Rug Mud Stains

Published March 23, 2018 By Aladdin

Now that it’s officially Spring, and the snow is going to give way to rain, we can expect lots of mud. Whatever area of the country you live in, tracking mud into the house is a normal concern during the rainy months of April and May. Rain makes it hard for that mud to get passed onto shoes and then carpeting from there. This problem can be compounded if you have pets or children. Pets need to go outside, and it’s just not convenient to dry them with a towel when they come back in the house, and children often forget to clean off their shoes. Here’s a brief guide to removing mud from rugs and carpets, as prepared by the rug stain removal experts at Aladdin Oriental Rug Services.

Rug Sun Bleaching

Published March 23, 2018 By Aladdin

One of the other fantastic benefits to coming warm weather is the anticipation of the beautiful Spring and Summer sun. While humans take this as an invitation to get their tan on, rugs and carpets aren’t so excited – they can be affected by sun fading during these months. Here’s a guide as prepared by the rug and carpet longevity experts at Aladdin Oriental Rug Services on what sun fading is, and how to prevent it in your rugs and carpets.

5 Best Natural DIY Rug Cleaning Products

Published February 18, 2018 By Aladdin

In between getting your rug or carpet cleaned by professional rug and carpet cleaners like those at Aladdin Oriental Rug, you might want to enlist the aid of some natural everyday solutions in order to help get rid of incidental stains or grime. Here’s our top five ingredients for a natural, green, everyday cleaning solution.

Hot Chocolate Stains

Published December 17, 2017 By Aladdin

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This is the perfect season for you to come closely together with your friends and family, enjoying the warmth of togetherness. This calls for holiday parties, rife with guests and delicious food – and who can forget hot chocolate. It’s the perfect drink that seems to warm you up from the inside – even warming your heart and spirit. However, hot cocoa is a notorious stain culprit – which is why the rug stain removal experts at Aladdin have prepared this brief guide to mitigating the damage that hot chocolate can cause to rugs.

Removing Wax from Carpets

Published December 8, 2017 By Aladdin

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With the warmth and coziness of holiday decor, your carpets and rugs will likely come across some risk of being stained with candle wax. There’s no replacement of the feeling of being in a cozy home with lit candles burning bright – but wax can pose a danger to your pristine rugs. Here’s a guide from the rug cleaning experts at Aladdin on how to remove wax from your carpets or rugs.

Cranberry Sauce Stains

Published November 18, 2017 By Aladdin

One of Thanksgiving’s classic dishes is cranberry sauce – the perfect tart complement to turkey or savory vegetable dishes, rife with all the fresh savor of Autumn. However, despite its magnificent deliciousness, cranberry sauce is a notorious carpet stainer, perhaps only rivaled by the dastardly beet. Here’s Aladdin’s guide for carpet cranberry sauce stain removal, so you can remain calm, confident, and really enjoy your family get together this Thanksgiving.

First, scoop up the majority of the sauce with a knife, being careful not to press it down into the carpet fibers (if it’s the more solid, gelatinous kind or has whole cranberries,) then blot the area with a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb as much of it as possible. Then wet a small towel with water, and continue blotting away.
Cranberry sauce produces a stain due to it’s tannins – these stains can be removed easily with detergent and hot water.
Don’t use natural soap for this, as natural soap make tannins harder to remove from carpets. Make sure, if you’re using bleach, that you use color safe bleach.
If the stains don’t come off, repeat the above steps. Just don’t use heat to dry it, as it will set the stain in.
If the Cranberry sauce isn’t 100% natural and has food coloring, use an oxygen based color safe bleach like OXO Brite-in or OxiClean according to package directions. Dip a clean rag into the solution and work from the outside edge of the stain inwards in order to prevent spreading it around. Don’t’ get it too wet. Let the solution stay on the stain for at least a half an hour before blotting it up.
Use a clean white rag to blot away any moisture, but don’t rinse it. Oxygen bleach usually turns into water within a couple hours – simply let it air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. Then vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.
It’s essential to remember not to get the fabric of the carpet too wet with the cleaning solution as it can cause mildew.
If none of these steps work, contact a licensed carpet professional, like those at Aladdin!

Pile Reversal and Tracking

Published November 17, 2017 By Aladdin

There’s a weird happening that occurs with wall to wall carpeting, usually in very high traffic areas. Nobody really knows what causes it, but improper carpet installation is often considered the blame. This phenomenon is called pile reversal, pooling, puddling, or watermarking. It entails the shading of a cut pile carpet, where some areas turn lighter and some turn darker. It’s called watermarking, as it makes it look like large areas of the carpet are wet. Here’s Aladdin’s guide to pile reversal.

What causes pile reversal is the changing direction of the carpet’s pile, which leads to a strange appearance as light then reflects differently on the surface of the carpet. Pile reversal, however, is not caused by the carpet cleaning process, and it does not mean that the carpet is really damaged structurally, and will fall apart. However, it’s appearance will likely not be able to be remedied.

