Rug Curling - Leather Strap Installation

Some of our customers come in with fantastic rugs but have a problem with curling of the sides. Changing humidity or temperature, as well as storing a rug rolled up, can cause the edges of a rug to curl. Sometimes wefts may shrink and cause the curling on the edges. Using a rug pad help prevent the edges from curling but if it has already occurred we at Rug Ideas have a solution. Curling edges on a rug provide a tripping hazard and should be remedied as quickly as possible. How we do it is with leather strip installation.

Once both sides have been straightened we start the installation of the leather straps. It is all done by hand by our skilled weavers.

The finished installation of the straps looks fantastic and will keep the rugs nice and straight. The leather strips hold the sides open as well as provide some weight to keep them in place. We still recommend using a rug pad for the reasons we wrote about in our previous posting of why to use rug pads. With the curling taken care of the rug aesthetically looks better and no longer provides a tripping hazard, which makes our customers very happy.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

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

Be Different or Die!

We try to be different. Why? To set ourselves apart from our colleagues. How? By paying more attention to details and doing what other colleagues don't do. In all the cases, when we receive rugs for cleaning and repair we take high resolution digital before and after pictures. In some cases we save all these pictures on a CD and give it to  our customers when we deliver the rugs. They love to see before cleaning and repair pictures along with the photos of the process by which their rugs were cleaned and repaired. I am posting a couple of pictures from such a CD here.

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

Rug Cleaning and Furniture Marks

When we receive a rug for cleaning or repair, we inspect it carefully and make sure we identify all the damages. In some cases we mark the damaged or stained areas with colored painting masking tapes to pay more attention when we service the rugs.

We received this rug for cleaning yesterday. There were several furniture stains and marks on it. Sometimes furniture have sharp legs and are very heavy and damage the rugs and depress the pile and make it look matted. We give special types of cups to our customers to use under the legs of these furniture to distribute the weight and prevent the damages.

Our customers love our care for their rugs and investment. They love to receive free of charge gifts.

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

Rug Fringe Repair

Most rugs have white cotton fringe tassels, and others have wool or silk tassels (depending on where and when they were woven). Some rug owners like the look of the fringe on their rugs, to others it drives them nuts to always be straightening them, or keeping them from getting caught in the vacuum cleaner (that’s why you vacuum from side to side instead of from end to end).

But, the fringe is not just a “pretty” way to finish the rug – it is actually the foundation fibers of the rug. The rug’s “skeleton.” Each individual tassel that you grab in your hand runs through the middle of the rug all the way to the other end, emerging as another individual tassel on the opposite end. So when the fringes start unraveling there is danger of the damage reaching the design of the rug.

A proper overcast stitch (by hand) along the end of a rug will anchor the knots in place so that they will not “slide” off of the warps of worn rugs. This is a simple looking stitch (either a buttonhole or cross-stitch variety), but knowledge about how to properly anchor the stitch to a weft thread is key. A poorly executed stitch will lead to a tension inconsistency that can result in additional knots unraveling from the rug. So having it done by a professional is key. That's where we come in...

For the repair: A minimum of an inch of original fringe (exposed warps) tassel is needed for a correct overcast stitch, and it is ideal to have one consistent row of knots to anchor together from left to right – this many times means that the rug must be evened out beforehand to prepare it for the overcast stitch. With the proper conditions met, this leads to a superior overcast stitch, making the structure of the rug sound.

Taking a look at the picture above, both ends have been secured and the "cavities" that had developed on the rug have been taken care of. The difference is immediately noticeable on this Persian Nain Rug; and more than that the rug is in great shape, ready to be used and enjoyed again. If your rug is showing signs of cavities from the unraveling of the fringes, come see us so we can get the process started to putting the beautiful back into it.




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

Rug Selvage Repair

Wear often begins on the heavily trafficked borders,but the fringes,or ends of the warps which run up and down the length of the carpet,are usually the first part of the fabric to wear out.Edges or selvedges along the sides of the rug frequently weaken and unravel a little later.One should closely inspect these areas from time to time to see if repair or overcasting is required. This stitching may be done by us at our showroom after the rug is professionally cleaned.

