knotted rugs in the way the name suggests, they are essentially flat. A flat weave hand woven area rug has no pile. It is a very thin and light rug. It is always suggested to use a pad under an area rug, but it is pretty necessary for a flat weave hand woven rug. If you do not use proper padding underneath this type of area rug, the rug will feel no more comfortable that the floor is lays on, nor will it stay in place without heavy placeholders that can cause permanent damage to the woven fibers.

The more commonly crafted and purchased type of area rug these days are Machine Made area rugs. Manufacturers will use modern machines to mass produce area rugs quickly and more cheaply than any hand woven rugs. The machines used are called power looms. The machine and the process are similar to hand weaving techniques using looms, but are automated and electrically controlled by computers. Machine made rugs can be crafted using a variety of materials. The standard natural fibers (wool, cotton, silk, jute) or a selection of synthetic materials (polypropylene, polyester, nylon, acrylic) can be used by these machines to rapidly mass produce area rugs as a cheaper rate. The price for a machine made rug is typically much less expensive than a hand woven area rug, especially if the machine made rug is made of synthetic materials. The synthetic materials have more up front durability, so they can be cleaned using more vigorous methods. Most synthetic area rug owners have their rugs cleaned in home using a standard truck mounted unit hot water extraction cleaning service. While the synthetic materials are cheaper and have more up front durability, they are no match for the long term durability of a natural fiber rug hand woven by a master rug weaver. The average life of a machine made rug is around twenty years. The quality of craftmanship, materials used and level of maintenance performed play into the life span of any area rug, but a well maintained machine made rug should last up to about twenty years. Twenty years may sound like a long life span, but when compared to well hand woven natural fiber rug’s generational life span it seems a bit lacking. Some brands are made better than others and offer more upside in their rug’s life spans. Karastan is a rug making brand that crafts their machine made rugs in the United States and typically offers the highest quality machine made rug on the market. They are a bit more pricey, but offer superior quality and design for a machine made area rug.

Hand Tufted Rugs are another popular area rug type that you will find laid out in many homes and businesses. A custom made hand held tool attaches a latex based backing into the pile by inserting the pile into a cloth foundation which creates a pile in which each fiber is looped. Some rug weavers will shear the looped fibers, which will leave the rug with what is called simply enough a cut pile. If the master rug weaver leaves the looped pile in tact, the rug is considered a Hand-Hooked Rug. A combination of looped and sheared fibers are used sometimes to create a depth to an area rug. Similar to lining designs with silk, this is meant to bring attention to certain portions of the area rug. A latex coating is applied to the back of a tufted rug at the end of the crafting process. It is usually glued on and it holds the tufts (collection of fibers) in place. Tufted rugs are quite popular because they will give you the look of a hand knotted rug, but for much less of a cost. The hand tool used to craft hand tufted rugs makes the process incredibly faster than traditional hand weaving, with some tufted rugs with simple designed piles taking as little as a single day to produce. These rugs are more for economical in home regular use. They will not appeal to collectors or purchasers who are looking to make an actual investment in their purchase.

There is more to know about the variety of rugs out there and we will provide more information in future posts. Thanks for reading and feel free to reach out to us with any and all rug questions you may have!

What Is Rug Padding?

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At our rug cleaning plant, we have professional rug technicians who specialize in all aspects of full immersion rug washing techniques. Our professional rug technicians gain a wealth of knowledge through training and experience. That knowledge covers a wide range of rug topics, not limited to just cleaning. Our master rug technician takes his time to train the rest of our team on all basic rug principals. When a technician arrives at your home for a pickup, he will perform a short in home inspection of your rug. The inspection will include measurements and a visual look over for any noticeable damage to the rug. Visual damage can be anything from a rip, missing pile, dye transfer or color bleeding issues to color fading or pet damage. The technician will also feel across the front and back of the rug for any noticeable abnormalities. Rough spots, low spots, knots or dye transfer issues can all be identified with a simple swipe of the hand. This will give you and us a good idea of what to expect before the rug is even in our facility.

