Protecting your area rugs starts with proper area rug care in your home. If you want your rugs to last a long time there are procedures that you should keep in mind. Starting with regular vacuuming. Every 3-6 months your carpet should be turned over and vacuumed underneath using a beater bar attachment to loosen the dirt/grit and remove it from the pile. Replace the rug and vacuum as normal. Avoid using the following household products on or even near you area rugs as they WILL cause permanent damage (and the damage might only show up days or weeks later, or during a professional cleaning), among the worst is Benzol peroxide, most commonly found in acne medications. It is capable of destroying most dyestuffs. Its damaging effect may seem to appear spontaneously for several reasons: a rise in humidity & the time between contact. Insecticides that are sprayed along baseboards can create a colour change as well but only after cleaning! Avoid the following dye damaging products near your valuable rugs; pool chemicals, dry bleaches, disinfectants, fade creams, pesticides, plant food, dandruff shampoo, tile cleaners, chlorine bleach, mildew fighters, glass cleaners and floor strippers. Many of these products when spilled don’t show the effects until heat and moisture are applied. In many cases the colour loss is permanent and expensive spot dyeing or repair is the only remedy that may be considered.
At AAA we have been area rug washing in shop for over 30 years. We take the time and care to properly treat your carpet to maximize our end results. We clean 95% of loose area rugs in shop. This allows us the time to:
- Fully inspect your rug under our special lights
- Proper pre-treatment of all spots & stains with appropriate dwell time, sometimes many hours.
- Thorough vacuuming of front/back/front again. We also use a Rug Badger to get out loose dirt (sometimes we get a whole sand box!)
- The choice of multiple cleaning options; depending on the type and material of the rug, degree & type of soiling
- The ability to clean them several times over several days if required
- Controlled drying with hanging bars. Controlled humidity, air movement and large drying tables
- A complete and thorough post cleaning inspection to check for remaining spots, odours and any other drying issues
- A final vacuuming of face yarns and rolled up for storage till delivery or pick up
Some rugs due to sheer size or due to large or permanent furnishings (wall units on them) or at the request of the home owner (who simply may not want to part with their rug) we do offer in home rug cleaning. Although some what less expensive then in shop cleaning it is far less controlled and the results are not usually as impressive as our in shop cleaning. There are also risks that must be considered when cleaning these rugs in your home. One of them is if the rug is sitting directly on a hardwood floor, there is a chance that the flooring may be damaged, due to the moisture wicking thru to the back of the rug.
Staining on most natural fibers is the largest complaint when it comes to area rugs. It is very important that spills be cleaned up as soon as possible, due to the nature of natural fibers they absorb and hold stains, much more then man made materials. Plus they are unable to withstand the high pH’s of some of the strongest stain removers so we are limited to what can be used. The quicker you get us in the better chance we have to remove or reduce the appearance of the stain or spill. Having your area rugs protected after our cleaning is strongly recommended. Although no protectant can stop or prevent all stains it adds a large measure of protection and can greatly minimize the damage from spills. Plus it allows you to vacuum up to 35% more soil out of your rugs, as soil has a much harder time attaching it self to sealed fibers.
Dye bleeding or crocking is another complaint with some types of area rugs. Kelim’s, some Persians, and even some Orientals. Dye bleeding can usually be prevented but not always corrected, so if your carpet has been improperly cleaned, spot treated or even has gotten wet or excessively humid dyes can run during the cleaning or drying process. So please let us know if you believe that your rug has been subjected to those or any other conditions that might affect its dye stability.
We clean most area rugs including braided, hand tufted, hand hooked, silk, Flokati, Navajo, Carousel, and Dhurries, Just to name a few. We offer free pick up and delivery in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. Please have the rug rolled for us, and we will leave it rolled when we return it. If you require assistance in rolling or unrolling the rug and putting it under furniture there is an additional fee.
Pricing starts from only $1 per sq. ft. for most synthetic area rugs to $6 per. foot for certain silks and specialty rugs. Most wool Orientals are $2 to $3 per sq. ft depending on thickness and soiling. Extreme pet odours may require pit washing, which is involves complete immersion of the rug in our wash pit. This method is excellent at removing the odours. Immersion washing can add 50% to the price of the cleaning.
There is no charge to come out and evaluate your rug for clean ability, and more thorough exam in shop prior to any cleaning under our lights for any other conditions that might not have been spotted in the home. If any other concerns are found you will be contacted before we proceed and if you choose not to have your rug cleaned there is no charge to return the rug back to your home.
