Can You Use a Carpet Cleaning Machine to Clean Area Rugs?
Adding area rugs is a great way to beautify any home, whether you want to protect your hardwood floors or just add some visual interest to a room that has wall-to-wall carpeting. While fine area rugs are certainly gorgeous, they do take a bit of maintenance to keep them looking that way for years to come. If you think you can call just any carpet cleaning company in Bucks County to clean your area rugs, think again! It takes specialized equipment and knowledge to clean an area rug without damaging it. Here are a few reasons why you should never use carpet cleaning machines to clean area rugs or allow professionals to use them on area rugs in your home.
Area Rugs are Constructed Differently Than Carpets
While carpets are generally constructed from synthetic fibers bound to a plastic backing, the finest area rugs are hand-woven from a combination of wool and cotton threads. This means carpets can be thoroughly cleaned from the top, while area rugs cannot. They tend to trap abrasive dirt deep in their fibers where it slowly cuts through the backing threads. If you want to get rid of this abrasive dirt, immersion washing by a specialized rug cleaning company is the only way to do it, and that is a process that can’t be done in your home.
Carpet Cleaning Machines Don’t Get Area Rugs Completely Clean
As we said, carpet cleaning machines won’t get rid of that dirt trapped deep in your area rug fibers. Instead, it moistens this dirt, causing it to harden into a cement-like substance. This substance can weaken rug fibers until they become brittle and crack. When that happens, your valuable area rug will start to fall apart and eventually become unusable.
Carpet Cleaning Machines Can Damage Area Rugs
The type of steam cleaning equipment used by today’s carpet cleaning companies relies on hot water and pressure to liquefy and remove dirt. That is a recipe for disaster when it comes to area rugs. Hot water causes dyes to bleed, and high heat and pressure can lead to wool fibers becoming frayed at the tips. Cold water immersion washing is the only way to properly clean an area rug, and that can’t be done in the home. It takes a specialized facility like the Rug Salon at JMS Enterprises to immersion clean area rugs without damaging them.
Area Rugs Need to Be Completely Dried Before Use
Carpet cleaning equipment always leaves behind a bit of moisture and detergent residue, which is not a problem for carpets. For area rugs, it can be a disaster. That residual moisture can cause a rug to become moldy, meaning it will need to be thrown out. Area rug cleaning facilities use a special drying method to get your rugs completely clean and dry before delivering them back to your home. Visit our Customer Education Videos page and watch the video “Why You Should Never Let a Carpet Cleaner Clean Your Rugs” for more info!
Area Rug Cleaning in the Main Line Area
Residents of Bucks County, PA, Montgomery County, PA, and surrounding areas have trusted JMS Enterprises to clean their valuable area rugs since 1973. Our Rug Salon is equipped with all the specialized equipment it takes to clean, dry, and maintain even the most expensive area rugs, Persian rugs, and Oriental rugs. Get in touch with us today by calling (215) 706-0188 to find out more about our area rug cleaning, and all the other services we offer, including air duct cleaning, upholstery cleaning, dryer vent cleaning to prevent dryer vent hazards, and more!