How To Clean Hand Hooked Rugs

Just have on hand two pans containing about two cups of water each.

How to clean hand hooked rugs.

Hand wash a latch hook rug made with cotton yarn in cool water. One of the best ways to loosen the dirt from the fibers of your rug is to flip it upside down and walk on the foundation. Lay out a thick towel and place your rug on top. This will cause the dirt to loosen and fall from the fibers with ease.

You may be better off having them do the cleaning if your rug is highly soiled. Long ago before woolite and dry cleaners people used snow to clean their hooked rugs. Let as much water drain from the rug as possible then roll the rug squeezing out the excess water. In the old days and some still do this current day winter was the time to clean your hooked rugs.

From time to time turn your rug upside down and allow any embedded sand or dirt to fall out. With many other types of rugs you can chance it but with a handmade rug of any form it should always be cleaned by a pro. If you can get 1 8 grid that s excellent. Here s what you do.

Roll up the rug with the towel to further absorb moisture. Before any cleaning consider vacuuming the rug throgh a screen. The traditional method of cleaning old hooked and braided rugs is to allow them to be coated with fine dry crystalline snow and to brush them quickly with a clean whisk broom not allowing the rug to absorb any moisture. I am afraid the title of this blog may be a little misleading as there is only one way to clean a hand hooked rug and that is professionally.

Do not vacuum your vintage wool hooked rug instead use a manual carpet sweeper or even a broom. In the first add one tablespoon of laundry detergent. Then lay it on an area of the rug use a hose attachment and suck out as much dust and yuck as you can. Use a mild liquid laundry soap only if absolutely necessary test on an inconspicuous section of yarn before washing to make sure it will be color safe.

You want laundry detergent as opposed to dishwashing liquid or other soap because you don t want too many suds. When your rug is as dry as you can get it lay it flat to dry on a clean surface. It is an easy and surprisingly effective way to perk up a hand hooked rug. Not just any snow but dry powdery snow like what fell all day yesterday here on eastern long island.

Women used to gather up their area rugs take them outside and give them a good beating with a flat rug beater to get the residual dust off their rugs first. Martha stewart and tracy jamar an antique rug restorer talk about hooked rugs and how to care for and restore them.