Rug Cleaning/Hole and Fringe Repair

Today's rug is a great example of how a cleaning/repair package can bring a rug back to life. Our customer brought in a very nice area rug that had seen some better times. It was very dirty, had a huge hole/tear in it and the fringes were in a sad state of disrepair. Take a look below:

The first step was securing all the loose parts so it could go to cleaning. After our deep cleaning process it was shinier, deodorized, sanitized and was ready for the repair. The hole was stitched back together by one of our master weavers. He then proceeded to put in brand new fringes to replace the worn out ones. The finished results produced a rug that looked brand new again! See the pics below:

Our customer was thrilled with the results and so were we. At Rug Ideas we can help you bring your worn out, dirty and damaged rug the attention it needs to bring its vibrancy back. So don't delay, come see us today!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Kilim Cleaning Tips

Most typical homes undergo two types of cleaning, the routine daily (or weekly) chore and the less frequent efforts sometimes referred to as Spring cleaning. Kilim rugs should also be cleaned routinely, along with the rest of the house, and be subjected to more thorough cleaning at longer intervals. In olden days rugs were hung across a wash-line and beaten on both sides to dislodge the dirt and grit, a method still highly regarded, and still practiced in many parts of the world, but mostly impractical under modern urban living conditions. Today, most routine cleaning is done by vacuuming, called ‘hoovering’ by the British. Three main points to note when vacuuming a kilim area rug are: don’t use high suction settings, vacuum on both sides, and don’t vacuum the fringe since with repeated applications some of the fringe may be torn off.

Less frequent periodic cleaning consists of washing the kilim rug, and the consensus of expert opinion suggests this should be done every three to five years or…”when a rug begins to look dirty”. These Western authorities, presumably addressing their compatriots, advise sending kilim rugs out to be washed by professional services specializing in this type of work, not dry cleaners or general cleaning companies who often use chemicals that can cause damage. These are safe recommendations with which we find no quarrel. We would be remiss, however, not to share with you some “secrets of the trade”, the knowledge and practices of Turkish housewives who grew up with kilim rugs, having learned from their mothers and grandmothers the cleaning procedures they still use. In a survey we did among experienced housewives to find out how they do it in practice, we found very few variations in their methods, and when we asked if they were not worried about the bleeding of colors all respondents expressed complete confidence in the color-fast qualities of their kilim rugs.

The procedure followed is to place a kilim rug on a flat surface, then wash it with a relatively condensed solution of grated pure olive-oil soap dissolved in cold water. This solution is then run through the kilim rug with a) the edge of the palm of the hand, b) the rounded upper edge of a wood scouring brush (the type where the bristles are embedded in a wood body by which the brush is held in the hand, i.e., without a bristle-free handle), and c) a medium-sized cooking-pot lid with rounded lip. In applications a) and b) the soap solution is run through the kilim rug along its length without using too much pressure, in relatively short strokes, with each stroke overlapping the previous one. In this way the dirt is loosened and moved progressively toward the end of the rug. In application c) the reported movements are circular/oval, but gradually progressing toward the longitudinal rug end. These procedures are repeated approx. 3-5 times on both sides of the rug and repeated again several times with clean rinse water to get the remains of the soap out of the kilim rug. For drying, the kilim is never hung but laid out on a flat surface - preferably slightly inclined - and left, alternating both sides to the sun, until thoroughly dry.

The methods described above are still used not only in Turkey but in many other parts of the world, but the contemporary metropolitan kilim owner will probably find it more convenient to send it out to be washed by a professional, qualified cleaning service. In that case make the job easy and bring it to Rug Ideas for a professional deep cleaning!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Kilim with Sentimental Value - Custom Repair

Recently a customer came into our showroom with a kilim that had been in her family for a long time. It was badly damaged and she wanted to know what, if anything, could be done to save some of the disintegrating kilim. Take a look at pics of the tattered kilim below.

The kilim had totally fallen apart on all sides and was impossible to get back into a solid piece. We had a fabulous idea, though, that would keep the intact pieces together and could be displayed another way... a customized repair job. There were enough pieces that could be gathered to make a set of custom cushions fabricated from the remaining intact parts. Backing was installed on the kilim pieces and a custom sew job, complete with zipper for easy access, was done. Take a look at the results below!

The process took just a couple weeks and 4 small cushions & 4 large cushions were made. Our customer was so happy with the results and the fact that we were able to offer her a solution so that she could keep, use and display her treasured piece of art. At Rug Ideas we provide the experience and creativity to make sure our customers have all the options available to them... even customized one-offs! If you have a rug or kilim that holds sentimental value to you, come in and talk with us to see how we can help you maintain/clean/repair it so that you can cherish it and keep it in the family!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Flokati Deep Cleaning

So far during this year we have received many rugs from customers to be cleaned because of heavy dirt/soiling. This flokati rug came in a couple weeks ago and the customer was very upset because her dog had an accident on it that was extremely visible and also smelled very bad.

