Dry Rot and Mold

Published January 3, 2017 By Aladdin

Dry rot is one of the worst things that can happen to a rug. Mildew, dry rot, and mold are all various stages and types of fungi – and while mildew and mold can sometimes be removed, dry rot cannot be countered. Dry rot causes the foundational fibers of rugs to deteriorate and fall apart, and ruining its structural integrity. Sometimes, if stopped early enough, mildew and mold can be stopped, and you can go through with carpet restoration. Here’s Aladdin’s guide to dry rot, mold, and mildew.

Causes of Dry Rot

Dry rot is caused by either too much or too little moisture. Floods, leaks, or evaporation through improper storage in plastic can cause it. Pets can also cause dry rot by urinating on rugs. Buildup of residue from cleaning products can dry up rugs and cause dry rot, as well as any sort of peroxide or bleach.

How to spot dry rot

First of all, look for any color discoloration, especially areas with bluish mold. If there’s sources of water near rugs, look for any problems near that area of the rug. Common culprits are plants, water coolers, or ceiling leaks. Once mold reaches the inner foundational fibers of a rug, it’s pretty much impossible to remove it. If an area of a rug is stiff, or cracks when you bend it, or gives you a hard wood like knocking sound when you hit it with your knuckles, you’re dealing with dry rot.

Antique rug fibers can become brittle over time, and should not just be bent to check up on dry rot. With these rugs, look for any signs of moisture or spills. Common telltale signs are any splits or severe cracks across the borders of rugs.

Combatting Dry Rot

First, take a picture of any signs of dry rot to show to a rug or carpet professional.
If there’s any mildew or mold on the rug, use disinfection or sanitization solutions to combat it. If there’s dry rot involved, you can lessen the cracking and stiffness with petroleum or denatured alcohol.
Some keratin products can add levels of suppleness or sheen to rug fibers, that get built up over time, but requires lots of continued use for a true effect. These solutions can make an antique rug look amazing, when it’s truly not in great condition – so when you’re purchasing rugs keep this in mind, and allow a licensed appraiser to inspect it.

Rug Cleaning for the Holidays

Published December 23, 2016 By Aladdin

The holiday season is a special and cherished time of year where almost everybody is trying to shop and prepare for some form of family or friends social gathering. It is also known as a time of stress for rug or carpet owners who are forced to deal with disastrous spills after amazing and festive events. There’s no reason to fret, however, if you’re fearful of spilling up some upturned Glog. Here’s some tips on how to clean off any sort of festivity caused spills from your rugs.

Never Rub

Act right away when stains occur. The longer amount of time that a stain can set into the rug, the more likely it is to stay permanently. Right when a spill occurs, blot all the spilled liquid form the carpet or rug with a cloth or highly absorbent paper towel, in order to prevent the liquid from going deeper into the rug’s fibers.

Spray Bottles

If a stain has already dried, use a spray bottle to spray a small amount of water on it – don’t directly pour water on it however. Don’t just refill a bottle that used to contain other liquids or chemicals, and make sure the bottle is clean before you use it – and if it used to contain any other form of liquid but it’s the only one on hand, rinse it thoroughly before using it.

Don’t utilize chemicals

The ideal approach is to clean off the stain with just water – you don’t want to use any strong or hard detergents to get rid of the stain, as they themselves can stain, fade, or otherwise damage your rug or carpet.

Hand wash

Don’t use machines to wash your rugs. Machines utilize steam, commercial detergents, or heavy agitation, and they can deplete the dyes and oils out of any sort of fabric or wool inside the rug. Don’t ever wash a handmade rug in a washing machine. Simply spray water on it and blot as many times as it works. If it’s still not working, contact an expert like those at Aladdin.

Last Resort: Hydrogen Peroxide

If all other approaches don’t work, use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide on top of the stain area and let it stay on top of the stain for at least an hour. This should remove the stain without changing the color of the rug’s fibers. If this doesn’t work, we recommend you contact the professionals at Aladdin – they have the experience necessary to remove any stain known to mankind.

