Oriental, Wool or Silk Rugs Involved in a Flood? We Can Help.

Flood

Living in SW Florida we’ve all seen our share of hurricanes, non-stop downpours that can lead to flooding and the occasional “do it yourselfer” who installs a water filter under the sink only to wake up the next morning to a flooded house.

When water tragedy strikes it’s important to know the longer an area rug remains submerged the more damage the rug experiences that might be irreversible.

Oriental, wool and silk rugs can have dye migration due to submersion.  As a natural fiber, they can experience mold and mildew issues as well as dry rotting.  We’ve even seen area rugs where a carpet cleaning company wrapped a clients treasured wool rug in a plastic sleeve and the rug rotted due to mold and excess moisture.

If your area rug is involved in a flooding situation there are steps you can take to minimize damage while protecting the integrity of your heirloom.

Here are tips to minimize the damage of rugs involved in floods:

  • Extract the water as soon as possible using a wet vacuum or having your restoration company extract with their professional water removal equipment.
  • Make sure you extract WITH the direction of the rug’s fiber nap, instead of against it (this minimizes fiber damage).
  • If you are unable to have the rugs thoroughly washed right away, then it’s important to get the rugs as dry as possible to stop the damage risks. Dry them and wash them later.
  • When transporting your rugs to a facility to be cleaned, wrap them in towels or sheets to prevent the dye from migration from one rug to another.
  • Do NOT hang up wet rugs. Extract and dry out flat.
  • Do NOT dry in direct sunlight. Most contemporary rugs are sensitive to sunlight fading. If you must dry in sunlight, lay the rugs face down so fading occurs on the back side only until the rugs are taken to a cleaning facility.

Anytime a natural fiber rug is involved in a flood it must be completely washed and decontaminated.  Never allow any company to “clean” your rugs unless they can demonstrate they have a fully functioning rug washing plant and are experts in Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning.

Oriental Rug Salon specializes in the cleaning and repair of Oriental, wool, silk, cotton, leather and other natural and man-made area rugs.  Our technicians welcome the opportunity to show you our very best and should you ever experience a flooding that involves your area rugs, please feel free to give us a call 24/7 at 239-424-8171.

For more information on our area rug cleaning and repair services please visit us online at www.OrientalRugSalon.com

Oriental Rug Salon offers Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning in the cities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Estero, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Naples, Marco Island, Fort Myers Beach, North Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres, Pine Island, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte FL.