How to Store Your Rugs

The biggest dangers for rugs placed in storage are BUGS, FLOODS, and THUGS. Insect damage, flood or mildew damage, and theft are the most common problems we hear from clients who have placed rugs in a local storage unit or placed in a far corner of a closet or garage. Many times rugs with high appraised or sentimental value are placed in storage to save them for family members, or to save them from a remodel mess, or to protect them from the summer sunlight. You want to make sure you are not actually causing damage by incorporating the wrong storage procedures.

• DO clean rugs before wrapping for storage. The first, most important piece of storage advice is to always store rugs clean. Never wrap up dirty rugs. Have them washed properly and then prepared for storage, otherwise there’s a chance you’ll wrap hungry little rug-snacking critters in with your rug in a nice, protected environment, and in a year or more, when you open it up again, you could be in for an ugly, expensive surprise.You must clean your rugs of food and liquid material because though moths are normally the storage “bad guys” – ANY insect will eat sugars and other food materials, and they will eat the wool fibers that are holding this meal for them too.

• DO roll your rugs starting at the bottom end to the top end, fuzzy side inside. To find the bottom end of your rug, you want to “pet” your rug to determine when you are going WITH the nap, and AGAINST the nap. When you run your hand WITH the grain, it will take you to the tassels of the bottom of the rug (where the weaver began weaving your rug). Roll from this end. Folding rugs causes cracking over time, so do not fold rugs being put in storage.

• DO roll your SILK rugs with the fuzzy side outside. Wool and cotton rugs have more “give” to them than silk rugs, so when placing silk rugs into storage, roll them with their fuzzy silk side outside.

• DO wrap your rugs in TYVEK or brown acid-free PAPER. Wool has a moisture content even when it is dry, so changes in heat will cause it to “sweat.” Because of this you can NEVER wrap wool rugs in plastic or you will create a mildew problem. Tyvek Paper is best (tear and water resistant).

• DO elevate your rug packages off of the ground. Many storage facilities are built in lowlands that have a tendency to flood during bad weather, so whether in your home or their location you always want to keep rugs at least six inches off the ground in case flooding occurs.

• DO make certain nothing heavy is stacked on top of your rugs. Heavy items can cause damage to the rug’s foundation.

• DO acquire insurance to protect your rugs when placed in a storage facility. You also want a photograph and appraisal on file in case you need them.

Find the Best Rug Storage Location
For those of you who like to switch your rugs out to create a fresh look in your décor, or to save them from too much wear, take care to properly store your rugs according to theTextile Museum in Washington, D.C.
The best location for the storage of your collection would be in a room that is cool, dry and where blinds or curtains block natural light. Few of us have the luxury of having a spare room that we can devote to storage, and have to make do with closets, cupboards and under beds.While it is possible to adapt many spaces in the house for storage, avoid using attics and basements, which are usually without climate control and suffer the largest swings in temperature and relative humidity.

Maintaining Rug Storage Areas
Most moth and carpet beetle infestations appear in rugs that were improperly stored. Sometimes infestations will start while the rug is in use, and then quickly accelerates when the piece is stored. It is, therefore, important to have a good housekeeping plan for your storage areas. Every couple months unroll at least one rug to make sure that there is no evidence of infestation. Choose a different rug each month. Wipe off shelving and shelf padding, and if necessary clean or replace dustcovers and padding. Vacuum the room thoroughly to eliminate insect-attracting dust. Remove dust from all baseboards and windowsills as well.

sourced from: referralcarpetcare.com & arearugfacts.com
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

Does Cedar Actually Repel Moths?

Cedar-lined storage chests and closets have long been used for long-term storage of out-of-season clothing, in the belief that the cedar will deter moths from destroying the clothing. But does it really work? The damage moths cause to natural fibers is caused not by the moth itself, but by the larvae that hatch out of the eggs the moth lays. Therefore preventing the damage can take two forms, preventing the moth from laying the eggs in the clothing, and killing the larvae as they emerge (or in the egg).

The heavy scent of the cedar is thought to mask the smell of wool, effectively hiding it from the moth seeking a home for her eggs. That is, it doesn't repel moths so much as it camouflages the moth's natural target. If the smell-disguise in fact does deter moths, then any masking smell would work as well, and people have packed old garments away with sprigs of lavender, tansy and rosemary tucked in them for literally centuries.