When to know to clean your rug

Published December 8, 2016 By Aladdin

Some people think that when rugs need to be cleaned they can just beat them against a hard railing to get rid of all the dust. However this isn’t the best approach because it doesn’t provide the most thorough clean. Most fine rugs are made of wool. Wool not only acts as a warm surface, but also as a filter for removing dampness, dust, and bacteria from the air. In many ways, a wool rug or carpet acts as an air filter. Unfortunately, that makes them susceptible to becoming quite dirty over time – so dirty that a simple beating won’t work at all to clean it.

How to know it’s dirty enough to warrant a cleaning

If you want to check how dirty your rug is and if it needs a professional clean, pick up a corner of the rug and kick it’s underside.. If dust and wool fiber fly out don’t worry, that’s normal. But if a massive cloud flies out – it’s probably time to get your rug professionally cleaned. Another cleanliness test can be conducted by rubbing the rug’s fabric f or 10 to 15 seconds, and if your hand comes off dirty, it certainly needs a clean.

Cleaning Methods

The best way to clean is by placing a rug in a utility room or area where you don’t mind getting dirty. A somewhat clean outdoor area is the best. First, vacuum both sides of the rug. Then shampoo the rug with cool water and soap – the best kind is a rug shampoo. Never use ammonia or a harsh detergent. Always test the shampoo against any color run in a small area of the rug first. Then use a soft long hair brush or a firm sponge that doesn’t shed. Brush or rub it against the rug in the direction of the weave when it’s fully covered in soapy water. Wash fringes as well, and always brush them away from the rug. Then rinse off the rug with water – you can use a window squeegee to get out all the excess water – but always do so in the direction of the weave. Lay out the rug flat to dry, and once the exposed side feels fully dry, flip it over to allow the other side to dry. If the rug is way too stiff, brush it gently or vacuum it lightly. If the stain still remains, take it to a professional rug cleaner.

Gravy Stains

Published November 18, 2016 By Aladdin

It’s possible that you got a bit excited with your Thanksgiving feast, and some thick gravy may have made a trip from your plate or it’s ladle onto your rug or carpet. Unfortunately, gravy is rife of strange proteins that can really do a number on a rug or carpet. Fortunately, if these stains are handled when they occur, or soon after, they can be quickly mitigated. Here’s Aladdin’s tips on how to instantly combat those tricky, nasty gravy stains, depending on what surface it fell on.

Getting Gravy off Fabric

Scrape off all gravy
Treat with prewash stain treatment
Wash using the hottest possible water that the fabric can handle

Getting Gravy off Upholstery

Scrape off all gravy
Apply baking soda on the stain and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes
Use a clean white cloth to clean the stain with a dry solvent
Blot with the cloth until the solvent is absorbed
Repeat until stain is removed

Getting Gravy off Carpets or Rugs

Scrape off all gravy
Apply baking soda on the stain and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes
Use a clean white cloth to clean the stain with a dry solvent
Blot with the cloth until the solvent is absorbed
Repeat until stain is removed
If the stain is being stubborn, apply mix of one spoon worth of liquid handwashing detergent (this formula cuts grease) and one spoon worth of white vinegar, all mixed with two cups of warm water. Use a sponge to apply this mix to the stain, and blot with a white cloth until all the liquid is absorbed..Use a clean sponge soaked with cold water to blot the cleaning solution until it’s removed,

Beer Stains

Published November 15, 2016 By Aladdin

Perhaps your holiday parties got (or will get) a bit raucous – that’s not a bad thing! However, with raucous parties come spills, and beer is a particularly gross kind of stain to deal with, as not only can it change the color of a carpet or rug, but as it sits and soaks, it’s smell can permeate the entire room, making it smell like a dive bar from the 1970s – certainly not something you want your living room to smell like. Here’s some expertly tested methods for removing beer stains from your carpet or rug.

Soak as much of the beer up as possible with towels or paper towels. This is best done ASAP.
Mix a tablespoon of white vinegar with a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent, and two cups of warm water.
Apply this stain solution onto the stain, from the outside in, blotting the area of the carpet where the stain lays.
Use cold water to remove any vinegar that might still sit on the carpet.

