Animal Skin Area Rug

Pazyryk Rug

The oldest surviving complete rug was discovered by Russian Archeologist Sergei Ivanovich Rudenko in an exploration in 1949. Made of hand-woven wool, the Pazyryk area rug’s exquisite design, texture and its rich colors were remarkably well-preserved in the frozen Siberian burial site where it had laid hidden under the earth since the 5th century B.C. This wool area rug is an exceptional example of Saka art, featuring a hand-knotting technique still used in modern times.

Pazyryk Rug

Another famous area rug from the ancient times is the legendary “Spring of Khosrau,” supposedly an enormous and richly decorated hand-knotted area rug belonging to the King of Persia. Made about 550 BC, this area rug was made of wool, silk, gold, silver and gemstones. It had beautiful springtime sceneries woven into its texture, and its “flowers in bloom”, birds, green meadows and other carpet art are wonders of Persian ingenuity. It was supposedly 400,000 square yards. In reality this was most likely a refference to the entire royal collection of area rugs.

Here are some quick tips to proper area rug storage:

1. Area rugs should be stored in a heated, dry area.
2. If wrapped in plastic, one end should be left open, as wool needs to breathe. If it's completely encased, the wool can sweat and cause condensation inside the wrapping.
3. A sheet can also be used as a breathable covering.
4. Make sure the area where you will be storing your rugs is free of moths as well!

Call today to book your appointment! Be sure to mention this special!

* This offer expires February 29th, 2012.

Myth # 1     

"I shouldn't Tuftguard (protect) my wool carpet because there's a natural lanolin coating that protects it already."

False! After wool is sheared off the sheep, is goes through a process called scouring. Scouring removes vegetable matter, dirt, impurities, wax, grease (lanolin) and sweat (suint) with detergents and hot water. After the wool is scoured, less than 0.05% of the lanolin remains on the wool. If lanolin were left on the wool, this natural grease would cause it to smell and the rug would resoil incredibly rapidly. Because wool is, in fact, hair fibre and can be dyed easily, it is incredibly important to protect it. Imagine coloring your hair and having a shower after. Your hair is clean, yet it remains permanently dyed. Sometimes we run into this permanent redying when cleaning wool carpets that have been exposed to dyes (wine, tea, coffee), especially ones that haven't been protected! A coating of Tuftguard will act as a barrier, helping to stop dyes from entering the hair fibre and damaging it.

Myth # 2 

"You should wait for as long as possible to clean a new carpet, as it will resoil quickly after it is cleaned."

False! The origins of this myth are uncertain, but I would guess it has to do with improper product applications by uncertified cleaners. High alkaline detergents used by some carpet cleaners are sticky by nature. That is how they attract soils in order to clean. If these sticky detergents are not rinsed out and neutralized with an acid, they will remain sticky in the carpet and cause rapid resoiling. At Greenway we use neutral Ph cleaners and have no need of an acid rinse, however, any certified cleaner should have been trained to leave a carpet in an acidic state. Don't just take my word for it, when you purchase a new carpet consult the warranty! Most manufacturers recommend having your carpet cleaned every 12-18 months. In fact, some warranties will become void if you do not have them cleaned by a certified firm along the guidelines set forth in the warranty. A carpet that hasn't been cleaned in years (or sometimes a decade) will often have permanent damage. A properly cleaned carpet will NEVER resoil more quickly than before.

BINDING

Binding is the most inexpensive method of repairing a damaged or unfinished edge.  A damaged fringe is first removed (if applicable), a binding tape is then folded over the edge of the rug and then stitched on. Binding tape can be either synthetic or cotton. Binding is available in standard or wide widths.

 Large Binding                                       Standard Binding

SERGING

Serging is another option for repairing a damaged carpet edge. During the serging process, damaged fringes are removed, then  the exposed edge is finished using an overcast stitch. This is the option most recommended for area rugs that had a fringe to begin with.

   Before Serging                                    After Serging

REFRINGING

Refringing is another option in rug repair. The damaged fringes are removed, the edge is bound, and then a new fringe is stiched onto the rug.

Before Refringing                                  After Refringing

If you have any questions about rug repair, please consult with one of our technicians at the time of pickup, or call our office at (250)479-7419.