In most rugs, the side cords are formed by two or more warp threads additionally bound and secured by the weft threads.  As the rug is knotted row by row, so the weft thread secures the knots and binds the cords.   On most rugs, the side cords have an extra wool binding besides the weft threads. The side cords have no resilient pile and, acting as the exterior guards to the rug, they receive constant wear and tear; therefore, side cords will often be the first areas requiring attention.

The picture above is after the selvage repair has been done. With this repair done the rug is no longer at risk of unraveling into the design. It also looks much better aesthetically and is completely secure and ready for many more years of use. If your rug has selvage damage to either side, bring it in so we can put our restoration touch on it. Our highly skilled weavers will make sure to stop any further damage the unraveling is doing. Which all means one thing: another happy customer!

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

Your Dog Doesn't Like Your Rug. We Do!

You leave your dog behind at home and make him angry. He chews off your rug. You bring your rug to us and we make you love your rug and your dog again. Your dog does not care about the beauty of your rug. We do and we bring it back to life again by professional repair and restoration. This is done by hand and not a machine under strict supervision and inch by inch inspection and quality control. For this particular tufter carpet, we even used matching color of yarn so the bindings match the color of the design on the side.

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

Folding Your Rug for Rug Cleaning

So you've made a decision to get your rug professionally cleaned or repaired. The trouble is that you're having a hard time figuring out how to bundle/wrap it so it's convenient to transport. Simply rolling it from one end to the other may not work in the case of larger rugs as they may be too long to fit in a car. Well we've got help for you with this handy video demonstration below.


The folding technique described above will make most rugs manageable to transport to our showroom for cleaning/repair. For those rugs that are too big for even that to work, give us a call and we set up a pickup/delivery service for you.

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

At Rug Ideas the Difference Is In the Details

At Rug Ideas, your rug is not one out of tens or hundreds. At Rug Ideas, you are not work order numbers or bar codes. You are Susan and Bob. You are Jack and Dianne. We gladly explain to our customers what we do and how we do it.  When we sell rugs, we tell the real stories each rug has. When it comes to rug services, we receive, measure, take pictures, inspect, and care for each rug individually. If your rug is damaged and you do not want us to do the repair, we secure the damaged areas so they don't get bigger. Each rug has a file with all its information and pictures.

After we're done with the cleaning, we take pictures again and inspect each rug individually for quality control to make sure your rug looks its best before you pick it up or we deliver it to you. Providing our clients with first class services is the core of our family business and it has been so since 1953 when our father established his rug store. We pay so much attention to the details of our jobs and this sets us apart from our colleagues.

We received this rug for cleaning. We secured its damages before we start the cleaning process

We inspect and restore the cat scratches from the rugs we clean

 We comb the sheepskins we clean to make them become fluffy

After we clean lambskins, we hand inspect them and remove the possible objects which maybe still hiding inside the high pile.

 Securing loose fringes of a Qum rug before cleaning

Taking after cleaning pictures from a Kerman rug before its delivery

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

Who Should Clean Your Rugs?

When you go to get your brakes replaced are you only concerned with price? When you go to the dentist do you seek the cheapest one around to do your cavity work? If the quality of work is a major concern often times you do get what you pay for. The same goes for rug cleaning and repair.

We are a boutique quality rug store that can handle all of your rug needs with reasonable pricing and first class services. Whether it be cleaning, repairing or modifying we take the time to make sure the job is done right. None of our rugs are steam cleaned, which just gets to the top of the rug pile. We do deep professional cleaning which involves first dusting the rug to make sure all debris are removed to prevent dirt and dust turning to mud once water hits it. Then we put it in a shallow pool-like structure and it gets completely rinsed with water and color stabilizers before it gets thoroughly washed with non-toxic rug shampoo with enzymes that clean, sanitize & deodorize the rug. It then gets dried naturally in the sun.

