CLEANING AND DAILY CARE OF HANDMADE TURKISH CARPETS

Cleanliness is the first and major step towards the preservation of a hand made carpet and it is best defense against damage. There are no hard fast rules to stipulate when and how often to clean a carpet since every hand made carpet is different and every household exposes a carpet to different amounts of wear and dirt. There are many professional cleaning.However,the following advice and information are basic general instruction that the average home owner may exercise in the care and cleaning of Oriental carpets. The best recommendition is regular brushing with an old fashioned hand room with natural bristles or the use of an electric carpet sweeper. Remember that is just an important to brush the underlay of the carpet and the floor beneath. One caution, the regular use of vacuum cleaner will eventually start to loosen the knots and pull the fibers out of the pile also never use the revolving brush attachment on a carpet for it will actually pull the fibers apart. The nozzle attachment is the best and may be used once a month.

An old fashioned carpet beather used every few weeks or alternatively a good shaking out doors is invaluable for removing the harmful dust and grit that becomes lodged in the carpet. Always beat the back of the carpet to allow the dirt to fall out from both the back and front of the carpet.Never beat a handmade carpet violently and never beat antique or silk carpets.

Washing or Cleaning
How often one needs to clean a carpet, depends on the mount of traffic and the type of carpet such cleaning may vary from every six months to once every two years. A carpet with a light colored ground may be sent out to be cleaned more often, but it may be less onvious if the carpet is dark and intricately pattermed. The first indication that a carpet needs cleaning will be from the feel of the pile,which may feel coarse or harsh to the touch instead of velvety and smooth as it should be. Another useful test is to fold up one corner, and tap the back of the carpet over the palm of the hand. If a fine powder of dust, grit and loose fibers falls into your hand it is certainly the time to clean the carpet..

Hand Cleaning at Home
You may be daunted by the idea of cleaning your carpet home. It is time consuming process requiring care and patience but it is actually a simple job which can be successfully carried out by any carpet owner who foolows these simple instructions. Hand cleaning has multiple revards, aparts from the obvious benefit of saving money. It will give personal satisfaction to see every fiber fresh and revived. It will also give the owner a closer affinity to and understand of the carpet. Every previously unnoticed subtlety of colour and motif will come into view with the close attention that hand cleaning requires.

Nearly all types of carpets can be cleaned at home with the exception of antiques carpets is in need of repair, silk carpets, and noncolor – fast carpet. These should receive the attention of a professional.

Preparition
Preparation is as important as the washing process itself. Test the carpet for color fatness by rubbing a brightly colored area gently with a damp white cloth. Then examine the carpet carefully to make sure it is not in need of repair. Since the carpet becomes more fragile when it is wet. It is advisable to carry out most repairs before washing. Only repiling is better done after washing since the colour can be matched more accurately. After the carpet is clean brush and beat the carpet thrroughly to remove so much loose dust as possible because dust and dirt is more damaging when wet than dry. Finally find a flat clean hard surface on which to cþlean the carpet. For small carpets it is better to clean them on large table.

Equipment
Most of the necessary equipment can be found already already at home.A soft brush with natural bristles about one inch long (The type used grooming horses is ideal), white natural vinegar, carpet shampoo. The type which dries to afine powder and a bucket of warm water are all that is needed.

Prepare a mixture of the following proportions, half a cup of carpet shampoo to poor and a half cups of warm and add one tablespoon of vinegar to prevent color from running...

Method
Lay the carpet with the pite up on a hard flat surface. Dip the brush in the liquid and apply it in gentle even vertical strokes. Vigorous brushing or scrubbing will not clean throughly and is likely to damage the carpet in its wet vulnerable state. Start in corner , brushing up and down with and against the pile with even over lapping movements. The amount of shampoo applied and the pressure of the brush should be as constant as possible over the entire carpet surface. Once the carpet is brushed vertically (lenghtise ) then brush horizontally or from side of side across the pile with the same gentle overapping strokes. The pile should be throughly cleaned by now Finaly brush gently in the direction of the pile as the carpet dries so that the pile is lying in the right direction..

Try to apply the cleaning solution sparingly, so that the base does not become wet. It is very difficult to dry it throughly, since it is firmly encased in the million of tight little knots. If the carpet is returned to the floor while the months the base will be extremely brittle.
During the entire cleaning process handle the carpet as carefully as possible, since while is wet , it is extremely fragile, so it is extremely fragile, so it is very easy to cause damage.

Drying
Small light carpets , can be pagged by the kilim end on a clothes line. Larg carpets are more eaisly dried flat on ahard , clean surface. Paving stones or concrete are ideal .Do not dry on a lawn since the base will absorb the moisture of the grass.If it is impossible to use such an area or the weather does not permit out-door drying ,then an area of the house can be prepared. Preferably use a room where thwere is a warm air current heating system.Do not drape the carpet , it must be allowed to dry falt and don’t walk or place anything on it until it is completely dry. The warp weft and plie of a completely dried carpet shouls fell soft and pliable.
Remove the dried dirt and shampoo powder by gently brushing with a soft dry brush , or by gently using the vacuum cleaner. An alternative method used in Scandinavia and Turkey is to place the carpet pile down ward on virgin snow and pat the back gently all over. This patting should be just firm enought to press the pile to the snow .
But quickly and gently so it won’t make the carpet too damp. As the carpet is lifted away ,all the dust and grime is left imprinted in the snow. This method is only suitable for small carpets since it may be inconvenient and difficult to dry large one during the winter.