The initial in home inspection, while a great first step, is not nearly as in depth as the initial inspection by our master rug technician in our rug plant. Prior to beginning the washing process, the rug is subjected to a thorough inspection. The master rug technician will be performing the same tests over again, but they will take a bit longer, be a bit more in depth and they will be done by an actual master rug technician. He will also be able to perform some test in our shop that can not be as easily carried out in your home. The rug technician will test the fibers to verify the materials used to craft the rug. A full dye transfer and color bleeding detection test will be performed as well. A technician can wipe his hand across the surface pile of the rug and can possibly pick up some dye in an extreme circumstance. But, The proper testing method that is carried out in our rug plant is a much more effective way of finding bleeding or transfer issues that are a bit more deeply seeded.

This pre cleaning rug inspection is an incredibly important step of the rug washing process. We went into a bit of detail to show how much is truly involved in simply the first step of the service. This in depth inspection process should only be carried out by a trained, experienced master rug technician. It takes a real understanding and expertise of how rugs are made, what they are made of and how to properly service them to complete a safe and thorough cleaning service. When a rug technician is able to properly perform even this first step of inspection, it shows that the technician has the skills needed to keep our customers happy and confident that they chose the right company for their rug washing needs.

 

Our amazing staff and master rug technician are well equipped and ready to service your rugs. Whether they are natural (Wool, Silk or Jute) or synthetic (Nylon, Polyester or Olefin), hand woven or machine woven, we have an expert technician  here who is ready to service your rug.

The knowledge our rug technicians have is not limited to inspections and cleaning services, it spans through all facets of rug servicing. The more you know about something, the better you can service it. That is the approach our rug technicians take. This approach of being a complete professional in our line of work extends to some topics that may go forgotten when speaking about rugs. One of these all too important rug topics that typically seems to not be discussed often enough is rug padding. The padding that you place under your fine oriental area rug can have much more of an effect on the rug than many people would think. The right rug padding can provide comfort, safety and can help your rug have a longer, healthier lifespan.

When it comes time to purchase a new rug or service your existing rug, it may also be time to invest in a new rug pad. There are a variety of benefits that rug pads provided, as well as a variety of types of rug padding. It is important to know a little bit about your rug, as well as knowing a little bit about types of padding and the benefits that come with it, before purchasing new rug padding. The main types of rug pads are Felt, Felt-Rubber and Non-Slip Rubber. These rug pads vary in cost and have different benefits to offer. A combination of your needs and expected budget will guide you towards the right rug pad for you.

There are a few main benefits that can be gained from proper rug padding. Having a good idea of what proper rug padding can do for you should help with your decision of whether or not to but a rug pad, as well as what type of rug pad to buy.

Here are some of those benefits mentioned:

Preventing Slip And Falls

It is common for area rugs to be the centerpieces of rooms throughout your home. Most of the time there will be furniture strategically placed on top of the carpet, leaving some of the edges exposed. Sometimes there will be furniture placed around the edges of the room tying rug. Either way, there will be exposed portions of the area rug that will be walked on. Whether you are walking across the center of the rug, or stepping on one of the edges, a rug placed on a hard surface has a real tendency to slip and/or bunch up. This creates a slipping or tripping hazard. Proper rug padding will prevent this from happening. The right kind of non-slip rug padding will keep your rug safely flat on your floor, preventing a hazardous situation.

Provides Added Cushioning

This is typically the first benefit that comes to mind when thinking of what rug padding can do for you. It is also the most noticeable. The cushioning provided will stand out most with any low pile (usually hand woven natural) rug that is laid out on hard surfaces such as tile, laminate or hardwood. The rug will look great on top of any of these hard surfaces, but it can feel flat and uncomfortable to walk, sit or lay on. If your large, beautiful area rug is laid out on top of hardwood flooring in your living room, you may want that rug to feel comfortable. A living room rug should be comfortable enough to sit on and a proper rug pad will make it so. A typically unthought of benefit of the added cushioning is noise reduction. If you live in a home that is mostly hard flooring, you know how much noise can actually come from just walking across it. Proper padding will give enough cushioning to essentially eliminate the hard floor sounds.

Protects Your Floors

The first thing you should know about how proper rug padding will protect your floor, involves the dyes within your rug. No matter the natural fiber used or method followed to craft your rug, colored fibers were dyed at some point. This dye can actually wear down over time and can transfer to other surfaces. If this happens to your rug that is laid out directly on your hardwood flooring, you can be left with permanent color dye damage on your floor. Proper rug padding will prevent this from happening by absorbing any dye that transfers off your rug. A more obvious way a proper rug pad can protect your floor is to help prevent spills from even reaching your floor. If you have a spill on your rug, a proper pad will create a barrier between the fluid and your floor. This gives you more time to clean the mess up, helping to prevent damage to your flooring. You do need to use the right type of padding to achieve this protective barrier and when you do, it can be quite effective.

