Rug Cleaning Process
Watch the video of our rug cleaning process below and read on for more details on each step
Inspection
All rugs are carefully inspected before cleaning. Any pre-existing conditions or damage are documented at this time. Measurements and photos are taken. Each rug is tagged with your information.
The way a rug is constructed, tufted or woven determines how your rug can be safely cleaned. Click here to learn if your rug is tufted or woven.
The most thorough way to clean a rug is by full immersion washing. Rugs that are machine or hand woven can be full immersion washed. However, tufted rugs or bound carpet, have a backing glued on which limits what can be done in some of the following steps. Any limitations will be discussed to set proper expectations.
Dusting
Approximately 79% of soil in rugs is dry particulate matter that should be removed before the rug is cleaned. A study done by the Eurkea Vacuum Cleaning Company revealed that a 9×12 rug can hold up to 87 pounds of soil without looking dirty!
Dusting is an important step because it is much easier to remove dry soil before introducing moisture.
Dusting can be done in our 14 foot wide tumble duster. Rugs gently turn and tumble, bending a rugs pile and foundation in a way that loosens and removes embedded soil, including sand, dust and pet hair.
Tufted or fragile rugs are not tumble dusted. Other options for dusting include strap dusting with the “Rug Badger”, vacuuming with a pile lifter or air dusting.
Deodorizing & Washing
If a rug has odor from pets, urine or smoke they are pretreated with a solution and are then placed in our 1200 gallon, 14 foot wide wash tub where they “go for a swim.” A paddle wheel mimics the gentle motion of hand and river washing. Soil is effectively removed by the gentle turbulent flow of the wash water without the use of brushes or other mechnical forces that could damage rug fibers.
Rugs are laid out on our wash floor where cleaning solutions are applied with gentle agitation to loosen and release dirt. Extra attention is given to fringe, spots and heavily soiled areas.
Rinsing
Next, the front and back of the rug is rinsed by power washing at a safe pressure. The white wash floor makes it easy for us to recognize when all soil and cleaning solutions have been removed.
A final solution is applied that ensures your rug dries at the proper pH, which leaves the colors bright and the fibers soft.
At this point, your rug is soaking wet and extremely heavy. A 14 foot wide conveyor belt moves the rug through the rinse wringer. It receives a final rinse and then excess water is squeezed out as the rug goes between 2 rubber rollers with 1500 lbs of pressure. It is rolled back up when exiting the wringer.
Drying
Next, your rug is placed in a centrifuge where it spins the rug very fast for a few minutes (like the spin cycle on your washing machine) to remove even more moisture. A few minutes prior, a rug can be dripping wet, but now will feel barely damp.
After this, the fringe and rug pile is groomed and your rug is hung to dry in a heated drying room. Your rug will spend the night with fans circulating air in the heated drying room. Depending on outdoor conditions, this room is like a desert heating up to 100-120 degrees F, completely drying your rug within just a few hours.
FAST drying is the key to preventing many issues that can result from slow drying, such as dye bleed, browning, dry rot and odors.
Post-Inspection & Grooming
After drying, your rug will be inspected. Any remaining stains will be addressed.
Finally, the rug and fringes will be groomed, vacuumed and rolled up. It will be stored in our facility until it is returned to you!