The Turkish rug has been a staple in homes for centuries, offering a unique beauty and high-quality design. However, with time, the rug can accumulate dirt and grime that may be difficult to remove. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to clean a Turkish rug that can help restore the rug’s original appearance and beauty. This guide will provide a step-by-step process to help clean a Turkish rug,
Step-By-Step Process of Turkish Rug Cleaning
1. Know Your Rug or Pre Inspection
First things first. Before cleaning you should learn a few important facts about your rug. To get a quick overview, you have to check your rug’s label. And understand what you can and can’t do.
2. Shake
You can shake your rug vigorously to remove dirt and debris. Shaking will cause the dust to come loose and fall out. This process may not clean your carpet entirely and could be used as a method of maintaining a clean carpet. You have to take it out of your house before doing this.
Otherwise, shaken dirt will make the carpet dirty again and the dirt might circulate around your home and settle on every other object while causing health risks.
3. Beat
Try another way if lifting and shaking your Turkish rug is too difficult. Hang your rug against a wall or a clothesline and beat it up. To remove the dirt from the carpet, use a broom or an old tennis racket.
This will dislodge the dirt from deep within your carpet and expel them into the air. This process requires you to wear a face mask to prevent inhaling the airborne dirt and needs to be conducted outdoors.
4. Sweep
You can use a broom with natural straw bristles to sweep your rug. Sweep in a single direction from one side to the other. You should avoid rubbing your broom back and forth since you may wind up harming it. When you’ve finished sweeping the entire rug, repeat the process and go over it a second time.
5. Vacuum
You can use a soft bristle brush to vacuum your Turkish rug. But vacuum in the direction of the rug fibers. And avoid vacuuming against your rug fibers. It will damage your rug. If your rug has fringes try avoiding those while vacuuming. As those can get stuck on your vacuum cleaner.
6. Testing
You should check if your rug is dyed in colors that will not fade or be washed out. Testing is a vital process. As it will help you understand the condition of your rug and save it from unnecessary color bleed while cleaning.
To test your rug, soak a tiny corner of it in room temperature water. Then press it with a clean white cloth. If your rug is not colorfast, there will be a spot of dye on your cloth. Otherwise, the cloth will be clean.
7. Spot Cleaning
Accidents can happen around the house if you have a pet or child. Adults can also be the cause of many mishaps on your rug. But don’t panic. You can remove almost any stain or spot from your carpet.
When spills occur, try to clean it as fast as possible. If you let it dry, it will go deeper into your rug fiber and cause permanent damage. It’s important to keep in mind that dried stains are also very difficult to clean.
First, bolt or soak up any extra liquid with a cloth. It is better to use a white cotton cloth or towel to avoid color-related issues. Different spots or stains need different solutions. But vinegar is the best ingredient to use when cleaning spots on the carpet as it cleans deep down into the fiber without damaging your rug.
8. Deep Cleaning
The Turkish carpet cleaning process is complex. It requires the use of various tools and equipment. It can take about 2 to 3 hours to clean your rug and more than a day to completely dry it. The cleaning process is time-consuming, but the results are worth it. Follow the instructions below to deep clean your rug,
- Bring your carpet outside into the garden or backyard or maybe into the garage.
- Completely soak your carpet with cold water. You can also use warm water but avoid using hot water. Hot water can make your rug bleed. And also destroy its fiber.
- If you are using cold water to clean your carpet, use a garden hose to rinse your carpet with water. If you want to use warm water, you can use a bucket for a softer rinse.
- You can use commercial products or you can make a soap solution to clean your rug. After applying the soap solution to your rug, wait for 10 to 20 minutes to let it soak. Then clean it thoroughly.
- Rinse off the soap water with cold water using a bucket or a garden hose. When one side is done, rotate it and wash the other side. Make sure the soap solution is completely removed from the rug.
9. Water Extraction
After rinsing off the soap solution entirely from your rug, extract extra water from your rug before laying it out to dry. Squeeze the remaining water out of your rug by wringing it gently. Then you can use a vacuum cleaner to dry out your carpet faster. Vacuum your carpet to squeeze out extra water.
10. Speed Dry
Finally, let your rug dry. You can let your carpet flat dry on the ground. But this process will take a long time. The longer it takes for your rug to dry, the more likely mold may form inside the rug fibers. Which will ruin your rug in a short span of time. Instead, use a fan to speed up the drying process. It should not be exposed to the sun to dry. Sunlight has a tendency to bleach the color of rugs.
11. Neutralizer
When finished with the drying make sure the carpet is pH balanced. As low pH can ruin rug material and color, and high pH levels can boost the growth of bacteria as well as mold and bugs.
Use baking soda for this job. Spread baking soda on your rug. Leave it overnight. Then vacuum it thoroughly. It will also help you get rid of unwanted odors.
12. Carpet Protection
Attach a pad underneath your carpet. Carpet requires padding to protect the hard flooring surfaces beneath it. Carpet padding protects your carpet from shedding caused by foot traffic and heavy furniture.
How Often Should I Clean My Turkish Rug?
Turkish rugs add an antique atmosphere to your house from the glorious times of the Ottomans. A Turkish rug might be a family heritage or a discovery at a trade fair. The older the carpet, the more probable it was produced by hand.
Because the rug is composed of wool, silk, or cotton, the best method to clean a Turkish rug at home is with a mild, cold water solution that helps keep the beauty of the design while eliminating dust, debris, and stains without hurting the fibers.
When tracking your cleaning habits, keep in mind your household’s foot movements as well as if you have pets who share the carpet. Vacuuming every other week is fine for light use, but full cleaning should be done at least once a year.
Things To Avoid
The Turkish rug cleaning process can be a bit tricky, so it is important to approach the job with caution,
- Avoid using harsh chemicals, and instead, opt for natural rug cleaners. Doing so will allow you to preserve the integrity of your rug, while also preserving its life span.
- Avoid placing your rug in a place where it can get enough sunlight. Sunlight can damage your Turkish rug as it has been made with very delicate materials.
- Avoid stepping on your rug while wearing shoes. Turkish rugs are made with materials that store dust and debris. Every time you step on it with the shoe, it stores lots of dust in its fabric.
- If a section of your rug receives unequal footfalls, rotate your rug as well as the furniture on it, on a regular basis to balance out the patterns.
- Turkish rugs are fragile when it is wet. Avoid scrubbing it even if you are trying to clean stubborn spots. Scrubbing your rug will only make things worse. It can also pull off rug materials. To dry spots, you could instead blot them gently with a soft towel to absorb as much water as possible.
Conclusion
The Turkish rug is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and beautiful rugs in the world. It is also a functional piece of furniture that provides you with comfort and style. The only drawback of the Turkish rug is that it tends to get dirty and stained over time.
All you need to do to maintain the beauty of your rug is to get it cleaned from time to time using the professional methods we’ve provided through consultation with experts and ensure its aesthetics and longevity.