Those are some of the benefits you will get from using a proper pad under your rug. We mentioned earlier that there are three main types of rug padding. Here is a little bit of information about these different types of padding:

Felt Padding

Felt padding is typically used to provide extra comfort to a large, heavy rug. This type of padding is a thicker padding that is made to be a cushiony layer between hard flooring and your rug. It is usually recommended for use under large, heavy rugs with a high pile. Felt padding does not help with preventing slipping or bunching, but it does help give you that protective laver discussed earlier. Being that this padding does not prevent slipping or bunching, it is recommended to place furniture on the rug that is on top of a felt pad.

Non-Slip Padding

This type of padding is essentially self explanatory. The sole purpose of this padding is to prevent your rug from slipping or bunching. It typically is very thin and looks like rubber mesh. there is not much thickness at all and it is quite airy, so it does not help to protect your floor in any way. It can actually damage your floor if your purchase an improper type of Non-Slip Padding. A proper Non-Slip Pad is made with natural rubber and contains no synthetic coatings or materials. If you use a Non-Slip Pad that contains synthetic materials, the pad can actually stick to your flooring and cause permanent damage.

Felt-Rubber Padding

A Felt-Rubber combination pad is considered to be the best of the bunch. This padding is a bit more costly than the other options, but it is because it gives you both the benefits of Felt padding and Non-Slip padding. It will have a thick top layer of felt, with a bottom layer of natural, non-slip rubber. A good Felt-Rubber Pad will be a great investment as it will provide all the benefits available, while also lasting a bit longer than other types of padding. Just make sure the rubber portion is all natural, no synthetics added!

Hopefully this advice helps answer your questions about rug padding. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly staff who is here to help!

Rug Guide

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When it comes to the purchase, use and maintenance of natural or synthetic fiber rugs, we know the depth of variety in options and procedures can be a bit overwhelming. Being that we are rug cleaning professionals, we have quite extensive knowledge and experience involving all aspects of rugs. Your in home rugs can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, can be crafted using a few different methods, can be made of various fiber types and can come from anywhere in the world. In home area rugs have an extensive history and have been around for a very long time. There is a lot that goes into the production of area rugs and as professionals in the industry, we appreciate the extensive processes involved.

In home area rugs have become a common staple in residential homes as well as commercial business offices. A rug can represent your own personal ideal room setting. You can change the look of a room or space entirely simply by adding a rug. A bold colored rug can bring a particular feel or vibe to an existing area. A rug with detailed design can catch a visitor’s attention while strolling through the room. Some people purchase rugs simply to tie a room together, others view natural fiber, hand woven area rugs as pieces of art. It is not uncommon to see old, hand woven wool or silk rugs with intricate designs hung on walls in a home, displayed as art. A hand woven rug essentially is a unique piece of art. When a rug is hand woven, it is being specifically crafted by an individual who once completed, will begin another separate piece of rug art. Hand woven rugs can never be exactly duplicated. Even if a hand woven rug looks the same as another, there will be differences in each rug that make them individual from one another. A hand woven rug is a unique piece of functional art.

Our experienced, professional rug technicians tend to view most area rugs in the unique, artistic light. This viewpoint establishes a certain respect and appreciation for each rug we service. While a machine woven, synthetic rug typically would be one that is mass produced and not have much uniqueness about it, we still understand the generations of rug work that led to a point in which these beautiful, useful floor coverings can be produced so efficiently at low costs. Synthetic rugs seem to be quite popular these days due to their availability, durability and cost. Natural fiber rugs tend to be quite a bit more expensive than synthetic rugs. The most commonly used natural fiber, wool, is more durable than you would think, but it is not able to withstand the vigorous cleaning methods that most synthetic fibers can stand up to. Below we will be providing some rug information that we think will be helpful to our customers in a few different ways.

Synthetic Rugs

Synthetic rugs are typically machine woven and use man-made materials that are purposely crafted to imitate the look and feel of natural fibers such as Silk and Wool. These types of rugs are extremely durable as they are great at resisting stains and hold up great against normal wear and tear. They are great for use in high-traffic areas such as in-home living rooms or office reception areas. Synthetics are colored during the process of fiber crafting, which makes them extremely colorfast. These well-colored rugs are great for changing the appearance of a room to fit the season at hand.

