Persian Rug Cleaning in NYC

Persian city workshops such as Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan and Nain produce dense, precise rugs with curvilinear designs, usually on cotton foundations. Isfahan and Nain rugs often add silk to outline the design, which brings its own cleaning considerations. Heriz rugs from the northwest are heavier and geometric, built to take daily use. Tribal and nomadic rugs such as Qashqai and Bakhtiari are often woven on wool warps, with lively, irregular color.

These differences matter in the wash. Cotton foundations can brown if they dry slowly; wool foundations shrink and distort if handled roughly; silk highlights need cooler water and careful handling to protect their sheen.

Older Persian rugs were mostly dyed with natural sources such as madder for reds and indigo for blues. These are usually stable, but synthetic dyes appeared in many regions in the twentieth century and some can run. Every color is tested before washing.

Many Persian rugs show abrash, gentle bands of color variation where a new batch of hand-dyed wool was used. It is a natural feature, not a stain, and a careful wash makes it more beautiful rather than less.

Good Persian wool is rich in lanolin, the natural oil that gives it softness, luster and resistance to soil. Strong detergents, high-alkaline cleaners and bleaching agents strip that lanolin and leave the wool dry, brittle and quicker to soil again. We use gentle, wool-appropriate solutions and a pH-balanced final rinse so the pile stays soft and the colors stay clear.