AboutJahann and Sons Persian Rugs Expertise I can answer any and all questions you have regarding the cleaning, restoration and repair of Oriental rugs. I am more than happy to view your pictures via email and to give you advice on what you can do yourself and what needs to be left to the pros. I can also advise on the cost-effectiveness of repair on your rugs.
Experience My family has had a Persian carpet store in the Washington, DC metro area for nearly 30 years (www.jahannandsons.com).
Question QUESTION: I have three 9x12 karastan area rugs. One was bought from some people who obviously had a dog that thought it was his place to pee. I imagine they are old, but I can smell them---have tried vinegar solutions, commercial solutions that have enzymes that are suppose to eat that bacteria and still have problems. I need to clean all three. Two are over 30 years old and never cleaned except for spills and I do not know the age of the third. Help please. We live in a town that does not offer rug baths----just regular carpet cleaning services. The rugs are too big for me to haul anywhere.
ANSWER: Hi Julie,
Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way or quick fix to remove pet odors from rugs. Soaking or rug baths are required to remove intense pet odors. In order to remove the odor, you have to remove the urine from the rug. Water is the only thing that can do this. I wish I had a better answer for you.
It is possible that a cleaning from one of your local services will improve the smell of your rugs. If you do not have pets of your own, then you don't have to worry about animals returning to mark their territory again. Where are you located? Perhaps you're in our area?
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I do not wish to lead you astray. You need water and lots of it.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Best of luck,
Katie
ruglady@jahannandsons.com
Jahann and Sons Persian Rugs
4210 Howard Avenue
Kensington, MD 20895
301-530-6660
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QUESTION: Thank you for your information---can you give me some idea of how much rug baths should cost incase I find one somewhere to haul my rugs to. I will have to rent a u-haul and possibly take them to Denver. I live in NE. If you have any connections of places I could call I would appreciate it.
Answer Hi Julie,
I don't have any contacts near you, but if you're going to look for someone in your area, you can expect to pay roughly $2-$3 a square foot for cleaning and/or soaking. Soaking may be a tad bit more expensive.
If you have some help, you may be able to take care of this problem yourself. Karastan rugs are for the most part color-fast, so your chances of accidentally running the color are slim. What you should do is take your rug outside. If you can place it on a deck, that would be perfect. If you don't have a deck, then put the rug on your driveway with a few wooden palettes or crates underneath it. Try to keep the rug as flat as possible. Take your garden hose and just start running water through the rug until it runs completely clear. Rent an extractor from your local hardware store, and after you've run the water through the rug, use the extractor to get as much water out as possible. Then, leave your rug out to dry. This will probably take 3 days if the weather is warm. After all this, your rugs shouldn't have any smell.
If this process works for one rug, then you know you can do it for all three.
