This may ruin your rug.
How to clean native american rugs.
Avoid machine washing steam cleaning or ironing.
Never whip or use a beater bar on navajo textiles.
Turn and or rotate the weaving from time to time to help with even wear.
Do not snap the rug to shake dirt loose.
Average cost 85 165 level two.
Snapping breaks the threads and shortens the life of the rug.
Do use a smooth floor attachment to vacuum your rug by hand.
Against and not with the direction of the interior warp and placing within a cedar lined chest within the house.
Native american rugs are usually made with a scratchier wool which is harder to clean due to an inbreeding of settler and native sheep a rug made befrore the 1800 s would still be soft and easier to maintain.
Preserving wool quality weight and original color are top priorities.
Complex clean involving a long series of hand washes with more costly techniques and chemicals.
You can do a biweekly gentle vacuuming but should avoid wet cleaning at all costs.
N ormal handwash cleaning includes.
Cold water wash gentle hand scrubbing to preserve wool texture and color mordants dye setting to reduce dye color loss specialized navajo rug cleaning chemicals.
This isn t a tip you have to apply daily or weekly because once a month or even once a season is enough.
Ideally rolling the rugs and blankets up the short way i e.
Rugs will end up dust free and squeaky clean thanks to this tip.
Should i clean it myself.
Many navajo dyes are water soluble and will run or bleed when wet.
Simple clean hand wash makes rugs hygienically clean restores lanolin to wool.
Give your rugs a gentle shake to loosen amounts of sand or dirt too large for the vacuum to handle.
Learn how professional art dealers value and buy navajo rugs and blankets.
With the possible addition of a mothball filled cheesecloth bag note.
Mark sublette owner of medicine man gallery shares his twenty five year experi.
Water also causes the fibers to stretch altering the look and texture of the rug.