Expert: Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs - 11/16/2008

Question
I have a tenant with a beaded persian runner that got wet from a plumbing leak and the dyes bled. We had it professionally cleaned but they were unable to get the bleeding out. The tenant says it is very valuable and she is blaming the cleaners for not being successful. I question the value of the rug and the fact that she had it on the floor..it only was wet for maybe 1/2 hour and she left it there until I came over and moved it outside. Is there any hope to get the bleeding out now and how expensive could a runner 2'6" x 10' be ?

Answer
Hi Jill,

Thank you for your question.  Many tribal Persian rugs are made with beads and are susceptible to color bleeding if saturated with water for any period of time.  Half an hour could do it.  It is possible to repair rugs with color running, however it isn't always cost effective to do so, and you cannot always get a perfect result.  

If a rug company thought just cleaning would repair the color running in an Oriental rug, then my guess is that they are not very knowledgable about Oriental rug care.  If the cleaners promised to fix this issue and they did not, then I would believe that you would be entitled to a full refund.  If they made no such claim, but rather said they would do the best they can do, then I am not sure you have any recourse.  Then again, my expertise is in rugs, not in carpet cleaner/customer law.

It is possible to repair a rug with color bleeding.  The success of the repair all depends on the extent of the damage, the material with which the rug is made, which colors have bled onto what colors, and (and this may be an issue) what chemicals have been used on the rug since the incident.

Now, to address the next issue of rug value.  Rugs can run from very cheap to very expensive.  As a general rule, the more expensive the rug, the better the quality and the better it will wear if walked on.  So, it is counter intuitive to think someone would not put an expensive rug on the floor.  But, that being said, because people know so little about rugs or the current rug market, everyone believes that what they have is worth a fortune, especially when it has been damaged and insurance or someone else needs to replace it.

I think to help you further, I would need some photos.  Would you be able to send me some via email?  Please include a pic of the back of the rug where the fringe comes out.  I can give you a rough estimate of the rug value along with what I think the success rate of a rug repair would be.  Since it is a small runner, it may be worth the expense to ship it somewhere to have it fixed (that is if you live in a non-major city).  

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Katie (ruglady@jahannandsons.com)