Method Two

Soak liquid up with a towel
Apply Woolite carpet cleaner spray foam onto the stain
Dry with towel after solution sits on carpet for 15 minutes
Vacuum rest of remaining foam off carpet.

Method Three

Once carpet is completely dry and all liquid is soaked up, sprinkle a large amount of baking soda right on the stain. Make sure that the entire surface area of the stain is covered with baking soda.
Allow baking soda to sit on top of beer stain for at least 24 hours – this will absorb all the smell that the beer may have imparted onto the carpet. After a period of 24 hours, vacuum up the remaining baking soda.

Autumn Color Tones

Published October 23, 2016 By Aladdin

Now that the leaves have changed, homeowners probably want to inflect a new sense of Autumnal ambiance into their home. There’s no better way to do it than a statement color carpet or rug. In this blog post, I’ll discuss some of the different autumnal colors that you can find rugs in, and how it affects the mood and ambiance inside your home.

Babouche Yellow

This Chinese shade of yellow, as seen in silk brocade robes, has an inflection of mustard and lemon in it, giving it dimension, and vivid life.

Pumpkin Orange

The classic fall shade that imparts an irreplaceable sense of warmth, coziness, and homeiness.

Orangery

This color is somewhat of a cross between the Orange and Brown of leaves, creating a warm and welcoming balance of brightness, shadow, vividness and an elegant level of muteness.

Baja Orange

This luxurious orange reminds one of luxury cars – it works very well with existing cream colors, or even with a fade that accentuates its vivacity.

Apple Red

In varying shades, this sumptuous color reminds one of the bounty – and true aliveness – of the Autumn season. Inside homes, it creates a sense of closeness – and would work fantastic in a kitchen or living room space.

Autumn Decoration Color Tones

Published October 19, 2016 By Aladdin

Babouche Yellow

This Chinese shade of yellow, as seen in silk brocade robes, has an inflection of mustard and lemon in it, giving it dimension, and vivid life.

Pumpkin Orange

The classic fall shade that imparts an irreplaceable sense of warmth, coziness, and homeiness.

Orangery

This color is somewhat of a cross between the Orange and Brown of leaves, creating a warm and welcoming balance of brightness, shadow, vividness and an elegant level of muteness.

Baja Orange

This luxurious orange reminds one of luxury cars – it works very well with existing cream colors, or even with a fade that accentuates its vivacity.

Apple Red

Getting rid of Oil Stains

Published October 11, 2016 By Aladdin

You can remove any type of oil stain from carpets with this technique. Before starting these steps, gently blot a cloth or paper towel on the stain, taking care not to embed the oil deeper into the carpet- blot fromt he outside of the perimeter of the stain in.

Corn Starch or Baking Soda

Cover the stain with cornstarch or baking soda powder. They will soak up all moisture including oil.

Rub baking soda or cornstarch into carpeting – with just the right amount of pressure to make the powder penetrate into the carpet. If you’re dealing with a large stain use a large brush, and a toothbrush for smaller ones.

Allow the powder to set in

Leave it for at least 15 minutes – longer is fine, and then use a vacuum cleaner to suck it out of your carpet.

Drip liquid detergent onto the stained area

Rub it into the carpet with a small brush and put a tiny amount of warm water over the stain area and immediately blot it up with a cloth or sponge – there will be soap suds. Do this until the carpet is dry.

Let the Carpet dry outside

Check to see if the stain is still there, and if it is, repeat the whole process again. If it doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Rubbing Alcohol

Place rubbing alcohol on a cloth and dab it onto the stain – the alcohol will ideally dissolve the oil. Once it’s dried, rinse the whole stain with oil, and then blot the oil up. If this doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Dry Cleaning Solvent

Place dry cleaning solvent on a cloth or paper towel and test it on a small hidden area of your carpet. If the test doesn’t leave a mark, blot the stain with it, moving from the outside of the perimeter in to avoid spreading the stain around. Let the stain dry, and see if the oil stain is still there after some time. If it is, repeat the process again a few times until the stain has disappeared. If this still hasn’t worked, contact a carpet cleaning professional.

