How do I clean a Laura Ashley rug?

www.lauraashley.com

The late, great, Laura Ashley started her incredible business with a modicum of experience and a can do attitude. Along with her husband, Bernard, the pair and later, their children, created an institution.

Today, Laura Ashley furniture, home furnishings, fashion and carpets draw the eye the world over and the chances are, you or your neighbour own a piece, large or small, of the Ashley collection.

The allure of Laura Ashley products is undeniable, but the upkeep on some pieces, your rug in particular can me rather tiresome.

What’s the problem you ask? It’s just a rug. Stick it in the washing machine.

And that’s where we come in.

As specialists in rug and carpet care, Art of Clean knows that while yes, it is just a rug, it’s your rug and at some point, it was Laura’s rug too. That’s not really the point though, the point is a Laura Ashley rug is delicate.

Look at it. Look at the tag. See where it says 41% wool and around 50% cotton? There’s your problem.

Pop it in the washing machine and when it’s done drying, that large living-room rug will fit the small bedroom nicely and you’ll be off to John Lewis to buy yourself another.

Wool shrinks, as does cotton and no matter the care involved in the cleaning process, there’s always a risk.

Just look on any internet forum, you’ll see what we mean.

Shrinkage, browning and drying time; three bug bears of the Laura Ashley, rug lover’s community.

Give it over to us; we’ll care for your rug, fully submerge it in cool water, centrifugally extract the water, dry it, fast and give it the best chance it has at being as pretty as the day you bought it.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

The challenge of a hand woven rug

Hand woven rugs come from all areas of the world.

You can find them in Morocco, India, China…even John Lewis; if you can’t find the time to jet-set to another country.  

Around fifteen years ago, I found myself backpacking through Europe and ended-up in Marrakesh, where I was lucky enough to find this delightful piece.

Now, fifteen years is a long time and I am ashamed to say that I have failed this rug. As you can see, the poor fellow has been sunbathing far too much and as a result, he’s a touch dried out. 

The bright, brilliant yellows and ochre reds that filled the weave have long since vanished and now he’s left looking rather sad.

I explained this to our fearless leader – Pierre, who advised, “You know what, bring it in and we’ll see what we can do."

I'm sorry to say, that there is only so much a good cleaning can do and that's what we're saying here.

This is a beautiful design and while the colour may have depleted, the memories attached have not. Care is what's called for, from you and from us. A re-colouring might reinvigorate it, but it will never be new again. 

Pierre was honest and that's what we are with all our customers. We tell you how it really is, but we do it with a compassionate smile. 

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

That rascally puppy

Puppy fans the nation over will be keeping a keen eye on police puppy, BLADE.

No, he’s not a vampire hunter and his name is much more menacing than his fuzzy face suggests.

http://ow.ly/Q71zN

Blade is a foster dog; adopted by the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police Force. For the next year to year and a half, the officer in charge of training the adorable pup will tweet his progress and regale us stories of his misdemeanours.  

Now, many of you have dogs and many of you have been through the joy of puppy toilet training; the puddle, the smell, the elbow grease it takes to remove the odour…if you’re fast enough.

Well, have no fear, Art of Clean is here!

Chances are, that you work. That’s fine, but dogs, puppies in particular are less understanding and do seem to take any opportunity they can to pee on as many surfaces as their tiny bladders allow. By the time you return from work, it’s likely that your first step inside your lovely, carpeted home will be into a damp, yellow spot.

This might not be something you planned for, but it’s OK, we can help. 

Whether it's rugs, carpets, wooden flooring or furniture, we'll be there. Puppy stain-away!

Don't forget to follow @dogpoliceBCH on twitter. 

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

How to care for your fine rug

You will spend a fair amount of money on a good quality hand knotted rug and to get the best return from your investment it is important to care for your rug well.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Underlay

Place your rug on underlay or rug pad.  There are 3 main reasons you want to do this:

Reason 1

To protect it from the harsh impact of footfall – if you imagine the underlay absorb some of the impact of hard shoes on the rug.

Choose your underlay well.  You can get underlay for rugs on hard floors: Click here for Hard Floor Rug Underlay

And you can get underlay for rugs on carpets - Click here for Foxy Rug Underlay

Reason 2

To protect rugs on carpets from crocking – no it has nothing to do with frogs making noise (that’s croaking!).  This is a term used when referring to transfer of colour due to rubbing.

If an underlay is used it can save you the surprise when you lift the rug you laid down 4 months ago to find a ping patch on the carpet where the rug was


Reason 3

Finally, a reason for using underlay is to stop slips and falls, especially elderly people should be very careful with rugs slipping on floors.  It is a sound investment for your health to get underlay for your rugs, imagine how can a broken hip affect your life? And how would it compare to a few pounds spend on a good quality underlay?

