Everything you need to keep a handmade rug alive
Wool, silk, cotton, and natural-fiber care — cleaning methods, stain response, and storage, written from 42+ years of hands-on conservation work.
- Cleaning Guides
Iranian Carpet Cleaning: The Right Method for Hand-Knotted Persian Rugs
Cold-water hand washing, individual dye testing, controlled flat drying — the conservation method for Tabriz, Kashan, Heriz, Qashqai, Isfahan, and Sarouk.
Ghorban Ahmadi6 min readMay 29, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Can You Steam Clean a Persian Rug? A Conservator Answers
Wool shrinkage, dye migration, and foundation rot — why hot-water extraction is wrong for every Persian rug.
Ghorban Ahmadi8 min readMay 26, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Antique Chinese Rug Cleaning — Nichols, Peking, Art Deco
Nichols sculpted pile, Peking, Art Deco — dye-sensitive early synthetics and silk blends, hand-washed correctly.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 23, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
The Interior Designer's Guide to Rug Care on Luxury Installs
A working reference for designers and architects — pre-install prep, handling protocol, cleaning cadence by room.
Ghorban Ahmadi4 min readApril 23, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Kilim & Flatweave Cleaning and Repair
Anatolian, Persian, Caucasian, Afghan kilims — slit-weave reinforcement, selvedge reconstruction, cold-water hand washing.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 23, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Moroccan & Berber Rug Cleaning — Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite
Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite, and Atlas Mountain kilims — hand-washed, lanolin-preserving, dye-safe.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 23, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Can You Steam Clean Oriental Rugs?
The technical reason hot-water extraction damages handmade rugs — dye migration, foundation soak, fiber fatigue.
Ghorban Ahmadi4 min readApril 22, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
How a Museum Conservator Cleans a Rug
The full conservation-grade hand-washing process — dust extraction, dye-test, cold immersion, controlled drying.
Ghorban Ahmadi4 min readApril 22, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Shag Rug Cleaning: Why Standard Methods Damage High-Pile Rugs
Why high-pile shag rugs need a different process — pre-extraction, hand-washing, controlled drying for tall fiber.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 22, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Turkish Rug Cleaning: What Makes Anatolian Rugs Different
Anatolian, Hereke, Konya, Kayseri, and kilim — what differentiates Turkish rugs from Persian rugs in cleaning approach.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 22, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
Why Rug Doctor Machines Damage Handmade Rugs
We see this damage every week. Dye bleed, mold, pile distortion — the mechanical and chemical failure modes documented.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readApril 22, 2026 - Cleaning Guides
What Eco-Friendly Rug Cleaning Actually Means
Most "green cleaning" is marketing. What conservation chemistry actually looks like and what to ask any cleaner.
Ghorban Ahmadi3 min readOctober 12, 2025 - Cleaning Guides
How to Clean a Persian Rug at Home
Weekly maintenance, spot cleaning, stain-specific tips, and the mistakes that cause the most damage — from a museum-grade conservator.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
How to Clean a Wool Rug
Weekly maintenance, spot cleaning, a full stain guide, what destroys wool, and when to call a professional — the complete home-care reference for the most common rug fiber.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
How to Clean a Silk Rug
Daily care, spot cleaning, what absolutely destroys silk, and why professional cleaning is non-negotiable for the most delicate rug fiber.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
How to Clean a Turkish Rug
Ghiordes knots, wool-warp village foundations, soft Oushak wool, and why kilims are a different job entirely — the Turkish-specific care guide.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
How Often to Clean Rugs
every 2 to 2.5 years for normal use, every 12 to 18 months for high-traffic rooms, what shortens or extends that interval, a home maintenance schedule, and signs it is overdue.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
Rug Odor Removal
Why rugs hold onto smell, pet odor, musty and mildew smell, smoke odor, and why home deodorizers do not actually solve it.
Ghorban Ahmadi - Cleaning Guides
Oriental Rug Cleaning Cost: Full Price Guide (2026)
What professional rug cleaning actually costs by construction and fiber, and why the cheapest quote is usually the most expensive rug you will ever own.
Ghorban Ahmadi