If the scent-deterrent works (and there's only anecdotal evidence that it does), then it only works on the egg-laying moth. Packing away garments already hosting moth-eggs will yield a cupboard full of rotting wool. Since the larvae are repelled by strong light, shaking and hanging clothing in the sun for a few hours before folding for storage should ensure that what you are storing is larvae-free.

A report from the University of California at Davis suggests that one type of cedar, Eastern Red Cedar (which is actually a juniper), does kill moth larvae over a period of time. The wood contains an aromatic oil that in sufficient concentration, as in an airtight cabinet, will kill small moth larvae. If there is too much air circulation, as in a closet, concentration of the vapors will remain insufficient to kill larvae, although the scent might deter adult moths.

Whether other junipers, or juniper essential oil, which is made from another form of juniper, and from the berries, not the wood, will protect clothing from moths, has not been determined. Even Eastern Red Cedar is only effective against moth larvae for a few years, after which the aromatic oil has evaporated. The presence of a pleasant cedar-scent in grandma's old hopechest is not proof that the box will protect your woolens from munching moths.

One service we offer to our customers is moth proofing for their rugs. After the rug/s are cleaned we can spray a light coating which acts as a bitorent, giving the wool a bad taste to moth. We have found this treatment to be quite effective in the prevention of moth damage. We are in the midst of moth season so if you want to protect your rugs, bring them in to Rug Ideas so we can help you keep those pesky insects away from your pieces of art.

sourced from wisegeek.com

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

Moth Season Is Upon Us! :(

This is the time of year when carpet moths show up in your home looking to snack on Oriental and Persian rugs. We are not the only ones who like the longer days, warm temperatures, and sunny weather.  Moths love warm conditions and this is the season to be especially vigilant with respect to our woolen goods, including our cherished wool rugs and kilims.  These moths are tiny things, hardly noticable as they flutter about. Tineola Bisselliella, they’re called.

Carpet moths rarely cause trouble to rugs that are regularly walked on and vacuumed, so try to keep them as clean as possible and vacuum once a week. On the other hand, they gravitate to dark, undisturbed places where they can eat in peace and often they cause really serious damage. They prefer rugs stored in places like basements and closets, but they will settle for Oriental rugs under sofas or beds or where rugs abut walls and are neither vacuumed or walked on and rarely disturbed. Often they chew away at the backs of rugs rather than their fronts. Strangely, the carpet moth seems to prefer dirty rugs, often avoiding clean rugs.

Be careful with moths.  They will literally eat your woolen goods, as wool is protein, and moths just love it.  And although repairing and/or restoring a moth damaged wool kilim rug, dhurrie, or kilim is always possible (we offer reweaving services for this type of damage), the best route would be not to have them damaged at all.  Some steps you can take:  never store woolen goods in plastic, dark, humid, or enclosed spaces; inspect your wool rugs and kilims periodically; expose your wool rug or kilim to the sun; keep wool kilims or rugs in well ventilated areas; never place wool rugs or kilims in areas known to be infested with moths.

If you do happen to have a moth infestation, call us immediately so we can first get the infested carpets deep cleaned to remove all moths and larvae. We can then offer our moth proofing service, which a bittorent that makes the wool taste bad to moths. So no matter what situation you are having with moths and your rugs, Rug Ideas is here to help. 

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

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

To Save or Not to Save: Rug Cleaning Rug Repair Los Angeles

We receive many rugs for cleaning and repair which are in bad condition. The owner of the rug could have saved the rug if he/she had cleaned or repaired the rug sooner and before it was too late. Some of the owners want to save a little money buy not cleaning or repairing the rug. This is not saving. It is helping to ruin the rug by not investing (not spending) a small amount of money in saving the rug. When we pick up a rug like this and we ask the owner when the rug was last cleaned or repaired, he/she says "never" or "many years ago" that I cannot remember. I wrote about a Kerman rug we picked up for cleaning in an earlier post:

Click here to read the story

On the other hand, when the rug is dirty, not only the food stuff hidden inside the pile provide the ground for the moth to grow, but the dirt acts like sand paper and damages the fiber and the pile. We also swallow and breath the dust and dirt which are floating in the air. This can bring us sickness and allergy.

Regardless of the traffic and dirtiness of the rug, it should be vacuumed regularly probably once a week, and it should be cleaned once in one or two years. This will surely extend the life of the rug.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085