how to clean wool rug?

[TooPatient]

We have a couple of nice wool rugs we were given when we moved into our house. They are 100% wool and I've been told that they are very high quality.

I had them cleaned professionally (they didn't really need it, but I had the guy doing the couches anyway) several years ago and they REALLY need cleaned again. We have two cats and two dogs so messes happen (our littlest dog threw up on the rug last night ). I'd like to be able to clean them myself so that they can get a good cleaning every couple of months (at least) instead of waiting. At $300 (at least), we just can't afford to have them professionally cleaned every time they need it... but I also don't want to ruin them since they are very nice.

Can I use my Bissel ProHeat to clean it myself as long as I use cold water and leave the heater off? (I think the ProHeat can do that... I haven't used it in a couple of years since we don't have any carpet in the house)

 

[luv2sparkle]

I would use your bissel but try this: add a bit of dissolved oxy clean or any oxygen bleach to the water. Follow the directions on the box-I think it is about 1/4 cup per one gallon of water. Make the water hot and dissolve the powder in the water completely stirring for a couple minutes, then add the solution to your cleaning machine along with whatever soap you use. It is supposed to be amazing for cleaning rugs.
I am going to do it on my rugs tomorrow.

I would first do a small test patch to make sure it doesn't effect the color on your rugs, but it shouldn't.

I have been using this solution on my kitchen tile to clean the grout lines and it is amazing. One year I paid a tile guy 600 bucks to clean my grout. Wish I would have known about this them. I found this idea at Stainsolvers.com. They sell oxygenated bleach product, but I have been using Oxyclean powder (it has to be powder to get the full effect), and have had good results with everything I have tried it on.
You can read about it there first if you decide to try it.

 

[kenny]

100% wool and "high quality" is relative.
People's perception varies wildly and your rug as described may range from a small $100 machine-loomed light rug to huge $500,000 or more and densely hand-knotted and requiring several men to lift.
It may even be an antique, rare and worth millions.

All our rugs are 100% wool, hand-knotted (not loomed) but of various knot-density, quality, country of origin, and price.

I've caught one of our dogs peeing on (fortunately) one of our cheapest and smallest rugs.
I immediately took it outside, laid it on our sloping driveway and hosed off repeatedly and repeatedly and repeatedly top side, then bottom, then top, then bottom over a period of several hours with only water from a high pressure garden hose.
Then I hung it over a rail in the sun for several days, switching sides and rotating top and bottom sides, keeping it inside each night.
We are in (mostly) sunny Southern California.
This worked, AFAIC.
When dry I could detect no stain or smell.

If you live where it is snowing or raining now in the winter I would not try this.

Our best rugs, high-end 60-raj hand-knotted large real Persian Tabriz wool and silk (which the dogs are not allowed near) I'd never clean them myself.
For these I'd call a professional cleaner to ask about first aid for dog pee, then rush them out to get them professionally cleaned.
Too much money is at stake.

So IMHO it depends on what the rug is worth, your weather and whether it is small enough to lift when wet.
You have to make the call if they are worth the investment in proper maintenance and cleaning.
Perhaps you could have a pro come out to appraise them.
Again, based on your description they could be worth a little or worth a fortune.

 

[Gypsy]

Some wool rugs (inexpensive ones, honestly) are VERY VERY colorfast. I have a Nian 6 lah Persian Rug I can wash when it is hot outside with a hose, a brush and some woolite (great for washing rugs). It doesn't run and it I can rinse all the soap out and let it dry in the heat.

But I also have some inexpensive wool ones (especially with red dye) that can't be washed at home at all.

It really depends on what you have. I would not clean a high end rug with Bissell though. I have one, and I use it on my carpets and on the rug I got from Crate and Barrel (not wool), but it absolutely is not good for high end rugs.

Woolite is your best detergent though. It rinses out well in cold water and doesn't destroy precious fibers.

Wool does ABSOLUTELY NOT mean high quality. If you need short hand for highER (still not high, but higher) quality-- hand knotted is what you are looking for. And then there are different ways of telling how high end the hand knotting is, from there.

Hand tufted can be wool, and is inexpensive (that's what my red rug is). And most of these will run. SO watch out.

 

[iLander]

For Stains;
Rubbing alcohol and seriously high-quality paper towels (Costco brand is the BEST).

Pour rubbing alcohol on there, sop it up until it is mostly dry. Repeat if stain persists. Quality towels are key to getting all the alcohol out.

This has worked for me for years. We did some projects for a household chemical company and they told me that at the base of most fabric cleaners is alcohol, the rest is just for show. It works for stains that are up to a week old.

You can also try Chem-Dry Stain Extinguisher, it's fabulous and works on even old stains that are set for years.

http://www.google.com/products/details?q=chem+dry+stain+extinguisher&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1145&bih=633&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&docid=12127289638835993388

For large, high traffic areas, I would just use google wool rug care. There's got to be a manufacturer that has that on their site.

 

[TooPatient]

Thanks for all the help. I'm not too familiar with rugs and their different qualities and dyes.

Our rugs are big enough and heavy enough (7x13ft or so?) that when rolled up dry, it takes two people to move each of them. I'm not sure if we could lift it if it was wet (and our weather here is not good enough to try that... right now anything that goes outside gets wet & muddy). The person who told me they are of a really good quality and to make sure I don't ever attempt to clean them myself was the carpet/furniture cleaning guy I paid to come in and do our couches & the rugs so I don't know how much I trust either of those comments.

I think I'm going to move the furniture off of them and take them in to a rug place around here (they do appraisals and stuff, not cleanings so I would feel reasonably confident they weren't just trying to get me to pay for a service) and see what I can find out. The woman who bought them does tend to buy quite nice things, so I'd hate to risk ruining them. Or having the red colors run and make a mess!


Thanks again for all the advice! I'll try to post pics once I've gotten them clean.