We had alerted our customer just about a month earlier that it was time to have it cleaned (we do yearly phone checkups with all our customers to make sure their rugs are doing fine) and the dog accident happened a couple weeks afterwards so it was coming in for a Rug Ideas deep cleaning. We had a challenge on our hands as dog stains are notoriously hard to get out; we also had to contend with the specialized cleaning of flokati rugs, which require extra care to make sure it is fully cleaned.

The cleaning came out fantastic and the flokati now looks brand new! The pile is clear of stains, is nice and fluffy and is ready to be brought back to our customers home (after a good talk with their dog, we're sure). Whether it's flokati, shag, Persian or Oriental, bring your stained/soiled rug in today so we can help bring it back to life! 

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Tufted Rug Deep Cleaning - Zebra Print

All types of rugs come into our showroom for deep cleaning and repair; this particular case was a Zebra Print Tufted Rug which had multiple stains due to normal foot traffic & some liquid spills. See the pics below to checkout the stains:

The rug also wasn't laying flat because the liquid spills dried out and warped some of the rug and some of the stains looked as thought they were permanent. The customer was very attached to this rug and decided to give our deep cleaning a go. You can see how great the results came out below!

The rug came out fantastic and the owner could not believe his eyes when we displayed it. Our deep cleaning process had removed all the stains and the rug was dried correctly and was totally flat again. No matter what type of rug you have you can count on Rug Ideas to give it the best possible treatment for whatever ails it!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Rug Tour, Los Angeles Rug Tour and Workshop 2012

We are going to hold a 3-day rug tour and workshop in Los Angeles from August 10 to 12, 2012. This is a private and family event for rug professionals who want to learn how to identify rugs (Rug ID), learn how to repair rugs, and learn how to use online/Internet marketing to promote their rug businesses. This is not open to public. We do not accept participants from southern California.

Our guests who come from out of state will stay in Crowne Plaza Hotel Beverly Hills and will enjoy the preferred  rates. This hotel is within walking distance from shopping areas and restaurants of Beverly Hills. A customized tour of Los Angeles, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills is planned for Sunday, the third day of the event. This is a rug learning journey and fun vacation. This is a high end workshop and I will share my 60 years of family experience in rugs. There will be gourmet food and entertainment at nights with lots of surprises. We will set the standard for such events and will take it to the next level.

You can visit the link below to learn more about this unique rug event. Seats are limited and if you think this event is for you, please fill out the application forms and follow the instructions on the website.
http://www.rugtour.com/

Watch this exclusive video and enjoy.


Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Rug Hanging - Canvas Installation

One of our customers brought in a beautiful antique Kerman Rug for cleaning recently. It is a piece that has been in their family for a while and holds a lot of sentimental value to them. Persian Kerman rugs are extremely beautiful and are woven with intense care. In fact, tightly woven rugs often have great detailing and artwork on them. Of course, Kirman rugs have been made for a very, very long time, and my friend Dr. Taher Sabahi who lives in Torino, Italy has written a book on 500 years of rug weaving history in Kerman.

Many Kerman rugs are basically floral in their designs with roses. Along with flowers, one often finds animals and humans depicted on these rugs; in fact, the Tree of Life (as in the case of this particular rug) has also been seen in many cases.

Our customer expressed interest in hanging the rug once it was deep cleaned, and we had the perfect answer. At Rug Ideas we do canvas installation on rugs and tapestries so that they can be used for hanging/displaying on the wall. One of our weavers sewed on the canvas to the back/top of the rug by hand; the installation allows a rod to be placed through the center gap of the canvas and makes for easy hanging.

The installation came out great and this rug is now ready to be hung/displayed. Our customer was thrilled when they saw the results and thanked us for doing a great job. Maybe you have a rug or tapestry in your home that you would like to hang and display; if so come by and see us. Canvas installation is just one of the great services we offer to our customers and we love to see the smiles that our results bring!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Kurds of Khorassan in North East Iran

Kurds are one of the oldest tribes of Iran. Although they speak Kurdish of different dialects, they do not have that kind of a written language of their own. Since Kurds have always been brave and good warriors, they questioned the power of the federal governments of Iran. This was why they were partly moved to Khorassan in north east Iran around 1600 during the reign of Shah Abbas I.  The Kurds were also moved to the eastern borders to defend the country against Uzbek invaders. Among different cities in Khorassan in which Kurds reside, Quchan, Daregaz, Joveyn, Bojnourd, Shirvan, Esfarayen can be named.

Usually Kurds of Khorassan weave two types of one-sided kilims on wool foundation and pile rugs of small sizes. Many of these rugs are woven around the city of Quchan on wool and in some cases on colored silk foundation. These colored silk foundations are also referred to as rainbow foundations. The kilims made by Kurds of Khorassan are coarse and in no way can compete with Senneh kilims of main Kurdistan.