Different Weaving Techniques

Published October 5, 2016 By Aladdin

We can trace the path of history in the shifting weaves of a rug. Many rug’s designs tell the stories of the people that wove them – a great skill which is passed down through generations. Rug hand weavers must maintain vast knowledge and skills with various weaving techniques. There’s a vast array of different patterns and weaving techniques, from kilims to piled rugs. In this blog post, I’ll detail some of the different common weaving designs, and what defines them.

Hand Knotted Pile Rugs

These Rugs are a result of flatweave technique being deployed through adding knots onto the warps, each individual knot being cut before the next one is made (forming a pile effect.) After each row of knotting is completed, wefts are placed in and packed together to a level of desired rigidity. Two kinds of knots are used, the Turkish Double knot requires yarn to be looped around two warps and pulled tight in between them, while the Persian Single Knot requires yarn to be wrapped around a single warp, and placed behind the next-door warp before severing the cut.

Slitweaves

This, the most commonly used weaving technique, is often used to create geometric and diagonal patterned kilims. The slit describes the space made between two color blocks – made by reversing the weft around the final warp in a color portion, doing the same to the final wefts in the next-door color area. Weavers then make the weft very rigid toc over the warp, and usually work with diagonal patterns to keep the rug’s structure strong. One color block is completed before the next – resulting in very bold patterns with a very smooth surface.

Dovetailing and Interlocking

This technique refers to joining wefts from two separate color blocks, and moving them back in opposite directions around their shared warp – this technique allows wefts from next-door color areas to interlock between their shared warps – this allows for a more muted and restrained level of color contrast.

Sumak

This describes a technique where colored yarns are wrapped around warps in specific mathematical patterns that allow for very free floating complex arrangements that can be repeated throughout the rug’s surface. This technique takes much time and a vast amount of skill.

Brocading

This weaving method originates from the peoples of Anatolia, and involve adding extra patterns onto standard wefts that hold the main warp thread together. It creates the appearance of embroidery, with an embossed raised pattern.

Zili

This technique, also from Anatolia, creates a rough hewn appearance around the entire surface of the rug, in a manner that sort of resembles cords. Additional wefts are woven around the warps in mathematical ratios and snugged rigidly.

Shrinking Carpets

Published September 23, 2016 By Aladdin

What types of carpets are at risk for Shrinking?

The most common types of carpets that shrink are Wiltons and Axminsters. Belgian Wiltons are usually made of a polypropylene fibre and a jute backing – since this material doesn’t hold onto moisture, it sinks to the bottom of the pile and makes the carpet shrink – to check to see if your carpet is a Belgian Wilton, peel it back and see if the pattern is the same on the back as the face – if you have this, you may have a polypropylene pile fiber, making it likely that the carpet can shrink.

Axminster carpets have wool faces and backing yarns made of jute, weaved through the wool face fiver. If the jute gets wet due to improper cleaning, the backing can shrink.

How does the Shrinking happen?

Usually, carpets shrink due to poor cleaning technique. Either the equipment isn’t strong enough to soak up all the liquid, or an improper technique was used for either hand or machine cleaning. If the machine being used to clean the carpet is super cheap, it can’t take out most of the water from the carpet, making it likely to shrink. Poor technique can also involve the overspraying of pre-clean sprays, or using too much water to rinse the carpet. When the jute backing which the face fibers are woven onto gets super wet, it swells up and expands, pushing and breaking the structure of the carpet, causing it to contract and shrink.

Avoiding Carpet Shrinking

If you have a Belgian wilton rug you can still clean your carpet – and we hope you’d want to from time to time! You simply must have it cleaned safely, and according to the proper technique. You need to hire a cleaning company with the necessary experience and expertise to handle cleaning rugs and carpets – as well as the proper, highest level of technology and machinery that they can implement to ensure your carpet is safely cleaned. A truly professional carpet cleaning company will check the carpet first to see if it can be cleaned according to their default technique – and if they suspect that it’s at risk for shrinking, they can use a specialized low moisture cleaning technique that will ensure it’s preservation.