Pile reversal used to be more of an issue in the past – nowadays, carpet manufacturers have made improvements in how they are created, so the incidence of carpet pile reversal has steeply declined.

False Pile Reversal

Sometimes people blame a carpet’s changing appearance on pile reversal, when in reality it’s false pile reversal – a true phenomenon known as tracking. Tracking is a crushing down or flattening out of the carpet due to heavy traffic patterns over the carpet’s surface. Unlike pile reversal, however, tracking can be remedied by extraction based carpet cleaning performed by a licensed professional. Tracking can be avoided through regular vacuuming and raking of the carpet. Another phenomenon often mis-blamed on carpet reversal is footmarking, which, similar to tracking, is a result of heavy traffic or someone dragging a heavy object over a carpet – leaving localized marks or footprints.

Mitigating Short Term Rug Damage

Published October 18, 2017 By Aladdin

In this blog so far, we’ve covered many ways to handle immediate spills and accidents that can cause damage to rugs and carpets. However, short term care is just one aspect of maintaining rugs – and the experts at Aladdin want to instruct all of our customers as to the best ways to provide long term care for their carpets and rugs.

Just because rugs are valuable doesn’t mean they are as delicate as crystal. In fact, Oriental rugs earn their fantastic reputation due to their endurance. They can be washed when they are dirty, unlike wall to wall carpets that can only be cleaned on their upper layer. Rug dyes don’t fade or run and the oil inside their wool helps provide stain resistance. Sometimes rugs are thrown into the street for looking aged, and they get walked over by feet or even run over by cars – and somehow end up looking even better afterwards due to that accidental dusting! However, rugs need care and attention to help protect them from what causes them to be truly vulnerable – beetles, moths, wetness, and the sun.

Sunlight

Sunlight is maybe the worst thing for rugs with both natural and synthetic rugs, causing colors to fade, and wool/cotton to dry out and become easily cracked. It’s ok to have your rug in a sunny room as long as direct sunlight isn’t hitting it – for the most part. Some rugs can’t even handle that much sunlight. If you don’t know if your rug can handle diffused sunlight, compare the colors on the back and front of the rug – if they are lighter on the front than the back, it’s experienced sun fading. Avoid this by closing the curtains or by coating your windows with mylar to filter out UV light, softening sun glare, and lowering the heat coming through the windows. Skylights can also fade rugs – so we advise installing a UV filter skylight. If your rug has already experienced sun fading, get the rug professionally washed, as well as the faded wool tips abraded off. If this doesn’t work, you might want to fade the entire rug so as to make the colors even – so in that case, leave it directly in the sun until it’s got a real even tone.

Moth Damage

The moths that eat wool clothes and food in your closet do damage to your rug when they are larvae, eating through it and leaving a filmy web. The good news is that moths don’t usually infest rugs that are used very often – instead preferring rugs in storage or underneath furniture, as they prefer darkness. Every once in awhile, move the furniture on top of rugs and vacuum in order to prevent moths – including the rug’s back, where moths are more likely to congregate. Look for larvae or the webs as a telltale sign. You might want to utilize mothballs or moth crystals, but these can leave a nasty smell and also fade in power quite quickly.

Beetles

These bugs are a major issue on the East coast, and are tiny with colorful spots on the back.They eat nectar and pollen, and often get brought into a home on top of flowers. They lay their eggs in dust in dark areas, and both the larvae and fully developed beetles eat through the entire rug including its foundation, leaving behind shredded pieces of their skin. The best way to prevent this is by vacuuming and dusting often, as well as ensuring that you store any rugs with crystals inside airtight garbage bags away from any dampness.

Mildew

If rugs remain exposed to moisture they get mildew and dry rot. This is often caused by leaving a potted plant on top of a rug – which should never ever be done, even if you try and use a special waterproof pot. This can also occur when rugs are stored inside areas that have dampness like basements or a garage, or if they get in the way of a leak. Don’t freak out if your rugs ever get wet – moisture isn’t the culprit so much as standing water that’s left there for a while. If your rug gets wet just blot it with towels, and elevate the rug to dry the floor underneath it. If your rug gets extremely soaked, dry it with a special water vacuum, or lay it outside and squeegee it thoroughly. If you don’t have these tools, roll it up and stand it on one end until water stops dripping – or leave it out in the sunlight, flipping it periodically so the sun can dry all the water. If the rug has been wet for days – for example, if there’s a leak while you are on vacation, spray it down with Lysol and bring it to a professional rug cleaning specialist, like Aladdin.