Things To Avoid
Washing machines and dryers should never be used any delicate hand made item. With carpets teh vibration , water temperature and harsh detergenis will cause irrepairable damage , possible colour run from the hot water and harsh detergents and a cementlike wool once dry. It may even reduce the carpet to shreads. Many films and books show scenes of Eastern weavers washing their carpets in streams and rivers.
This has led many owners to wrongly believe that a complete soaking is good. This process is only used for fairly new carpets.They are washed very quickly then laid out to dry immediately in the baking sun
Antique and silk carpets are never washed in this way. In fact usally this river washing is used only as the first washing before the carpet is put into use or sold mainly o remove the millions or may wool ribers that become embaded in the pile after shopping and the loose excess dye stuffs.

This total immersion is not advisable. It can cause color run and it soak the warp and weft threads unnecessarily .The warp and welf do not need such a cleaning since they are totally enclosed by by the knots of the pile and so are not exposed to dirt. Some firms that adversite themselves as expert carpet cleaners use elctric rotary brushes. These machines were designed for use on machine made carpets and could only be will twist and break the delicate woll fibers of an oriental hand made masterpiece should never be subjected to the wrong chemicals that these firms use. The damage may become apparant only after several months and the damage is irreparable....

Dealing With Spills And Stains
Water and dampness are the greatest danger to an Oriental carpet. Water spillage is perhaps is the most common accident at home. When this occors , appropriate steps should be immediately taken.Using an undyed piece of cloth try to absord as much of the spilled water as posible. Place some material underneath the carpet and cenlty blot the pile.Do not try to wring it.
A hair dryer set a modarate heat is probaly the best implement for drying. Dry the carpets throughly from both sides. Place some material underneath the carpet and gently tease it back in to shape with the gingers .
Failure to carry set a modarete heat is probably the best implement for drying.Dry the carpet throughly from both sides.The pile may be a little matled when dry. Gently tease it back in to shape with the gingers.
Failure to carry out the above steps as as quickly as possible result in two problems color run and the rotting of the warp and weft. Should these problems occur it is best to seek the help of shape of an expart restorer.
In a busy house hold a varity of subtances may be accidently spilled on a rug . Exculuding the treatment for silk or antiuque carpets most of these accidents canbe tackled at home. The first step with any subtance is the same as with water. Soak up as much liquid as possible with a clean undyed cloth.
This simple absorbtion methed when carried out as quickly as possible is the greatest contribution to stain prevantation. The longer as a spill remains the more difficult it is clean and the greater the danger of a parmanent stain.
The next page is to make a color- fastness test. Rub a colorful patterned area with a damp white cloth. If the cloth takes the color of the carpet then an expert should be asked to tocklo the problem it the carpet is colortast then the stain can be removed at home with a varicty of common household items. In dealing with every type of stain, work the from the top of the stain downwards never from the middle outwards as tis may remember that gentle repetition is more effective than harsh scrubbing.

Washing and care of the carpet

A dirty or stained carpet should be washed with soft soap, without delay, rinsed with clean water and dried. A Turkish carpet is made to last and, therefore, requires certain care. The worst enemy of a carpet is damp. Therefore, it should not be left in a damp environment over a longs period. There is no harm in washing and immediately drying a carpet. However, it should not be laid on the floor before it is well dry, and it should never be kept damp on the floor.

Carpet naturally collects dust when laid on the floor a long time.Therefore, it should frequently be vacuum cleaned.In spite of this,when laid on the floor over a long time, dust may collect at the bottom of its knots and the carpet should be laid on the floor face down for several days in each year, walking on it frequenrly to get rid of the accumuladet dust. This action causes the dust accumulated at the bottom of the knots to fall off. Later the carpet should be laid face up again and vacuum cleaned. Nomads use a more practical method. They lay the carpet face down on snow and cover it with a layer of snow.During this process the melting snow removes the accumulated dust like a filter and polishes the carpet.
Fading colours may be shined with vinegar: Adding a glass of vinegar into a bucket of water, the pile of carpets is wiped with a sponge in the direction of the weave, and the carpets is left to dry.As a result,the carpet regains its shine. As removing stains may not always be easy, carpet needs good care. A Specialist should be consulted for stubborn stains. The following points shoulds be remembered for good carpet care:
During cleaning refrain from rubbing the carpet knots in the reverse direction. Take care not to wet the whole carpet. Never use any chemicials, including ammonia, to clean silk carpets.
 
Some hits to remove stains

Any alcholic drink: Lightly wet with warm water and use 90 % alcohol to clean.
Mud: Dry well and vacuum clean.
Sweets: Lightly wipe with warm water
Ink: Damp sponge with a mixture of water,soap and alcohol,and wipe.Take care to prevent the cleaning mixture from dripping down to the reverse of the carpet.
Fruit: Damp sponge with a mixture containing 3 parts white vinegar or lemon juice and 1 part ammonia, and wipe
Egg: Never use hot water. Wipe with an ammonia and water mixture,failing that, use an alcohol and water mixture.
Blood: Never use hot water. After cleaning the stain well with a damp sponge, If the stain is dry, brush it and clean with water. If unsuccessful, wipe again with pure white wine. If the stain is dry, brush it and clean with water containing a smoll anount of ammonia.
Make-up materials and perfomery: Wipe with alcohol.
Pet urine: Wipe with a sponge while the stain is damp, and leave to dry. Later wipe with white wine vinegar. If unsuccessful, wipe again with a mixture of 3 parts alcohol and 1 part ammonia.
Red wine: Clean with white wine, and wipe with water.