Wine and Pet Stains on Oriental Rugs – We Can Fix That!

Oriental rugs are beautiful and will last generations with a little love and routine maintenance.

Whether it is wine, coffee, Kool-aid, urine, vomit or paint, the first step is to remove as much of it as possible as quickly as possible.  Paper towels and a spoon work well.  Keep blotting until you have no transfer of the stain to your paper towel.

1. After blotting, many spills will require diluting. If it is clear that much of the spilled substance is still in the rug, dilute it with club soda, distilled water (or water in a pinch) and use as much water/soda as necessary. That may mean a half cup for a small spill or a quart or more for a major spill. Don’t get the rug sopping wet unless you need to.

Please note that some rugs have unstable dyes that may run if you put water on them. Before introducing water to your Oriental rug, test a small area on the back of the rug by dipping the corner of a paper towel in water.  Using your thumb, press the moistened paper towel on the back of your rug for about 30 seconds.  If there is no color transfer, you should be able to follow the directions herein.

2. Now back to blotting. Blot, Blot, Blot the stain with club soda (or water) until you get out as much of the stain as possible.

3. If the rug has become wet in the process, don’t panic. Chances are that it can stay wet for at least a couple days without harm. Still, you will have to manage the wet rug and promote drying. If the rug is quite wet, you may have to elevate it to promote air circulation under it. You can place some paper towels under the rug and more on top of the stain and stand on the paper towels until you have minimal moisture left. You may wish to put a fan on the rug to circulate air or use a hair dryer (no heat).

4. If the rug is still stained after all your efforts, consider contacting Oriental Rug Salon as soon as possible for professional remediation and cleaning.

5. Do not use spot removers on Oriental rugs that are formulated for use on wall to wall carpeting. They will harm the wool pile of your rug.  Do not use Resolve, etc.

Urine

Urine stains from pets are probably the most common of all stains on Oriental rugs. They present a special problem because urine actually changes the chemical composition of dyes once it has a chance to set.

The best strategy when dealing with pet urine is to remove as much as possible and neutralize as follows.

After removing as much pet urine as you can by blotting with a white paper towel, RINSE the area with a solution of club soda or distilled water AND distilled WHITE vinegar – about two tablespoons per cup of water.   Allow the solution to work for about two minutes to help neutralize the pet urine and then remove as much of the moisture as possible by blotting and use a fan or hair dryer on cool to dry.  If the stain remains, contact Oriental Rug Salon for a professional pet urine treatment and cleaning.

Wet Rugs

If your rug has become sopping wet from plumbing problems, which can be fixed by professionals who may know the hydro jetting sewer lines cost, a leaking roof, as a result of firefighting or a storm you may have a couple of days before it is harmed. Still, you must do the best you can to manage it. Even though the water and the rug are dirty, your priority will be to get the rug dry. You can have it washed later.

1. If possible, get the rug to a wooden deck, a concrete patio or lanai, driveway or even a sidewalk. If you have a squeegee on a long handle, use it to squeegee out the water, pushing in the direction of the pile. You can also use a “Wet Vac” to suction as much moisture from the rug as possible.  You can also let the rug sit in the sun to dry.

2. After squeegeeing or vacuuming, contact Oriental Rug Salon and we’ll pick your rug up, treat it with a bactericide and dye stabilization solution followed by a thorough drying and cleaning.

Oriental Rug Salon is a full-service Oriental rug cleaning and repair service center serving all of Lee, Charlotte and Collier County.  We are a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the international Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI).  In addition, we are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List and our technicians are certified by the world’s most respected certification body for textile professionals.

Preserving your Oriental rug after a pet urine accident or flood is best left to the professionals.  Never allow a “carpet cleaning” company to clean your precious Oriental, wool or silk area rug.  Chances are they are not specialists in natural fibers, do not own a rug cleaning plant and are not certified professionals in the restoration or repair of Oriental rugs.

If we can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to contact Oriental Rug Salon at any time.  To reach us online please visit us at www.OrientalRugSalon.com or call us anytime at 239-424-8171.

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Services Provided:  Oriental Rug Cleaning | Wool Area Rug Cleaning | Silk Area Rug Cleaning | Synthetic Area Rug Cleaning | Fringe Repair | Oriental Rug Repair | Area Rug Valuations and Appraisals

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