Written by Persian Carpet Gallery | 28 September 2009

Repair consists of preparation, restoration and prevention. Rugs are normally for use on the floor for comfort and decorative purposes. From the very beginning, however, they have been used in all shapes and forms such as wall hangings, bed covers, cushion covers and on top of the desks and tables. Most rugs can be prepared for any use if this is carried out professionally without damaging or devaluing the rug. The second most common use of rugs in the West is as wall hangings. Care must be taken to ensure the weight of the rug is uniformly distributed along the hanging edge of the rug in order to prevent the rug from miss shaping over time, especially if it happens to be a heavy rug.

Restoration

Restoration is to bring the rug to its original shape and form. Restoration must be carried out professionally to ensure the value of the rug is at the very least preserved if not adding value to the rug. Before any restoration takes place, judgement is required to justify whether the rug is worth repairing or not. Occasionally our clients decide to go ahead with repairs purely for the sentimental value a rug may possess.

Prevention

Prevention is the halting of any further deterioration to a rug and is very cost effective.

Extensive work

Rugs may be very rare and highly valuable and at the same time very worn. Repairs on such rugs can become extremely labour consuming and expensive. In order to minimise the repair costs, in these circumstances we can arrange the work to be carried out either in Turkey or Iran. When a rug is in need of repair, it is always best this is done earlier rather than later in order to minimise the damage and cost of repair.

Written by Ali | 28 September 2009

To prolong the life of a rug and to keep it vibrant and attractive, it is recommended that you clean your rug regularly. There are no set criteria for cleaning. It depends mainly on where and how the rugs are used. Some of our Quality Assurance steps we follow for all carpet cleaning are listed below.

Inspection for damage

The rug should be inspected for a possible tear or hole prior to cleaning. If damage is present, temporary or permanent repair has to be carried out before cleaning takes place.

Loose-particle removal

It is important to ensure rugs are kept free of soil and solid dirt at all times. When solid particles sit at the bottom of the pile, friction as a result of pressure on the surface (e.g. walking) can cause the pile to break off, creating bold patches on the surface of the rug. Solid particles consisting of dirt, dust, grit, sand and broken fibres can be removed by gentle beating on the back of the rug with a traditional cane beater. This has to be carried out thoroughly so most particles are removed prior to next phase of cleaning.

Stain removal

Stains, particularly when accompanied by solid material (e.g. candle wax) should be removed prior to cleaning. If not removed in advance, these stains will be permanently fixed into the carpet and hence very difficult to remove. Some stains leave permanent marks regardless of all attempts to remove them, Never rub to remove a spill - blot with a clean, dry, absorbant cloth and contact usespecially if they occur over the lighter-colour areas of the carpet. These marks are best left alone and no aggressive method should be used to remove them as they could cause even more damage to the rug.

Colour-fastness test

This test should be carried out before cleaning takes place. This can be done by simply wiping the most colourful part of the rug with a damp white cotton cloth. If no colour passes to the cloth, the rug is colour-fast and cleaning is quite straight forward. If the colour passes on to the cloth, more care is needed during cleaning process in order to prevent colour run.

Final stage of cleaning

Cleaning must be carried out by hand. Any chemical and machine cleaning is to be avoided at all cost. The most suitable type of cleaning material is a special type of carpet shampoo that will dry to powder after it has been applied to the rug and removed almost completely after the rug is dried out. This type of shampoo is not usually available in super store or any normal retail shop. The only added material to the solution is white vinegar. The proportion of adding shampoo and vinegar to the warm water depends on the shampoo concentration and the rug type.

Hand cleaning of rug is usually a time consuming process. The carpet gets cleaned and then left to air-dry. This cycle of cleaning and air-drying is repeated a few times depending on the degree of dirt of the carpet and/or the colour of the background of the carpet.

How often a rug needs to be cleaned depends on where the rug is being laid. A rug which is been used in a living room or a dining room needs to be cleaned more frequently than the rug in a bedroom or a study. At Persian Carpet Gallery, we have been providing these services for the last four decades and are happy to provide advice at any time.

Written by Ali | 28 September 2009

Hand made carpets are usually made to last a life time if not more. They usually withstand normal wear and tear of everyday use but like any other household item, they are prone to accident. An oriental carpet is an expensive investment and like other pieces of art should be insured against theft, loss or damage.

Why evaluate the value of the rug

This might be necessary in order to ensure that the correct value is passed into the estate when the owner of the rug dies. The value of the rug would also be important in the case of divorce settlements or the setting up of family trusts. The rug would also need to be insured, and for that, the value of the rug is necessary in order to calculate any insurance fees. Please note that if the rug is just included in the overall insurance for household items, that if it gets stolen or damaged, you might not be able to claim the full value of the rug since the value of normal household items are usually capped at a certain amount. You should rather insure your carpet separately as a separate item, for which you will require the evaluation certificate and probably pay a separate insurance premium. Discuss this with your insurance advisor since different insurance companies have different policies.

Long term damage

This on the whole occurs due to neglect which normally involves damp or moth problems. These types of damage are not usually covered by insurance. Damp and/or moth damage to unattended carpets is sometimes so extensive that salvaging such carpet would then become either highly costly of even impossible. Unattended carpet also includes parts of a carpet which is laid under furniture and therefore not clean or walked on regularly. Newer carpets are, however, more resistant to moth damage.

Accidental damage

Accidental damage is generally caused by events such as floods, roof leakage, pipe bursts or fire. In the case of water damage, time is a major factor in order to minimise the damage. It is important to drain the water out of the rug as soon as possible by simply hanging the rug. After assessing the damage the rug needs to be cleaned and then repaired. This is of course possible if the rug has not been damaged beyond repairs. If a rug could not be restored to its original state, it usually possesses a salvage value. Some time it is worth considering the option of keeping the partly damaged carpet for the price which been offered by the insurance company and receive the balance. Most antique dealers or general auctioneer would probably not be able to give you a fair evaluation of your oriental rug since the appraisal of such a rug should be carried out by someone with authority in this fieldIn the case of an old or antique rear carpet, it is not easy to find an identical carpet but we try our best to find the best alternative option to replace the damaged carpet.

On the whole, a damage rug can be fully restored, partly restored or considered beyond any restoration. At Persian Carpet Gallery, we assess and restore damaged carpets as well as preparing all the administrative work regarding any insurance claim. Each valuation is assessed differently so we ask you to CONTACT US to determine the approach we will take.
After all we have over 40 years to our name