Is this rug worth cleaning? If it’s wall-to-wall, hire a professional in-home carpet cleaner. But for wool, silk, cotton, Navajo, Turkish, Afghani, Berber, Chinese or other woven rugs, the answer can often be found on the blog Rug Chick. Lisa Wagner, Rug Chick herself, is an owner with her mother of K. Blatchford’s Rug Cleaning in San Diego. Ms. Wagner teaches rug cleaning to professionals; her next workshop, in McKeesport, Pa., is April 24 through 26. “I share our mistakes over the decades,” she said. Ms. Wagner was born into the business; her father, Don Blatchford — her parents are long divorced — is a rug broker. Her mother, Kate Blatchford, is a weaver and rug-repair specialist. Ms. Wagner is, in other words, a rug geek. “I’m part of a Facebook group,” she said, “that posts pictures daily asking, ‘What’s my rug and where’s it’s from?’ ”Q. Oriental-style rugs are sold everywhere. How do you know it’s a good rug?A. If you can see the same design on the back as on the front, that’s woven.

Buy that, not tufted. Wool is the best; practically indestructible and sustainable. Hand-woven is the most valuable. It’s a piece of the weaver’s soul. But Karastan does very good machine-woven rugs. On the other hand, if you see a canvas or burlap material on the back, that’s a tufted rug. Those are typically made in India and China, where they use a lot of glue and sometimes bad latex. It looks like a pile rug but may last only 5 or 10 years. Woven wool rugs last centuries.Q. I’ve heard of artificial or “art silk.” What does that mean?A. I had a decorator come in with a rug and say, “It’s a wool and silk rug.” I had to say, “It’s a wool and viscose rug.” It was labeled “manmade silk.” You’d think that means silkworm silk, not machine-made viscose. Viscose rayon is weak. It yellows, doesn’t hold colors. If you buy a room-size silk rug, and it’s under $1,000, it may not be real silk.Q. Can you vacuum too much?A. Today’s vacuums may be too aggressive, especially if there is hard floor underneath.

You need to sweep a wool rug with a carpet sweeper. When you vacuum, once a week or two, use a canister vacuum, and set the beater bar high for less abrasion. Vacuum from side to side, not end-to-end, so you don’t grab the fringe. Once a year, take the rug outside and vacuum the back to get embedded dirt out that causes fiber wear. Then vacuum the top again. If you whack a corner and see a dust poof, it needs to be washed.Q. You say rugs should be washed every two to three years. A. Even if a rug doesn’t look dirty, it slowly gets duller and the fringe starts to look bad. If you wait, dust, especially silica, sinks down. Whether the base is cotton or wool, when it’s walked on, those pieces saw away at the fiber. That’s what makes a rug go bare, not foot traffic. It’s foot traffic on a rug that hasn’t been swept, beaten and washed — even if it has a good rubber rug pad underneath, which cushions compression.Q. What are common mistakes?A. Putting a plant on a rug. Years later, you take the rug up, and a perfect circle drops out.

The pad doesn’t allow air to circulate. A wool rug may feel dry, but moisture has seeped to the bottom. First mildew, then dry rot, and you have to repair.Q. Do you handle all kinds of rugs?Navajo rugs are similar to Afghani rugs in that they can bleed when they get wet. best way to clean a vinyl awningIn preparing the wool for weaving, there needs to be a lot of rinsing. rug cleaners san diego caIn Afghanistan and in the desert there is limited water, so the weavers start with wool that has extra dye.cleaning pool screen enclosureQ. What makes you frustrated?carpet cleaning baltimore countyA. It sometimes costs less to make a rug abroad than to clean it here.

We charge about $4.50 a square foot. People bring in a rug with a latex backing. The marble dust to stiffen the latex, that’s the white dust you see under some rugs. I say skip cleaning, because it costs more to wash and repair such rugs, and apply the savings toward a good woven rug. * $145 Minimum Charge per visit. All-Inclusive Service includes Citrus Preconditioning, Expert Spot Removal, Deep Steam Cleaning, Rinsing, Carpet Grooming and Speed Drying. $49 per areas (Up to 200 sq/ft)  Equivalent to larger size bedroom measuring 14 feet X 14 feet. $45 per staircase  (includes landings) $25 for Hallways up to (100 sq ft) $25 for Walk In Closets (Any Size) $.25 Per Sq Ft for Basements $20 per area for Scotchgard Carpet Protectant ( Up to 200 sq/ft) $49 per area for Urine Pet treatment (Up to 200 sq/ft.) *$145  Minimum per visit $95  Furniture Cleaning – Couch $120   Furniture Cleaning – Sectional Couch up to 4 Seats

$30 Per Additional Seat for Sectional Couch Cleaning $75  Furniture Cleaning – Loveseat $50  Furniture Cleaning – Recliner or Oversized Chair $25  Furniture Cleaning – Ottoman $15 Furniture Cleaning – Dining Room Chair (Back and Seat) $10 Furniture Cleaning – Dining Room Chair (Seat Only) $20 per piece for Scotchgard Fabric Protectant (Sectional Couches count as three pieces) On Site Area Rug Cleaning75 cents per sq ft for Light Cleaning $.75 cents sq ft for Complete Urine Pet Treatment Call for Price  Wool Rug Cleaning Call for Price Oriental Rug Cleaning Give us a call at 708-465-4852 for any further discounts. Call for free onsite estimate (708) 465-4852 Tile and Grout Cleaning & Color Sealing Minimum Charge for Tile Cleaning and sealing $175 $.75 per square foot to clean $.50 per square foot to color seal $.50 per square foot 5 Areas Only $99 Let Mella give your carpets a fantastic steam clean to get them ready for the upcoming season.

This basic value package includes great savings for up to 5 areas. (Note: This service does not include moving furniture. 5 Areas Only $199 Experience the Mella difference of premium DEEP steam cleaning with the award-winning Rotovac system. Choose any 5 areas in your (Note: This service includes light furniture moving. Protector, vacuuming and odor neutralization are all available as add-ons.) 20 Windows Only $149 Let the sun shine in! Experience Mella’s award-winning whole-house window cleaning that will leave your home airy and bright. (Note: Includes a professional cleaning of up to 20 windows inside & out. Window sills and screens available as add-on services) Per Square Foot Only $1.35! Turn back time on your hardwood floors and let Mella give them a beautiful Spring luster! Includes a deep clean and extraction, far superior to what standard mopping can achieve. Recoat with your choice of matte, satin, or gloss finishes. to fantastic, long-lasting protection.