Fortunately for us, Eric Chavez, the son of Federico Chavez, was visiting his family after teaching about Oaxacan rug art in the States. What a rare treat! He spent 3 hours with us and showed us weaving and dying techniques and taught us history on the art of rug weaving. His father was also kind enough to share some of Oaxaca's finest Mescal with us. After we were shown many beautiful rugs the family had woven and had for sale. Needless to say we came home with some amazing works of art, which currrently hang on the walls of my home.

Many, many thanks to the Chavez family and their hospitality. If I go back I wll be sure to visit them again.

Be sure to check out our video!

For more information on Oaxacan hadmade carpets and culture, you can check out this link.

• Feel the wool – it should not feel 'dry' or look dull.
• Watch for:
  • dye migration (colour bleeding)
  • Insect damage such as holes in the rug or barren patches on the back of the rug
  • Excessive wear (thread bare areas)
  • Fringes that pull away when you pull on them (overbleached in cleaning process)
  • Yellow, orange or light brown marks or blotches (possible animal urine, usually permanent damage)
  • Sun or UV damage (lightening of dyes on parts of rug)

These few tips on the condition of the rug are conditions that are usually permanent damage and cannot be 'cleaned' out. Keep in mind there are some amazing bargains out there so don't be afraid to buy a used area rug – just take a good look at it (all of it) before purchasing and be sure to ask questions about its history and use from the owner. If you are unsure about buying a used rug, we have some very fine wool rug dealers here in Victoria that can advise you on a new rug purchase.

It's the cleaning supplies I would like to concentrate on because we are in the business. Many carpet and upholstery cleaning chemicals have some VOCs in them. This is slowly getting better over time, but they are something you should still be aware of. Here at Greenway, our principal pre-spray cleaning product does NOT have any VOCs in it. This is most important for our technicians' health, our health, and your family's (and don't forget about your pets) health. This is why you don't smell anything while we are cleaning, only fresh air. Your home can be kept clean and hygienic without the use of chemicals with VOCs in them.

So be sure to look at the label of your cleaning products and make sure it doesn't contain VOCs (many label say 'No VOCs' right on the label). If id doesn't state this, you can call the manufacturer and ask them if your cleaning product contains VOCs. If you can't find cleaning products without VOCs, feel free to contact us here at Greenway and we can provide you with an array of excellent cleaning products that do not have VOCs.

There ARE choices out there. Make them wisely.

The other, more damaging, problem with a rug with  this odour is that the off-gassing fumes can actually discolor hardwood, laminate, linoleum and wall to wall carpeting permanently. Also, this odour will not wash or clean out of the rug. Believe me we've tried! To avoid this issue, do yourself a favour and buy an area rug that is hand knotted or machine made where the back of the rug is not covered with a fabric. Keep in mind, not all fabric-backed rugs have this problem. Use your nose before making a purchase, there should be NO SMELL of rubber!

Carpet Pooling 1st View

Carpet Pooling 2nd View

"Pooling' and 'watermarking' are forms of pile reversal that can change the appearance of both wool and synthetic carpets. This is a very aggravating problem that can occur in any carpeting at any time in the carpet's life. Even the best and most expensive carpets can pool. Unfortunately it is irreversible and permanent. We have even used the hottest water temperature (the industry standard used to take out 'crush marks' in carpets) on these areas and they will still persist.

In essence, pooling, or 'watermarking',  is when the carpet's yarns are laying down in one direction and adjacent to that area the pile will lay down in a different direction creating a distortion in appearance – and an ugly one at that! In case you are wondering, carpet cleaning does NOT cause this. Notably, even if your carpet is fairly new and this pooling or watermarking occurs, most carpet manufacturers do NOT recognize this as a manufacturing problem and will not warranty against this.

Carpet Pooling Example View 1

Carpet Pooling Example View 2

There is no known explanation as to why some carpets pool in some homes and not in others. The most popular theory for this phenomenon is electromagnetic currents under particular homes, as it has been noted that there have been instances where someone could purchase a carpet that was on display at a distributor, for example, and then take the rug home and have this occur, only to have them buy a completely different carpet and place it in the same place and have the same thing happen.

Note: Pooling usually only occurs in cut pile carpets, not looped Berber carpets.