Our difference is also in the attention to detail that we put into each and every rug. Every rug gets thoroughly inspected before and after cleaning, with hi-res digital pictures taken during each process. If there is a fragile part of the rug, we make sure to secure it before it goes to cleaning to prevent any further damage. When rugs are finished with cleaning, we do final touch ups that include fringe trimming, salvage touch ups, and have moth proofing and spill protector services we offer to customers depending on what and where the rug is being used. We also provide the highest quality rug pads that can be cut to the exact size of your rug. No matter what your rug desires are, we have the ideas, service & quality that keeps our customers happy.

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

Kashan Rugs

A Kashan rug is a type of Persian rug from the area of Kashan. Kashan is a city in Isfahan Province in North Central Iran. There was production of Persian Carpet at Royal workshops in the 17th and early 18th century. Many authors attribute Persian Rugs and Carpet to Kashan in the 16th century particularly of the so-called small silk Kashan Persian Carpet group. The Persian Carpet workshops ceased production in about 1722 after the Afghan invasion.

Historically Kashan was a major center in the garment trade. In the late 19th century the market shifted and the local industry went from fine wool cloth to fine wool carpets. High quality wool was sourced from different parts of Iran and in some cases even imported wool was used.

If you have a Kashan carpet in your household that needs a professional cleaning to bring it back to life contact us anytime so we can help take care your piece of artwork. Repairs are also our specialty, so don't delay... love your rug today!


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

Kilims

Kilims are flat tapestry-woven carpets or rugs produced from the Balkans to Pakistan. Kilims can be purely decorative or can function as prayer rugs. Recently-made kilims are popular floor-coverings in Western households. Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface with no pile. Most kilim weaves are "weft-facing", i.e., the horizontal weft strands are pulled tightly downward so that they hide the vertical warp strands.

Because kilims are often cheaper than pile rugs, beginning carpet collectors often start with them. Kilims have become increasingly collectible in themselves in recent years, with quality pieces now commanding high prices. Because kilims were not a major export commodity, there were no foreign market pressures changing the designs, as happened with pile carpets. Once collectors began to value authentic village weaving, kilims became popular. Now, many kilims are woven for export. 

Come on down to our showroom and check out our selection of kilims that can brighten up your household and change the feel of a room. If you have a kilim already and need it professionally cleaned or repaired contact us and we can help bring it back into shape.

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

Customer Shiraz Rug/Repair

This Shiraz rug came in from a customer and needed a little of our TLC. But first, a little about Shiraz Rugs:

A Shiraz rug is a type of Persian rug made in the villages around the city of Shiraz, in the Iranian province of Fars. The designs tend to come from settled tribal weavers so they mimic Qashqai, Khamseh, Afshar, Abadeh and Luri designs. Since the weavers are using fixed looms the rugs tend to be larger and often coarser than their tribal counterparts. Shiraz rugs are not often very finely knotted, with both Qashqai and Abadeh both having a finer knot. Shiraz utilizes the Persian (asymmetrical) knot. Shiraz is a city in the south west region of Iran, sited practically upon the old Persian Persepolis. Shiraz rugs are not usually made in a large factory, with the majority of them being woven by home weavers and taken into the main bazaar to be sold, most often, to traders who will group a sizeable range of these rugs and sell them to smaller traders or export them.

Notice how in the picture above that the ends had slowly started to unravel. This is bad for the rug as it would have started unraveling into the design and would have lowered the rugs value(and look). It was in need of professional repair.

The picture above shows the Shiraz rug after repairs have been done to both ends. Notice the secure knotting that keep the end fringes together and also from unraveling any further into the design. After the repair was completed a thorough deep cleaning was done to clean, sanitize & deodorize the Shiraz rug and bring back the colors that dust and dirt had muted over the years. It is now secure and ready for many more years of use in the customers home; a great repair job and another happy face from one of our customers!
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

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