Rug care guides & conservation notes
Practical advice from the Ahmadi Rug team — written for homeowners who care about their rugs.
Featured GuideThe Complete Rug Care Guide
Everything a rug owner needs to know — vacuuming, spills, when to clean professionally, repair signs, moth prevention, and how to store a rug for the long term. The pillar post, start here.
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Complete GuideArea Rug Cleaning in Chicago — The Complete Guide
Three rug types inside one category, the right method for each, Chicago-specific winter salt and humidity issues, and every North Shore neighbourhood we pick up from.
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Rug CleaningRug Cleaning vs Carpet Cleaning — Why They Are Not the Same Service
Priced next to each other on Google. Not the same job. What a carpet cleaner actually does to a wool rug — and why hand washing is the difference between preservation and irreversible damage.
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Rug Appraisal · PricingHow Much Does Rug Appraisal Cost in Chicago?
Most rug appraisals run $150–$500. The number is not the story. What matters is whether the report is one your insurer, probate court, or buyer will actually accept — and what a RICA-certified signature is worth.
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Custom Hand-Knotted RugsCommissioning a Custom Hand-Knotted Rug — Timeline, Pricing, Process
A bespoke rug is a four-to-six month project with four decision points, two sample rounds, and pricing by KPSI. Here is what the process actually looks like and what it costs — per-KPSI.
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For DesignersThe Interior Designer's Guide to Rug Care on Luxury Installs
A working reference for designers and architects. Pre-install prep, handling and transit, cleaning cadence by room, documentation for the client's insurance schedule, and when to combine cleaning with repair.
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Rug IdentificationHow to Identify a Vintage or Antique Rug
Five things to check, in order — hand-knotted vs machine, knot count, knot type, foundation, dyes. A practical reference from a RICA-certified appraiser.
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Moroccan RugsMoroccan & Berber Rug Cleaning — Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite
Atlas Mountain wool is different. Alkaline chemistry strips lanolin, synthetic dyes bleed, high pile hides water. Here is the right method for each of the four main Moroccan traditions.
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Kilims & FlatweavesKilim & Flatweave Cleaning and Repair
Flatweaves are tapestry-woven and have no pile. Both sides are decorative. Slit-weave is structurally vulnerable. Here is what cleaning and repairing a kilim actually involves.
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Antique Chinese RugsAntique Chinese Rug Cleaning — Nichols, Peking, Art Deco
Chinese export rugs from 1900–1940 are routinely undervalued and routinely damaged by carpet cleaners. Early synthetic dyes bleed, sculpted pile needs grooming, silk blends hide in plain sight.
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Rug PaddingRug Pad Guide — What Works, and What Destroys Hardwood
Natural rubber, felt, felt-rubber hybrid, memory foam — and what every bad pad does to polyurethane floor finishes. The one-inch rule for sizing, and when to replace.
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Pet Urine in Oriental Rugs — Why It Comes Back
Pet urine is a chemistry problem, not a stain. Uric acid crystals bind to the foundation and rehydrate every humid day. Surface cleaning does not reach them. Here is what does.
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Rug StorageRug Storage in Chicago's Climate
Chicago has the worst humidity profile in the Midwest for stored wool — 60–80% summers, 20–30% winters, active moth population. What works at home, and what climate-controlled storage adds.
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Rug ValuationWhat Is My Rug Worth? The Five Factors That Determine Value
Origin, material, age, condition, knot density. The five factors any RICA-certified appraiser will apply the same way. Free online estimate, then a certified number.
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Rug AppraisalHow Rug Appraisal Works: The Five-Factor Standard Explained
Rug appraisal is now standardized. The RUG Index five-pillar formula — origin, material, age, condition, and knot density — produces a defensible, reproducible value.
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Rug Insurance Appraisal: What Your Policy Actually Requires
Most homeowner policies cover rugs — but claims without certified appraisals are routinely underpaid. What carriers need and how to document correctly.
Read article - Rug Appraisal · Estate
Rug Appraisal for Estates: What Probate and Inheritance Require
Rugs in an estate are personal property assets. USPAP-compliant written valuations are what courts and the IRS accept. Here is the process — including Form 8283 for charitable donations.
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Shag Rug Cleaning: Why Standard Methods Damage High-Pile Rugs
Shag rugs trap more dirt, shed more fibre, and respond differently to cleaning than flat-pile. What the process should look like — and what to avoid.
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Turkish RugsTurkish Rug Cleaning: What Makes Anatolian Rugs Different
Turkish rugs use a different knot, different dyes, and include flatweave kilims that need their own cleaning approach. Here is how.
