Rug care guides & conservation notes
Practical advice from the Ahmadi Rug team — written for homeowners who care about their rugs.
Buyer's GuideBest Rug Cleaners in Chicago (2026) — How to Choose
Chicago has dozens of rug cleaners. The difference between a hand-washing specialist and a carpet cleaner with an area-rug sideline is not marginal — and the wrong choice can damage a rug permanently. How to tell them apart.
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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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