Not every Rug is an oriental Rug. How can you tell the difference?

The term Oriental Rug has been used, overused and misused throughout the last few decades. Notice that suddenly, any carpet with a certain design pattern, whether handmade or factory produced is termed “Oriental carpet” by some companies.

Carpet outlets, furniture stores and even some large home improvement stores have been known to put out a carpet that 'looks' like an Oriental rug and just claim it as so. But Oriental rugs are much more than patterns or designs.

In this blog post we’d like to take a minute and define what is a real hand-made Oriental Rug:

• True Oriental rugs are made by hand and never produced in a factory. Mass factory produced carpets are not unique - the machines do a perfect job of duplicating a single pattern and we don't like perfect, not in the rug business. Hand made carpets on the other hand, are imperfect and even if they seem to have the same design, each and every one of them is different. The beauty of the hand made carpet (or hand-knotted, or hand woven, however, you want to call it) is in its imperfection. Each carpet is a unique work of art or as we like to call it "Art on the floor".

• By definition, Oriental rugs should genuinely come from an Asian country (that’s why there’s Orient in Oriental Rugs). Oriental rugs could be sub-divided into Middle East or Far East and the most well-known countries in the list for hand woven carpets would include India, Afganistan, Iran, Nepal, Tibet, Pakistan, Turkey and some southern regions of what used to be the former Soviet like Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Just to be on the safe side: "Wilton"®, "Karistan"® and "Couristan"® are nice rugs that are made by machines and have Oriental carpet designs. Please don't confuse them with authentic "Oriental carpets". Also know that no genuine Oriental rugs are made of nylon or polypropylene.

If you're looking for a true Oriental rug, visit us at www.1800getarug.com where you will find a unique collection of beautiful handknotted rugs which is always up to date with color and design.

Got a Real Dirty Rug? Try Full Rug Immersion Hand-wash

In addition to regular vacuuming, you will prolong the life of your rug by performing regular maintenance as you would do for your vehicle. Full rug immersion hand-wash is recommended every 3 to 5 years, depending on the amount of traffic the rug gets.

In the process, your rug is immersed in 300 to 500 gallons of water in a shallow wash pool where it is agitated, using a natural soap. Both sides of the rug are agitated, working soap deep into the rug's fibers. A neutral, mild, pure animal shampoo, that does not remove the natural oils and lanolin from the wool, is used.

During the soaking process, the water in the wash pool is constantly circulating with clean water running in and dirty water pumping out.

After soaking, the rug is flushed and rinsed out. Then a roller, which also features a jet stream of water, is pushed over the rug to force out any remaining contaminants. Both front and back sides of the rug are flushed in this manner.

Rugs dry while hanging over a raised, moveable beam. And all this results in a superior wash. Not only is your rug cleaner, but it will smell better, look brighter, and last longer because it is free of abrasive particles.

For more information, visit us at www.1800getarug.com or give us a call at 201-583-8949 and we will work out all the details for you.

Don't throw away that old Rug. Bring it in for Rug Restoration

Even though antique rugs stand out as pieces of art, rugs are basically made to walk on. If they were hanging on the walls, rug care and maintenance would be much easier, but rugs are “art on the floor” and we try to do our best taking care of them. Still you can’t really tell what the dog will drag in tomorrow.

In time, some delicate rugs wear out. Some rugs have missing fringes, others have holes where a table’s leg used to stand, and we’ve seen water damaged rugs and wrap damaged rugs and rugs with vacuum cleaner damage or even bacteria and mold.

But this doesn’t always mean that you have to throw away your rug. That’s the reason rug restoration was invented. Rug repair takes great technical skills, gentle hands and refined eyes.

1800GetARug can help you with your restoration needs. We can repair small to large holes in your rugs, fringes, mending, whatever you need to have done.

And whatever your repair need is - we can handle it at a very fair prices. Call us and get a quote. We are located in the New Jersey area, but can handle even a long distance customer. Give us a call at 201-583-8949 and we will work out all the details for you.

If you have any type of question please call and we will be happy to service you!

How to choose a rug? Essential carpet buying tips

Buying a rug might seem like an easy task, just head on to the local rug dealer and choose the rug you like. But actually, there are a few things to consider before you buy a rug and several ways to make sure you get the carpet that will best fit your needs.

How to choose a rug?

Size. Before you go to the store, make sure that you know the size of the room that rug is intended for. Pay close attention to the furniture and consider a reasonable size that will not be too small to or too big.

Many stores keep rugs hanging from the ceiling which can be confusing. Ask the salesman to put the rug on the floor. You will be surprised to see how small it looks when you are standing above it.

Feel the rug. Not with your hands, but with your feet. Take off your shoes, your socks and walk on the carpet. This is what it’s meant for and you have to make sure you like the feel of the carpet under your feet.

Remember that dark carpets make rooms look much smaller than they are in reality. Bright colors make rooms look a lot bigger. So color is very important here. If you have a smaller apartment, you might want to consider going for bright colors.

For more information about Persian Rugs, Antique rugs or Semi-Antique, Fine New Oriental Rugs, 19th century European designs or modern area rugs, log on to www.1800getarug.com where you will find a unique collection of beautiful handknotted rugs which is always up to date with color and design.