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Wool RugsWool Rug Cleaning: What Wool Does That Synthetics Don't
Wool is a protein fibre. It felts under heat, breaks down under alkaline chemistry, and carries its own natural spill resistance. The cleaning approach follows from that.
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Silk RugsSilk Rug Cleaning: The Most Delicate Fibre We Work With
Silk punishes mistakes. Here is what makes silk different from wool, why Qum pieces set the standard, and what proper silk cleaning actually involves.
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Rug ResizingHow to Resize a Rug
Most rugs can be made smaller. The cutting is easy; the finishing is the craft. Three finishing tiers, typical costs, and when resizing is the wrong call.
Read article- Rug Storage
How to Store Rugs Properly — and What Happens When You Don't
Moths, moisture, and compression are what destroy rugs in storage. All three are preventable. Here is the correct protocol — and what Ahmadi storage offers.
Read article - Persian Rugs
Persian Rug Restoration: What Is Possible and What Is Not
Honest conservation on a Persian rug is not about making it look new. It is about what can be stabilised, what can be rebuilt, and what is part of the history.
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Rug GuideRuggable vs Traditional Rugs
Ruggable is convenient. Traditional handmade rugs last 100 years. An honest twenty-year cost comparison and what you actually give up with washable.
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Emergency GuideWater Damaged Rugs: What to Do in the First 48 Hours
Flooded basement, burst pipe, storm water — the first 48 hours determine what can be saved. The triage, in order, and when to pick up the phone.
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Rug RepairMoth Damage in Rugs: What It Looks Like and Whether It Can Be Fixed
Most rugs we repair have moth damage. Most of it is invisibly repairable if caught in time. How to identify it and what reweaving actually involves.
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Antique CareAntique Rug Repair vs Restoration
The words get used interchangeably. They describe different work, with different costs, timelines, and outcomes. How to tell which your rug needs.
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Oriental RugsOriental Rug Cleaning in Chicago: What to Look For
Oriental rugs are not carpet. What a correct clean looks like in Chicago and the four questions that separate a specialist from a commodity cleaner.
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Rug CleaningCan You Steam Clean Oriental Rugs?
The short answer is no — and the reason is technical. Steam cleaning causes irreversible damage to wool fibres, natural dyes, and rug foundations.
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How a Museum Conservator Cleans a Rug
Step by step — what actually happens from intake to delivery at our Skokie workshop.
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Rug Care5 Signs Your Antique Rug Needs Professional Attention
Antique rugs show damage differently than modern ones. These 5 visible signs mean it is time to call a conservator.
Read article- Persian Rugs
Persian Rug Cleaning in Chicago
What the process should look like, why method matters for natural dyes and wool pile, and four questions to ask before you hand yours over.
Read article - Skokie · Local Workshop
Rug Cleaning in Skokie — From a Workshop Down the Street
Our workshop is at 7300 N Lawndale. Same-week pickup for Skokie addresses, drop-offs welcome, and a 40-year history with the neighbourhood's heirloom rugs — Persian, Armenian, Russian, Turkish.
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Professional Rug Cleaning in Chicago
Chicago homeowners spend thousands on Oriental and Persian rugs — then trust them to the cheapest cleaning company they can find. Here is what to look for before you hand yours over.
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Oriental RugsOriental Rug Cleaning Near Me
When you search Oriental rug cleaning near me, proximity is not the problem. Method is. Here is what to look for.
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Rug CleaningWhat Eco-Friendly Rug Cleaning Actually Means
Most green rug cleaning is marketing. Here is what conservation-grade chemistry actually looks like and why it matters for natural fibres.
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PricingWhat Rug Cleaning Actually Costs in Chicago
Rug cleaning ranges from $0.50 to $6 per square foot. Here is what drives the price — and what the cheap end is actually cutting.
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Rug CareHow Often Should You Have Your Rugs Professionally Cleaned?
Most rugs need professional cleaning every 12–18 months. Here is how to tell when yours needs cleaning now — and what happens when you wait too long.
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Rug CleaningWhy Rug Doctor Machines Damage Handmade Rugs
We see Rug Doctor damage every week at our workshop. Dye bleeding, mold, pile distortion — here is the technical reason these machines destroy handmade rugs.
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Rug GuideHow to Choose a Rug for Your Bedroom
Size, placement, and material — what actually matters when choosing a bedroom rug and the care implications of each choice.
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Rug CareJute Rugs: What You Can Clean Yourself
Jute cannot be wet-cleaned without risk. Here is the honest breakdown of what is safe at home and when to call a professional.
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