A synthetic rug can be crafted using a variety of synthetic materials. They can also be crafted in different weaves to fit varying needs. A machine-woven synthetic rug is typically one that is mass-produced and does not have much variation from rug to rug. The most notable difference that will be a part of machine weaving a synthetic rug is the tightness in the weave. A rug can be machine woven with the more common loose weave, which creates the softer feeling, fluffier rugs that are commonly used as in home floor coverings. Or, they can also be woven tightly to create a lower tighter pile for rugs that are more often used in exterior settings. These tightly woven synthetic rugs can give an exterior area, such as an entryway to a home a more appeasing look, while also being very durable. These tightly woven synthetic rugs are great for wiping shoes off before entering a home and typically can be cleaned simply by hosing them off.

These rugs are typically crafted by using fibers created with Nylon, Polyester, Acrylic, Olefin (Polypropylene), or a special blend of any of these materials. The recommended care procedures can be thorough and a bit more abrasive than natural fiber rugs, as the synthetics are built to withstand the more abrasive cleaning methods. In home synthetic rugs should be vacuumed regularly, a minimum of once per week. If there are any spills on the rug, clean them immediately using a blotting or dabbing method with a white cloth. Do not wipe, that can actually make matters worse. If needed, spot clean with a mild shampoo or soap. Synthetic rugs can still benefit greatly from regular professional washings. Whether it is an in home Hot Water Extraction cleaning, or a professional Immersion Washing in a proper facility. Rug pads are recommended for all in home area rugs, synthetic or natural. Outdoor synthetic rugs can typically be kept clean by regularly spraying them down with a hose.

Natural Rugs

 

Natural fiber rugs can me machine woven or professionally crafted by hand. The construction of most natural fiber rugs can be put into four main categories. Machine Looming is the standard way of crafting a rug using a machine. It is an efficient and cost effective production method. Machine made rugs are mostly synthetics, but can occasionally be natural as well. Hand Looming is a method that is similar to machine looming, but it is different in that a professional is operating a loom by hand. It is essentially a way of hand weaving with great assistance by a loom. This method typically yields rugs with larger piles. Cotton Rag rugs and Wool Shag rugs are commonplace when using this production method. Each step of this weaving process is hand finished by a skilled professional rug weaver. The process of crafting a rug by Hand Tufting is a much more involved process that can take a professional weaver an extended period of time to complete. This method uses a fabric backing that is very tightly stretched out on a frame. A professional rug weaver will use a special tufting tool to pass yarn through the stretched backing. There will be a pattern pre drawn for the weaver to follow. This process creates both looped and cut piles for tight and loose rug surfaces. A tufted rug will have a latex backing glued on after the weaving process has been completed to help with overall stability. An older method that has stood the test of time and has been passed down through generations is Hand Knotting. This method of crafting is very detailed, intricate and takes much longer than the other methods discussed. When crafting a rug using the Hand Knotting method, a professional weaver wraps and knots yarn around each individual Warp thread. The yarn is then cut and tempered by hand to form a very firmly constructed, tightly knotted rug. This process takes an abundance of time and attention to detail, but yields some of the finest, most unique hand woven rugs.

Specific care is needed to preserve the look and life of a Natural Fiber rug. Regularly vacuuming any in home natural fiber rugs is highly recommended. A regular vacuuming routine of the rug will help to prevent soil from compounding at the base of the rug, which can cause extensive damage over time. When soil builds up at the base of the rug over time, that soil can begin to harden as it is compacted and can actually sever the base of the individual wool or silk fibers. It is recommended to have your natural fiber rugs professionally cleaned every one to 3 years, depending on the individual circumstance. A professional immersion rug cleaning is important due to the effectiveness of the process as well as it being safe for the rug. An improper washing can cause a multitude of problems. Dye transfer, bleeding, shrinking, tears and mold/mildew can all be caused from having your natural fiber rug washed improperly. In a facility, a professional rug technician can dust the rug (removing much more loose debris than vacuuming), wash it using proper solutions and equipment and properly dry it completely with an extraction process then cool air movers. Complete drying is important in a natural rug as the base is typically tightly woven and if it remains damp for an extended period of time, it becomes a favored spot for mold, mildew or bugs. Be sure to have your natural fiber rug properly cleaned by a trained professional in a rug specific facility!