Never ever allow a wall to wall carpet cleaning firm to clean an oriental or area rug in your home.  It may sound good, easier and cheaper but there is nothing you can do that will harm your rugs more than this.  Very few wall to wall carpet cleaners know how to properly clean wool, cotton. or silk area rugs.  This is why it is important to trust the cleaning of these valuable items to a firm that specializes in this area.

When a cleaner attempts to clean a rug in the home with a hot water extraction machine (better known as steam cleaning) the top half of the rug in most cases becomes saturated with detergent while the bottom half remains untouched by the detergent.  As quickly as the solution is sprayed onto the rug it is extracted by the machine's vacuum.  This process never really gets the dirt and grit out of the bottom half of the rug's foundation.

The real problems occur when the cleaner over-wets the rug by applying too much detergent, getting the foundation of the rug (its cotton warp and weft) wet.  Since the rug is lying flat on the floor in your home, the foundation never has the opportunity to dry properly.  This will lead to mildew and dry rot, either ruining the rug or drastically reducing the rug's longevity and value.  The other problem with in-home cleaning is that the cleaning chemical is never properly rinsed out of the rug.  Think about it:  if detergent is injected into the rug wetting the wool, and the excess is immediately extracted, the soap and moisture left in the rug attains a very high pH level.  High alkalinity can damage wool, cotton, and silk area rugs.  The rug dries, leaving the pile heavily laden with soap residue.  We use the analogy of washing your hair without rinsing it.  The soap left in the rug will start doing what it was intended to do:  attract dirt.  This will cause the rug to get dirtier quicker, and, more seriously, it will attract the gritty dirt that, once deep down in your rug, will cause the fibers to break down, leading to premature wear.  This soap residue makes cleaning loose dirt and dust virtually impossible, negating its important benefits.  So don't choose the quick, easy, and wrong way.  It will cost you much more in the long run.

• NEVER clean handmade or good machine made rugs in the home no matter what anyone tells you or how cheap the price is.
• ALWAYS have your area rugs taken out of the home and cleaned by a professional company that specializes in oriental rugs not your local carpet cleaner.
• Protect Your Wool, Cotton, or Silk Rugs and Carpets from stains and soil.  Wool handmade and machine made rugs and carpets are sold without any type of stain protection.  Wool as a fiber is very absorbent.  We have seen countless incidents where a spill or an accident has irreversibly stained a beautiful rug.  Stain protection is a must for any rug or carpet and is one of the many steps of rug cleaning that is included in our price.
• Padding is a must to protect and prolong the life of rugs and carpets.
• Vacuum your rugs and carpets frequently.  Weekly at a minimum.
• Rotate your rugs 180 degrees every 3 months.
• Clean for Your Health all soft surfaces, rugs, carpets, furniture, and drapes.  Cleaning will absorb dust and dirt and keep it out of the air you breathe.  If you don't periodically clean these surfaces, dust and dirt may contribute to certain health problems.
• Remember, there is no one way to clean oriental rugs.  Each rugs delicacy, color fastness, and amount of use will determine the process, in which, the rug should be cleaned.  At S&S, "We clean your oriental rug as if it were our own."