How Is An Oriental Rug Made

Oriental rugs are made using a variety of knotting and weaving techniques. Real Oriental rugs are hand-knotted in traditional rug weaving countries such as Romania, Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkestan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, and Mongolia. Persian rug cleaning is also a common term. Sheep’s wool is the most commonly used fiber for Oriental rugs. Raw unprocessed wool is separated for the long white fibers, then washed and carded before spinning and plying. Tribal or village weavers do this by hand, but modern machines are used to create strong and uniform yarns. The yarn is then dyed in a variety of colors using either materials such as insects and roots, or modern chemicals.

The basic foundation of all Oriental rugs is the warp which can be cotton or wool. Most rug makers use a cotton warp to maintain even tension on the loom keeping the rugs straight when they are completed. Warps run the entire length of the rug and make up the fringe or selvage at the ends. A weaver will tie a row of knots onto the warp and then insert a thin weft followed by a thick weft cross thread. The weavers pound down the wefts with a steel comb locking the knots in place. Then another row of knots is tied. The wool is the dense, warm coat of sheep, also called the fleece. The hair of sheep has many unique properties that make it well suited for textile production. This was realized by humans around 8000 BCE, when we first began to domesticate sheep. Wool is used in a variety of textiles and can be found to be woven or knitted. Wool is a favorite when it comes to textile production because it is very easy to work with and absorbs and holds dye very well. The springy fibers remember shapes when well cared for and lasts a long time. It also takes to felting, which is a process in which the fibers interlock into a tight mat, very well. Felt is used as an insulation, for arts and crafts projects, and for decorative accents as well as in nice, high end rugs. Most people use the term “Oriental Rugs” when referring to wool rugs. These types of rugs are very nice and typically are generational. They do require a particular, delicate cleaning process that our silk rug cleaning professionals are well trained and experienced in. When your rug is ready for a cleaning, give us a call.

Now that you know the delicate process of crafting an Oriental Rug, let our professional rug cleaning technicians keep it nice, clean and long lasting.

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