Vacuuming

Vacuuming your rug regularly will be essential to remove dry soil from your rug to prevent the fibers wearing out – it is like sandpaper on these precious fibers! – best is to turn your rugs upside down and use an upright vacuum cleaner to shake the soil out – spend a good amount of time (5 minutes per square meter) running the vacuum over the back of the rug . Turn the rug over and vacuum the front – Do this on a hard floor surface to prevent dry soil entering carpet fibers – Careful with the rug fringes when vacuuming – The best vacuum cleaner to use for this is a Sebo upright.

Regular stain removal and cleaning

Deal with a spot as soon as it happen – soak up spills and use safe stain removers – always test the product before you use it in larger areas – spray it down in an inconspicuous area and press a white cotton towel down on it for at least 5 – 10 minutes – weigh it down with a heavy item – check for colour transfer

Get a professional to clean your rugs.  Make sure they have been trained in rug care and have a passion for rugs.  It is very important to ensure they are insured to take your rug away for cleaning.  Very few carpet cleaners are actually insured for goods in trust.

For more information visit our website at www.persianrugcleaningcambridge.co.uk  or call us on 01223 863 632

Also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/artofclean so see what we get up to.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Cleaning a hand made rug is a art that only a very few can take on and successfully achieve

We spent a big part of our budget on training and investing in state of the art equipment to achieve the results all of our clients require. We believe in over achieving on every clients expectations. It is always such a rewarding experience to deliver a freshly cleaned rug to a client, unwrap it if front of them and see the happy faces when they see the results.

I would like to point out so many of carpet cleaners (even Franchises) call themselves professional rug cleaners - all they do is only apply there knowledge of carpet cleaning to rugs. Sometimes with truly unfortunate outcomes. Many of these cleaners will come and clean your carpets and rug in your home. This leaves your rug wet on your floor. The problem here is the likelihood of shrinkage and colour run. Carpets and rugs are two total different animals in every aspect.


Watch our video to see why we are different compare to other rug cleaning company in Cambridgeshire:

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Spot cleaning and stain removal on rugs

Rug cleaning in Cambridge - Art of Clean 

Dry Spills

Sweeping is usually the most effective

Wet Spills

Whatever you do, do it quickly. The longer a liquid remains on the rug, the more likely it is to seep into the pile and stain your beautiful rug.
Do not rub - blot with paper towels then dilute the remainder with cold water and continue blotting until the spill is no longer visible. If any traces remain, a small amount of a mild wool detergent may be used. Try to not increase the area of the spill.

Pet Urine

Pet urine can create severe problems. It can cause the colours to run and create a smell that is very hard to eradicate. Quite apart from making a rug more attractive to moths.
Persistent wetting can affect the foundation of a rug by weakening it to such an extent that the rug can actually crack or break.
Act quickly: Blot up as much liquid as possible with paper towels or a clean cloth. Try to rinse out as much of the spill as possible. Adding a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water can help to reduce the smell!

Spot Cleaning

Rinse the rug thoroughly without soaking it, then blot dry before using a non-shedding sponge or cloth to work rug shampoo (or a mixture of 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dish-washing detergent and 2 cups of tepid water) into the area.
The rinse again with clean water, blot dry and allow to dry thoroughly. Ensure both sides of the rug are completely dry before putting it back into service. Draping the wet rug over a couple of chairs, or similar, will allow the air to circulate all the way round and improve drying.

Remember: With rugs, always work in the direction of the nap.

Crushed Pile

Pile crushed by the legs of heavy furniture or similar can be teased out: brush the indented area with a soft brush, gently moisten the area (a plant spray is ideal) do some more gentle brushing.

Curled Corners or Edges

Curled edges or corners are often a result of the way a rug is woven - most can be eliminated, or at least minimised with careful laying out or in some cases bloked in shape when cleaned or in severe cases the rug will require a repair.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Top 3 reasons why waiting to clean your fine hand made rugs can destroy their beauty and their value

* Dirt cuts into your rugs fibres like a knife: every time you walk on a dirty rug the mineral in the dirt and dust actually etch (scratch and cut) the fibres until the lustre and resiliency are worn away. (Harder materials always destroy softer material, so the more dirt in your rugs the faster they wear out and lose their beauty and value.)

Notice the “Cutting Edges” in a grain of sand magnified

 * Carpets and area rugs act like filters and trap insect, dirt, dust and bacteria in the fibres. Without proper cleaning these breed in the carpets fibres – affecting indoor air quality.


* You have to deal with pet stains right away to avoid damage and unsanitary conditions.
- Pet urine and vomit goes HOT and ACIDIC, so it penetrates the rug fibres completely.
- Because hand made rug dyes are “acidic dyes” this means the pet urine essentially “Re-Dyes the fibres yellow and then sets itself.
- If this is NOT dealt with immediately, stains can be permanent.

NB: Repeated urine contamination not only devalues the rug, it is also a health concern for the indoor living environment of your home or office.