Area rugs should not get the same treatment as your wall-to-wall carpet. Many ares rugs such as fine oriental rugs are very costly and are made from fragile natural fibers, dyes and foundation materials that cannot be cleaned in the way we usually clan synthetic carpets. Most professional carpet cleaning systems involve the use of high heat, high water pressure, extreme agitation, and intense chem
ical activity. A gentler "hand washing" process must be used to safely clean area rugs. Because more time is involved in hand washing and more complex cleaning products must be utilized to avoid damaging the fibers and dyes, you would expect that area rug cleaning would be more costly than standard carpet cleaning. It is...
Your high traffic rugs should be lightly cleaned several times a year and thoroughly cleaned at least once a year professionally. Low traffic area rugs should be cleaned every 1-2 years to rinse away accumulated dust and soil. Even if the rug doesn't LOOK dirty.... It should be routinely washed.