Determining Rug Quality

Published October 3, 2017 By Aladdin

It can be hard to determine the true quality and value of a rug – and at the end of the day, your stylistic taste and opinion is what it’s important. However – here are some of the objective facts which the experts at Aladdin base their rug tastes on:

High quality rugs stay flat on their backs without any weird ripples or wrinkles. Rugs with curling edges are likely to wear quickly.
Rugs that have an hourglass figure are likely to wear quickly, as they came off the loom initially distorted.
Good rugs have colors that naturally resist fading in normal types of light.
Rugs with moth damage, holes, stains, or rips are only really ever still valuable if they are really really old.
High quality wool has a glow and feels a bit soft and oily. Less good wool is hairy, dry, and scratchy.

What are the benefits of finely knotted rugs?

Finely knotted rugs have smoother lines, similar to how a picture with many pixels provides a more high definition image. Rugs with fine knots have a very dense surface that reflects light off it, providing an appealing glow and color profile. However, having finely woven knots isn’t enough – and some Tribal rugs are traditionally made with rougher knots. In general however, finely knotted rugs are more valuable than those with rougher knots.

The Drawing of the Rug

This means how well the rug’s design is executed according to it’s intent – meaning the physical structure, the lines, the coloring, the borders, the field, and the coloring.

Natural and Synthetic Dyes

Natural dyes are commonly accepted as superior to synthetic ones – however, it’s hard without assistance of a professional lab to be able to tell whether a rug is synthetic or natural. However, since in general naturally dyed rugs are considered higher value or superior to others, it certainly won’t hurt to acquire a naturally dyed one.

Machine and Hand Spinning

Hand spun wool is the traditional material for Oriental rugs, but after World War 2, most rugs were spun by machine. However, around 1985 due to demand by rug connoisseurs, some weavers resumed the traditional hand weaving technique. Some people are more into the uniform appearance of machine spun wool, but many collectors prefer the ‘Wabi-Sabi’ effect produced by the imperfections and variations in handspun rugs. Hand spun yarn absorbs higher levels of dye, providing eye catching color fields and variation – making them, in our opinion, much more beautiful.

Pile Height

Some people think that just because a rug has a thick pile it’s of a higher quality, but this isn’t true. The finest rugs are sometimes very thin – however, if a rug is meant for an area where it’s going to get constantly walked on, or walked on by many people, it should be thick so as to handle the high traffic.

Finishing Processes

Quality rugs are either naturally aged or washed in toners towards the end of their creation which will subtly dull their new colors, giving them a sense of character that is usually simply acquired over many years. Rugs should not be over bleached or piled on with synthetic treatment chemicals – in the opinion of the experts at Aladdin, natural is really best.

Rug Cleaning for a Healthy Home

Published August 23, 2017 By Aladdin

Here at Aladdin, we understand exactly how important area and oriental rugs are to keeping the warm ambiance of a home. It’s our business and passion. Rug cleaning is an essential part of keeping your home clean and welcoming. Oriental rugs become the focal point of the rooms they are put in, with their every pattern, coloring, sizing, shaping, and texture melding well with all the room’s furniture. It’s important to consider how to maintain the room’s durability and beauty over long periods of time.

A dirty rug can easily become home for dirt, dust, allergens, pet dander, bacteria, pieces of decaying food, and insects – which pose health risks for children, seniors, and everyone else. Here’s why rug cleaning is an important part of keeping a healthy home.

Causes of Area Rug Damage

As time passes, stains, spills, pet dander, dust, pollen, dirt, hair, waste from shoes, and other debris can get stuck in rugs, pressed deeper by walking feet. Direct sunlight can even cause rug damage, albeit not with the associated health hazards of particulates.

Correcting Rug Damage for Home Health

Vacuuming

Make sure to vacuum your carpets and area rugs almost every day in order to keep out dry soil and dirt that can quickly accumulate.

No Shoes Policies

By implementing a no shoe policy inside your house, you can keep your oriental rugs and area rugs clear of allergens. All sorts of allergens stick to the underside of your shoes, including dirt and allergens from outdoors, and germs from everywhere you walk.

Professional Rug Cleaning

The best way to keep rugs clean and your home allergen and germ free is by ensuring that your rugs get cleaned regularly and meticulously. By making sure your area rugs and oriental rugs professionally cleaned, you will ensure that they last longer, and are healthier and cleaner for your home. Contact Aladdin today for a professional rug cleaning!

Cranberry sauce produces a stain due to it’s tannins – these stains can be removed easily with detergent and hot water.

Don’t use natural soap for this, as natural soap make tannins harder to remove from carpets. Make sure, if you’re using bleach, that you use color safe bleach.

If the stains don’t come off, repeat the above steps. Just don’t use heat to dry it, as it will set the stain in.

Use a clean white rag to blot away any moisture, but don’t rinse it. Oxygen bleach usually turns into water within a couple hours – simply let it air dry away from direct sunlight or heat. Then vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.

It’s essential to remember not to get the fabric of the carpet too wet with the cleaning solution as it can cause mildew.

If none of these steps work, contact a licensed carpet professional, like those at Aladdin!