Special Tips For Pet Owners

Do you have a pet? Join the crowd. About 70 million US households have pets - and that number represents a 35 percent increase from 1988, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Dogs especially have urine retention problems when they're puppies, elderly or sick. For puppies, packs of 100 temporary absorbent pads can be purchased from pet supply stores. These work better than newspaper, so spread them around on the spots where your puppy tends to gravitate. When Fluffy makes a mess, throw the pad out.

Sometimes when a new dog is introduced into a home where another dog has been, they will mark spots in the house in the same way they mark territory in the neighborhood. Cats also mark territory inside the house.
You can combat pet odors and stains in many ways:
-Check out the CRI Seal of Approval products that are specifically designed for pet stains and odors.
-Vacuum more frequently to capture pet hair and dust drifting from Fluffy's fur.
-Have your carpet professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months, or more frequently.
When dealing with urine spots, don't use a steam cleaner, because the heat will set the stain and the smell.
Carpet cleaning firms *like Rug Ideas* know how to permanently remove pet stains and odor, where possible.

If you have caged pets, check pet-supply stores for scent-killing products (mineral or earthen products sold in bags), which you place near their cages. Plain old baking soda or clove oil on a cotton ball may mask the stench. If fleas should become a problem, keep in mind that your carpet is probably harboring eggs - keep up a regular vacuuming schedule! Check with your veterinarian for treatment options as well as tips for getting fleas out of the household environment.

*sourced from 'Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies' by Elizabeth B. Goldsmith

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

Handknotted Rug - Cleaning and Repair

We went to a client's house recently who had 11 rugs that had been stored in their garage but had not been inspected in about 5 years. To their surprise almost all of the stored rugs had some form of moth infestation. After being initially horrified by the infestation, they wanted to proceed with cleaning and restoration to help save what rugs we could. One was a beautiful red handknotted rug that had always been in their household but now looked in dire need of attention. Moth casing could be seen all over the rug and the ends were unraveling a lot, eating into the design of the rug. Take a look below:

The first thing we did to start the process was give it a deep cleaning. This would ensure that all the moth larvae would be eliminated and would also make sure the rug was sanitized and deodorized. After the cleaning and drying was complete we had one of our master weavers give attention to the ends of the rug so as to stop the unraveling. It was all done by hand and in no time we had the rug's ends secured. This will help greatly in making sure the rug didn't lose its structure and is much more aesthetically pleasing as well. Take a look at the results below:

This handknotted rug now looks great, is totally clean, rid of moth and larvae, and has it's structure saved by having the securing of the ends done. We recommend that everyone who has their rugs in storage or in a garage as it is now moth season. Make sure no moth or moth casings are there, and if there is, bring it to Rug Ideas right away so we can help you with any cleaning and/or repairs it may need. We've seen some unfortunate incidents where the customers' rugs were beyond saving and could not be fixed. So a little preventive measure like scheduled inspections could save those pieces of art that mean so much to you!

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