• An oriental rug is a work of art.Teppich Oriental Handgekn??pft image by Otmar from Fotolia.com
  
  Genuine oriental rugs are beautiful pieces of art that represent thousands of years of tradition and hundreds of hours of meticulous handwork. It is an honor and a responsibility to own one. Maintaining and cleaning your oriental rug properly will give due respect to those who created it, and preserve it for generations of your family to enjoy.
  
  

Keeping Your Rug Clean

• Jacobsen Oriental Rugs suggests keeping your rug as clean as possible to avoid cleaning it more often than necessary. Ask guests to remove their shoes before walking on the rug, vacuum it frequently, and clean up spills and stains promptly. The Persian Carpet website recommends cleaning only with club soda and a fresh cloth or bath towel, and strongly recommends against using any cleaning agent, because it could affect the dyes in the rug and cause permanent damage. After you have cleaned up a stain, make sure the rug and pad are thoroughly dry before you put the rug back down, to avoid mold, mildew and dry rot.
  
  

Identifying a Dirty Rug

• There are several easy tests to figure out if your rug is dirty enough to need cleaning, according to Jacobsen Oriental Rugs. Pick up a corner of the rug, and kick it hard from the back. If a plume of dust rises, the rug needs to be cleaned. Rub your hand back and forth across a section of the rug in a curved pattern for 5 to 10 seconds. If your hand gets dirty, clean the rug. Fold part of the rug back so you can see along a row of knots. If the warp and weft (the woven part of the rug) look dirty, then grime has settled into the pile, and the rug should be cleaned.
  
  

Do Not Dry-Clean

• Oriental rugs should never be dry-cleaned using powders, according to The Persian Rug website, nor should they be steam-cleaned. Dry cleaning is not an effective cleaning method for oriental rugs, and steam cleaning could cause the dyes to run.
  
  

Cleaning an Oriental Rug Yourself

• If the rug is small enough for you to handle, you can clean it yourself. Remove as much dirt and grit as you can by vacuuming both sides of the rug, suggests Jacobsen Oriental Rugs. Then shampoo the rug with cool water and a mild rug shampoo or liquid soap. Strong detergents, ammonia, and ammonia water will damage the rug. Whatever shampoo or soap you are using, test a small area first for color fastness. Wet the nap of the rug thoroughly with your cleaning solution, and using a soft, long-bristled brush or nonshedding sponge, brush the pile in a linear motion in the direction of the nap. Rinse the rug thoroughly with cool running water, and get rid of the excess water using a rubber squeegee to force the water out. Thoroughness is critical, both in removing the dirt before shampooing, and in the shampooing and rinsing processes. The rug should be laid flat to dry. After the front is dry, turn the rug over to dry the back.
  
  

Professional Cleaning

• Have your rug professionally cleaned if it is too big for you to handle yourself, or if it is especially dirty.