Most woven rugs have wool knots tied around COTTON fibers for its construction. Cotton allows for a more consistent shape and construction as foundation threads (warps and wefts).

Take a look at any hand woven rug, and you can grab one single fringe tassel, and it literally runs all the way through the middle of the rug to the opposite side. The knots are wrapped around each of these warp strands.
Most rugs have a cotton interior “skeleton” to them – and as we know, cotton is absorbent (it’s why we use it for our towels).

This means when you have a rug with a spill on it – what you can see on the surface is just the tip of the iceburg, especially if the spill is an acidic spill like juice, soda, coffee, tea, or the worst spill – pet urine or vomit.

Ideally, when you spill something on a wool rug, you go to blot it up immediately. Wool has a certain level of repellency to liquid so it does give a level of protection that allows you to grab a cotton towel and blot the spill up.

But when a spill is allowed to sit for awhile, and soak into the cotton interior, you have several problems as a result. It can cause color loss, stiffness of the area (and potential mildew and dry rot if left damp too long), odor, and also if the spill is food-related it can end up being a food source for a host of different insects.

Los Angeles, California – June 12, 2009 – The desire to expand consumer knowledge regarding the care of the rugs in their home and the importance of their cleanliness is the focus of California-based Los Angeles Rug Cleaning. Headed by industry expert, Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay), the company’s website provides a wealth of information regarding how to properly care for rugs, kilims, tapestries, Oriental carpets, and more. The site is an essential resource for rug owners who care about the investment of their rugs and serves to provide education regarding the importance of rug cleanliness as it can significantly impact the health of those who live in the home.

According to Dr. Sobhe, “When it comes to oriental carpet cleaning, we should have two major concerns: 1- Our health and 2- The life of our rug, which can be extended by professional rug cleaning. We breathe what we walk on; dirt, dust, sand, and etc are stored in the pile of the carpet/rug and when we walk on them they are released and thrown in the air and we breathe them in our lungs. Therefore, cleaner rugs help us have a more sanitary room and healthier environment.”