Cleaning Oriental Rugs

My living room has very nice hardwood floors, so I wanted to keep them out in the open because of their natural beauty and rustic charm. The room seemed bare, so my husband and I invested in an oriental rug to make the area warm and cohesive. The rug is absolutely beautiful and it suits the old world style I chose for the design in the living area.

The rug does not suit our toddler who seems to have a vendetta against the thing. Of course, I consulted the Internet about cleaning oriental rugs. This has just led to utter confusion and general fear. There are conflicting suggestions posed by a number of different sources. Some urge people to not take the matter in their own hands. They strongly recommend that cleaning oriental rugs should be left to professionals.

Other sources urge the rug owners to address the spill or soil immediately because the spot may become stained beyond help if you wait to take it to a professional. These sources suggest that the stain be treated with a paper towel and plain water immediately to prevent staining. This suggestion makes perfect sense, but I’m apprehensive about cleaning oriental rugs on my own if it leads to disaster. I would hate to take it to a professional just to find out that I ruined the rug by trying to save it.

Through my research on cleaning oriental rugs, I have come to the conclusion that when spills and spots arise, I will address them right away at home. I chose to do this out of shear laziness and profound cheapness. I figure that I will spend more cleaning oriental rugs than I will initially purchasing them. I understand that they are investments, but I highly doubt that they will pay off if I have them professionally cleaned too often.

There are certain rules and guidelines that I will use to address the inevitable toddler-spots on the floor. First, I will take a breath and run for plain, white paper towels. Cleaning oriental rugs with paper towels that have print will leave marks on the carpet. I will use cold water and mild soap and blot the area without scrubbing. Then the rug will be set out to dry and will not be put back into place until it is completely dry.

This does not seem realistic. Instead of cleaning oriental rugs on my own, I think that I will wind up rolling them up and taking them to a professional. After all, they only charge one to two dollars per square foot. I just have to make sure that I buy small area rugs.