Cleaning Rugs Vs Cleaning Carpets

When it comes to the cleaning of rugs and carpets, a good number of people think that the two are cleaned the same way, which is far from the truth. The truth is, even though both of them are used as a decorative floor covering, rug cleaning procedures are very different from that of a carpet. Carpet cleaning services are relatively common, but rugs cleaning services are not as rugs require more attention and skill to ensure that their quality, shape, and vibrancy is maintained.

Why are Rugs Cleaned Differently from Carpets?

Dirt and dry soil removal process

Most rugs have a dense pile construction and are thicker than carpets. So, while vacuum cleaning can easily get the dirt off your carpet, the same is not possible for rugs as dirt gets trapped in the thin, deep fibers. This is the reason some people take their rugs outside and beat them up to clean them.

But with the technological advancements, professional rug cleaners have just the right equipment for this, that will deep clean the rug fibers. And while carpets will require just one machine to clean them up, rugs require the use of both machine and hand cleaning techniques to clean the fibers and help preserve the rug’s integrity.

Construction

While rugs were made to be picked up or moved as need be, carpets are constructed differently being a wall-to-wall floor covering. So, while you can be able to take your rug to a cleaning facility, the wall-to-wall carpet might require to be cleaned right from where they are installed- the floor of the house.  And since rugs come from different sources/countries of origin and with different styles, they also require some slightly different cleaning style.

Bleeding

While most carpets have a mono color, rugs have intricate patterns with different colors and color bleeding can destroy the way your rug looks. Rugs will, therefore, require the correct cleaning methods and solutions to prevent fading and bleeding.

Proper Cleaning Equipment and Training

While one can clean a carpet with little or no training, with the equipment readily available and can be done at home, rug cleaning requires special equipment and specialized care. This also requires that the rug cleaners are well-trained and knowledgeable on how to properly clean different types of rugs, which they do from their rugs cleaning facility.

Fringes

Carpets go from wall to wall, which makes it almost impossible to fringe. However, rugs can fringe easily, which can ruin their colors and mess them up. They, therefore, require more care in cleaning them as they are delicate.

Antiquing/ Tea wash

Antiquing is that other that sets rugs apart from carpets. Manufacturers use the antiquing process, where they apply tea dying treatment or apply a layer of an aggressive acidic wash, as a way to make the rugs look older and hence more expensive. If this is the way the rug is processed, after cleaning, t would require that the professionals reapply this layer after they are done cleaning.