The first step in our cleaning process is removing the dirt and grit from the rug. Rugs are hand fed into our beater machine where soft bristle brushes help guide the rug through the machine. Inside the machine leather straps rotate hitting the back of rug, knocking the dirt and grit out of the foundation of the rug. This is a very important first step as grit deeply embedded can act as sand paper causing deterioration and damage to the foundation of the rug.
The wash process:
We lay the rugs out on a concrete wash floor where they are thoroughly wet down with cold water. The rugs are then sprayed and hand scrubbed with a mild detergent. We use a pH-neutral soap that does not strip the natural moisture from the wool. We will also spot treat stains with small soft bristle brushes. The fringes are washed and rinsed then the rugs are thoroughly rinsed and put through a wringer to squeeze out the excess water. Additionally, we use a squeegee to ensure the pile is going in the right direction to ensure an even appearance.
The rugs are then hung to dry. We take special care to hang the rugs so that the pile hangs down and dries smoothly. To ensure that the rugs dry quickly we use heated air and fans.
Finishing processes:
After the rug dries we use a very mild bleach solution on the fringe if it is cotton. We are careful to neutralize the bleach in order to not compromise the integrity of the cotton fringe. Once the fringe has dried we brush and trim the very tips of the fringe. Afterward spot stains are treated and moth-proofing and stain-shielding are done, if necessary. The final steps include vacuuming to fluff up any pile if needed and rechecking to see that the cleaning was successful. The rugs are then rolled and ready to come back to the customer.
214 E. Franklin St.
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 344-0081