A Kurdish Khorassan kilim runner. Picture courtesy of  www.theevacuator.com

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Cat Scratch Removal - Cat Scratch Rug Repair

When it comes to customer rug cleaning/repair regarding pet stains/damage, mostly the blame falls on the customer's dog/s. In this case one of our customers had a cat that used their Ardabil Kilim as a scratching post. So along with the deep cleaning that our customer brought the rug in for, they opted for our cat scratch removal service as well: See the pics below:

At Rug Ideas we have encountered this problem many times. First we had the kilim deep cleaned/sanitized/deodorized. Then one of our weavers did the repair so that it wouldn't be apparent that the customer's cat had their way with the rug. Take a look at the results below:

The results came out great! And on top of the cleaning and repair we did some extra detail work on the rug. Extended threads on the back of the Kilim were sticking out past the sides and was a bit of an eyesore. Take a look below:

At Rug Ideas we pay extra attention to the details so we trimmed the extended threads for our customer; you can see the results below:

If your pet has done some damage to your rug or kilim bring it to Rug Ideas so we can bring it back to life with our skilled repair work and our extra attention to detail. Our customer was so surprised with the final results and mentioned that it looked the same as when they first bought the rug. Fido and Fluffy put up a good fight but Rug Ideas has come to the rescue again!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

50% Off ALL Our Machine Made Rugs!

We are having a great 50% OFF sale going on right now on all our machine made rugs! We have a wide selection of machine made rugs, from small 3 x 5 rugs for use in front of entryways all the way to large 8 x 11 area rugs that can liven up any room in your place.

Come by our showroom so we can show you the different styles and sizes of machine made rugs that we have; and remember, they are all 50% OFF! Now is a great time to bring some color and life to your residence with our quality machine made rugs.

Machine made runners are also available and bring a tasteful touch to hallways and corridors. We have a wide range of colors and patterns, some with fringe and some without... and they are all 50% OFF! Come by soon as this sale won't last forever and pick up a rug at a GREAT price!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Serious Stain Challenge

Last week a customer came in with 2 rugs that had been previously deep cleaned. It had been a year since that cleaning but seeing as how they had a toddler in the house, stains had accumulated and the rugs were in need of another good deep cleaning. See the dirty rug pics below:

Our customer let us know that the stains varied from crayon marks to food stains to shoe polish that had accidentally been spilled. This was going to be a challenging job but they definitely came to the right place. At Rug Ideas we inspect each stain to figure out the best method to clean the rug. You can see our process with a great video we created at:

The deep cleaning of the 2 rugs came out fantastic as can be seen in the pics below. Our customer was ecstatic with the results since he was convinced the stains wouldn't come out. He left our showroom with a huge smile on his face which is exactly how we like it. If you have soiled/stained rug bring it in to Rug Ideas so we can give it our one of a kind touch!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Kelardasht Carpets and Rug From North Iran

Kelardasht is a city in and the capital of Kelardasht District, in Chalus County, Mazandaran Province, north of Iran right by the Caspian Sea. Originally a farming area, in recent years much of its land was sold in small lots to build numerous villas  which are occupied by summer visitors trying to escape the heat of Tehran and points further south. Its attractions mainly consist of its natural beauty and cooler climate. The Kelardasht area has enclaves of Kurmanji-speaking Iranian Kurds. They practice the Dervish variation of Islam. There are also enclaves of people from Gilan another northern  province. (Wikipedia)

The Voided Loom is a unique story of Kelardasht's Carpet: a video documentary that portrays the ties between culture, emotions and the environment of a community which gave the primeval folklore of carpet weaving its form and generation to generation permanence.

Kelardasht's Carpet weaving, the art and practice of hundreds of years old, was a memento of immigration of an ethnic group but unfortunately it has not gained the reputation it deserves and it is in the verge of extinction. What you will see, hear and experience in this documentary is a visual perspective of a two year study of this region and its carpet weaving art, to be compiled as a book about Kelardasht Carpet as well.

"The Voided Loom" is in fact an independent documentary selected from a large number of interviews and narrative stories gathered around the aesthetic characteristics and positions of Kelardasht Carpet throughout its rise and fall. Those pieces of findings that were impossible to be put in any form of  writing or depicted on any page of a book are being portrayed in this film

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Flokati Rug Cleaning and Video Shooting

We had video shooting and recording today in our rug gallery. In the middle of the recording a customer brought in a very dirty Flokai rug for cleaning. After we took care of that, another customer who had brought in three antique rugs for appraisal, stopped by and wanted us to clean and repair those rugs.

At the end of our Saturday at work, my sons and I celebrated with lunch and fresh grilled fish. We had so much fun together today.
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085