It's spring again and I've been asked several questions on
carpet cleaning so it seems like a good time to post some general advice.
Carpet cleaners in Beijing and Shanghai
There are several companies and individuals cleaning carpets here. Most are doing it the old-fashioned way (with a hosepipe on a concrete slipway) and most do a decent job. If you want a more professional job I suggest to try Chemdry (tel Beijing 010-6436 2846, Shanghai 021-580 4629) since they are an international chain and I think the cleaning solutions they use are better than some. They will also come look at your carpet and advise if they anticipate problems.
Key thing to bear in mind is that no carpet cleaning is foolproof. The main hazards are 1) color running and 2) loss of shape or texture.
Pre-test your carpet for color fastness
The commonest problem with carpet washing is color running, and the culprit is usually red, sometimes black. Good quality dyes don't run, but they are rare: many antique rugs are major offenders since synthetic reds have been around since the 1870s and some of the earliest synthetic reds were the least color-fast. Many carpet manufacturers in China are still skimping on dye quality and reds-that-run still abound. To test whether a color will run damp a small area of rug with a little water and detergent (eg dishwash liquid), then blot it with a white tissue or a white cotton cloth. If it comes away pink then there is some risk of color running. A small amount of color running is not necessarily a disaster, especially if the rug has mostly darker shades. Turkomen and Afghan types often come out of the washing process looking "different but ok" despite (or because of) some color running but if your rug has white or pastel areas next to intense colors these may end up pink.
Wool carpets
Wool is tough and generally washes well, though very cheap wool can sometimes felt and turn hard, and non-woven (tufted) rugs may lose wool tufts if they are getting old and the backing is starting to break down. The most common issue however is color running as mentioned.
In the case of Tibetan rugs sold by Torana we will ship them back to our workshop for washing if customers wish: this gives a good result (it's the way we wash all our new carpets after they are woven) but it is slow because of the shipping back and forth that is involved. The colors in our own-make rugs don't run because we use good dyes (that are also non-toxic). They also stand up to washing well because they are made with long-fiber wool that is properly secured in the knots.
Silk carpets
Silk is much more difficult to wash successfully than wool. Partly this is because dyes don't "take" so well on silk (particularly on the cheaper variety of silk rugs sold in China) and partly because silk is a more fragile fiber than wool. If you have a silk carpet your best bet is to keep it away from shoes/pets/toddlers and try to avoid washing it at all. If there is no other option then go ahead, but don't shoot the carpet cleaner when it comes back! Test colors for fastness according to the method I mentioned earlier.
First aid
For any carpet, wool or silk, mop up spills asap with lots of paper towels, then apply a slightly damp terry towel. Try water (only) on the terry towel first of all, then try adding a little detergent (dishwash liquid) if need be. Do it gently and clean a bigger area than the stain, so that hopefully you don't end up with a small white patch where the stain was. Don't use bleaches or strong stain removers.
My dog chewed my rug
We hear this a lot in Beijing. Not being a dog-owner I have never been able to understand it (I adore carpets but don't consider flavor to be one of their strong features). Try putting a floral scent on the carpet, eg with floral air freshener, since most dogs and cats are not big fans of floral notes, and then get the dog some exercise or a proper hobby. Regarding the chewed carpet, take it back to the original seller, since they are most likely to have materials of the right color. Sometimes repair-able, sometimes not.
There are more general rug and carpet related FAQs on my website.
Carpet cleaners in Beijing and Shanghai
There are several companies and individuals cleaning carpets here. Most are doing it the old-fashioned way (with a hosepipe on a concrete slipway) and most do a decent job. If you want a more professional job I suggest to try Chemdry (tel Beijing 010-6436 2846, Shanghai 021-580 4629) since they are an international chain and I think the cleaning solutions they use are better than some. They will also come look at your carpet and advise if they anticipate problems.
Key thing to bear in mind is that no carpet cleaning is foolproof. The main hazards are 1) color running and 2) loss of shape or texture.
Pre-test your carpet for color fastness
The commonest problem with carpet washing is color running, and the culprit is usually red, sometimes black. Good quality dyes don't run, but they are rare: many antique rugs are major offenders since synthetic reds have been around since the 1870s and some of the earliest synthetic reds were the least color-fast. Many carpet manufacturers in China are still skimping on dye quality and reds-that-run still abound. To test whether a color will run damp a small area of rug with a little water and detergent (eg dishwash liquid), then blot it with a white tissue or a white cotton cloth. If it comes away pink then there is some risk of color running. A small amount of color running is not necessarily a disaster, especially if the rug has mostly darker shades. Turkomen and Afghan types often come out of the washing process looking "different but ok" despite (or because of) some color running but if your rug has white or pastel areas next to intense colors these may end up pink.
Wool carpets
Wool is tough and generally washes well, though very cheap wool can sometimes felt and turn hard, and non-woven (tufted) rugs may lose wool tufts if they are getting old and the backing is starting to break down. The most common issue however is color running as mentioned.
In the case of Tibetan rugs sold by Torana we will ship them back to our workshop for washing if customers wish: this gives a good result (it's the way we wash all our new carpets after they are woven) but it is slow because of the shipping back and forth that is involved. The colors in our own-make rugs don't run because we use good dyes (that are also non-toxic). They also stand up to washing well because they are made with long-fiber wool that is properly secured in the knots.
Silk carpets
Silk is much more difficult to wash successfully than wool. Partly this is because dyes don't "take" so well on silk (particularly on the cheaper variety of silk rugs sold in China) and partly because silk is a more fragile fiber than wool. If you have a silk carpet your best bet is to keep it away from shoes/pets/toddlers and try to avoid washing it at all. If there is no other option then go ahead, but don't shoot the carpet cleaner when it comes back! Test colors for fastness according to the method I mentioned earlier.
First aid
For any carpet, wool or silk, mop up spills asap with lots of paper towels, then apply a slightly damp terry towel. Try water (only) on the terry towel first of all, then try adding a little detergent (dishwash liquid) if need be. Do it gently and clean a bigger area than the stain, so that hopefully you don't end up with a small white patch where the stain was. Don't use bleaches or strong stain removers.
My dog chewed my rug
We hear this a lot in Beijing. Not being a dog-owner I have never been able to understand it (I adore carpets but don't consider flavor to be one of their strong features). Try putting a floral scent on the carpet, eg with floral air freshener, since most dogs and cats are not big fans of floral notes, and then get the dog some exercise or a proper hobby. Regarding the chewed carpet, take it back to the original seller, since they are most likely to have materials of the right color. Sometimes repair-able, sometimes not.
There are more general rug and carpet related FAQs on my website.
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