Expert: Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs - 4/9/2008

Question
Hello, I have a small kilm/persian(?) rug that smells so badly.  I 'inherited' this
rug in this condition.  It is deep red.  I thought that I might wash it my self. I
have read that using a solution of white vinegar and water would neutralized
the ammonia in the urine and I would clean it with a mixture of hudrogen
perioxide (3%), baking soda, mild soap.  Is it reasonable that I would try to do
this myself?  I have been embarrassed to take such a smelly rug to a rug
cleaner.

Answer
Hi Lydia,
Thank you for your email.  I am sorry about your rug!  You know, rug cleaners have seen everything, so don't let that be a deterrent.  

When a rug has a very strong odor, the only way to get rid of the odor is by soaking the rug completely to remove all the urine.  This process has been known to cause color running, but usually, the rug owners have tried everything and their choices are throwing away the rug or seeing if the colors will run, so they take the chance.  With kilims, though, you have the added risk of shrinkage.

If you are in the Washington, DC area, I would suggest bringing the rug by our shop so we can take care of this for you.  If you are on your own, and you have the space, then what you say will work.  Soak your rug in your vinegar/soap mixture, but you need to be very careful not to let any part of the rug fold over on itself.  This will cause a color transfer, especially with the red.  Then, you need to get all the water out of your rug.  For this, you may want to rent an extractor from a hardware store.  Then, you need to lay the rug completely flat, pulling it gently to make sure that it won't shrink or buckle during the drying process.  The colors may still run during this process, you can't control that, but they don't always and you might get lucky!  Wet rugs are very heavy, so be sure to have strong help on hand.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask.  

Good luck!
-Katie (ruglady@jahannandsons.com)