Cleaniness is the
first and major step towards the preservation of a hand-made carpet and it
is the best care of to damage. There are no hard or fast rules to
stipulate when and how often to clean a carpet since every had-made carpet
is different and every hosehold exposes a carpet to different amounts of
wear and dirt. There are many professional books on the care and cleaning
of carpets that one may consult if one is interested in doing a
professional cleaning. However, the following advice and information are
basic general instructions that the average home owner may exercise in the
care and cleaning of an Oriented carpet. The best recommendation is
regular brushing with an old fashioned handbroom with natural bristles or
the use of an electric carpet sweeper. Remember that it is just as
important to brush the underlay of the carpet and floor beneath. One
caution, the regular use of a vacuum cleaner will eventually start to
loosen the knots andpull the fibers out of the pile, also never use the
revolving brush attachment on a carpet for it will actually pull the
fibers apart. The nozzle attachment is the best and may be used once a
month.
Hand Cleaning at
Home
Prepare a mixture of the following proportions; half a cup of carpet
shampoo to four and a half cups of warm water and add one tablespoon of
vinegar to prevent the colour from running. Lay the carpet with the pile
up on a hard flat surface. Dip the brush in the liquid and apply it in
gentle even vertical strokes. Vigorous brushing or scrubbing will not
clean throughly and is likely to damage the carpet in its wet vulnerable
state. Start in one corner, brushing up and down, with and against the
pile with even overlapping movements. The amount of shampoo applied and
the pressure of the bruh should be as constant as possible over the entire
carpet surface. Once the carpet is brushed vertically (lengthvise) then
brush horizontally or from side to side across the pile, with the same
gentle overlapping strokes. The pile should be throughly cleaned by now.
Finally, brush gently in the direction of the pile as the carpet dries, so
that the pile is lying in the right direction.
Drying
Preferably use a room where there is a warm air current heating
system. Do not drape the carpet, it must be allowed to dry flat, and don't
walk, or place anything on it until it is completely dry. The warp, weft
and pile of a completely dried carpet should feel soft and pliable. Remove
the dried dirt and shampoo powder by gently brushing with a soft dry
brushing.
Things to
Avoid
Washing machines
and spin dryers should never be used for any delicate hand-made item. With
carpets the vibration, water temperature and harsh detergents will cause
irreparable damage; posibble colour-run from the hot water and the
detergents and a cement-like wool once dry. It may even reduce the carpet
to shreads. Again dry cleaners sometimes advertise themselves as carpet
cleaners. Their services may be useful for machine-made carpets, but an
Orientel Hand-made masterpiece should never be subjected to the strong
chemicals that these firms use. The damage may become apparant only after
several months and the damage is irreparable.
Moth Damage
Wool carpets and kilims are subject to moth damage. The dark areas
of the carpet should be inspected for signs of moth damage, which will
result in a weakened foundation or in the knots eventually pulling out
where the nap has been eaten away. New carpet and kilims are treated with
insecticides before exportations and onces in a dealer's shop they are
frequently moved about to avoid this problem.
