Rug Dyes. What makes them bleed.

The biggest fear most rug cleaners have regarding rugs is that the rug might bleed while in their care. The fact is, with proper training and the right tools and solutions, even the most fugitive dyes in a rug can be successfully cleaned… …you just need to know what you are doing. And interestingly enough, [...]

Buying rugs. (Tips for the nervous rug shopper.)

Rug dealers as a “group” get a bad rap. Everyone has heard a story, or seen an exposé, on someone being ripped off on a rug purchase. They were sold an “antique”…when it wasn’t. Or they were sold a silk rug…when it was actually viscose or mercerized cotton. It’s an industry that is similar to [...]

Over-Dyed Rugs. (The BIG disaster awaiting careless cleaners.)

There are a multitude of reasons why a rug’s dyes may run during cleaning. In fact, I wrote a post on several of those reasons behind how a rug’s dyes can bleed on you. The careless cleaner approaches a rug as if they are all the same. “Wool is wool, what’s the big deal?” Most don’t [...]

Pet puddles on rugs. (Uh oh, urine trouble!)

You’re in trouble indeed… It’s all fun and games until the valuable oriental rug in the den gets a pet urine stain that’s not coming out. Pet urine is at the top of the “uh oh” chart of rug disasters. The stains are usually permanent. But if the field has a busy design that might [...]

FAKE silk rugs. What you need to know.

“I know better.” That is EXACTLY what I said in my head as I was looking at a cute shiny, smooth blue top at Nordstrom… …and saw the label said “60% rayon.” You see, I know that rayon (also sold as viscose) is one of the weakest fibers out there. It’s one of the fibers [...]

Silk rugs. What you need to know.

Silk is known as a fabric, and fiber, of luxury. People think you need to baby silk items, but silk is actually a very strong – and beautiful – fiber. (Unlike rayon and viscose, both names for artificial silk rug fibers, which are incredibly weak, yellow, lose color, and break at an alarming rate under [...]

Why rugs are not cleaned in the home.

The recommended cleaning method for wool oriental and specialty rugs, is washing them. For as long as rugs have been woven, they have also been washed. Though in the past with a bit more “low tech” methods than are available today. But before the washing even begins – the beating does! Rugs – ESPECIALLY wool [...]

Oriental Rug Dyes. What you need to know.

True or false - A colorfast wool rug can bleed? => TRUE. The rug may be colorfast in CERTAIN situations. For example, with a regular cleaning or wash, with a neutral or acid side cleaning solution, the rug could be perfectly fine. No dye migration (aka “bleeding”). But, under different circumstances, it could absolutely have dyes migrate [...]

Rugs and Floods. What to do.

With the number of home floods escalating due to severe weather, a number of rugs will be exposed to flood water. The longer a rug remains wet the more likely it is to have dye migration that is not correctible. Rugs that are not washed properly, and not dried thoroughly, can end up with mildew [...]

Why some rug dyes bleed.

There are a variety of reasons a rug might “bleed” on you. Let’s go through different scenarios for a wool rug like this one, where the red dyes have migrated into the neighboring off-white areas: What could create this type of dye migration? Several things. FUGITIVE DYES – if the red is shown to not [...]

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