Posted on October 24, 2020 by Behnam Rugs

Aging is a natural part of a rug’s life as it is enjoyed and walked upon in your home. However, some rugs become damaged by things like pets, heavy vacuuming, and improper cleaning techniques. If you have a fine rug that has been damaged, you may wonder whether it is worth investing in repairs, or if it is time to buy a replacement. We have written this blog to help you make that decision.

Common Types of Damage:

1. Cleaning (or Lack of Cleaning) Damage: When you entrust your rug to carpet cleaners, you are asking for trouble. These companies leave soap behind in your rug, use cleaners made for carpets (not rugs), and use machinery that causes unraveling and a threadbare look. Color runs are a common side effect of carpet cleaners “cleaning” fine rugs. On the other hand, not cleaning your rug regularly is a problem as well. If your rug is not washed every 3-5 years, dirt will accumulate deep within the pile of your rug. These particulates are sharp and cut through the fibers of your rug. Without proper professional cleaning to remove built-up dirt and debris, your rug’s pattern will become more and more blurry over time.

Vacuum Damage: When you use the beater brush on a handmade rug, you are asking for trouble. The fringes especially are not made to be cleaned that way. The beater brush tangles and pulls on the fringe, causing breakage and even ripping the fringe off. Silk rugs especially should not be vacuumed with a standing vacuum. In some cases, the binding can tear and unravel as well. Another issue is that heavy vacuuming pulls on the fibers of your rug, eventually causing exposed knot heads and a threadbare look.

Pet Damage: You own a naughty dog or cat that loves to chew on your rug. Fringe is especially susceptible to pet damage. Animals love to play with fringe, but sometimes their playfulness crosses over into destructiveness. Teething puppies are the most likely culprit when it comes to chewing on rugs, but anxious, stressed, or high energy pets of all ages may chew as well. Redirect your pet if they chew on your rugs, and make sure they have something that you encourage them to gnaw on instead. A rug-safe spray deterrent that you apply to the rugs can help as well.

Water Damage: NEVER place potted plants on top of your rugs. In fact, don’t even put them close to your rugs. Water can ruin a rug in as little as 24-48 hours, as this is all it takes for the rug to grow mold. Mold is difficult to treat. On top of that, prolonged water exposure ROTS your rug! If the rug sits underneath a potted plant for long enough-even if it doesn’t leak, a hole will eventually wear through the rug from absorbed moisture. Once you have a hole, the only solution is patching or reweaving. When your rug is exposed to water, it may also experience color runs, which means the colors of your rug bleed and change the appearance of the rug, often muddling the colors and pattern.

Insect Damage: Moths and carpet beetles are your rug’s #1 enemy. These insects can do thousands of dollars in damage in just weeks. Their larvae are ravenous and destructive. Regularly check the front and back of your rug for signs of insect activity, especially areas not exposed to light. Make sure to clean dark areas frequently. If you see larvae, webbing, or threadbare areas that have already been munched on, call Behnam Rugs ASAP.

Mice Damage: Mice damage happens more commonly when you store rugs. If you need to store a rug, read this blog to ensure mice do not get access to your rug. Like insects, mice are quite destructive, ripping and chewing to make nests. If your rug sustains mice damage, your rug will require costly reweaving.

Stain Damage: When you spill something on your rug, treat it immediately. The longer a stain sits on your rug, the deeper it is absorbed, and the harder it becomes to remove. Fortunately, rug cleaning experts like Behnam Rugs successfully remove almost every type of stain there is.

The cost of repairs depends on the culprit and severity of the damage. If you allowed carpet cleaners to wash your rug and it has not begun to unravel, the damage can be rectified by a thorough wash by rug cleaning professionals. If your rug is unraveling due to being washed by carpet cleaners, it will be more expensive to stop and reverse this process.

For vacuum damage, you may need a new fringe installed. If your rug is quite valuable, these repairs will be worth the cost. If your rug is not worth very much, it may be time for a new rug. Exposed knot heads can be trimmed away or colored to match the rug. If Spot has chewed on your rug, it likely needs repair work such as a new fringe. If your rug is valuable, these repairs are worth the cost.

Water damage can be very costly to fix. However, rug owners often have a choice between patching and reweaving. Patching is less expensive, but the repairs will not match your rug perfectly, since the patch will be taken from another rug. Therefore, when you choose to patch a rug it may lose some of its value.

On the other hand, reweaving requires many more labor hours, as a weaver must do the repairs by hand. The larger the area that needs to be rewoven, the higher the cost. We recommend reweaving when the rug is quite valuable. For some rugs, even the expense of patching will be more than the rug is worth.

Insects and mice can wreak havoc on your rug quite quickly. The repairs for these damages can be expensive as well. Behnam Rugs has decades of experience removing insect infestations from rugs and disguising the damage.

If your rug is covered in stains such as pet urine or red wine, it is probably salvageable and worth investing in. Professional hand washing and an enzyme bath are all that’s need to remove stubborn odors and stains.

Getting your rug appraised will help you decide how much to invest in fixing your rug. We recommend getting an appraisal BEFORE your rug gets damaged, as it can be hard to evaluate the previous worth of a rug that already needs repairs.

We repair many damaged rugs because they have sentimental value- often more than the dollar value of the rugs. At Behnam Rugs, we offer free verbal appraisals so that you can make the decision of whether to invest in rug repairs and restoration.