9 Steps For Purchasing Hand-woven Carpets

Hand-woven carpets, like any other products, require constant proper maintenance, especially as they are produced using natural raw materials. Therefore, maintenance of various types of carpets ranging from pile weaves such as rugs to different kinds of kilim must be routinely carried out based on the same criteria and methods.
When purchasing hand-woven carpets, information on maintenance can result in making the most appropriate choice. Such information could also determine the quality of carpets once it comes to purchasing them second-hand.

Carpet Size

The size of the carpet and the place where it is to be used is the initial consideration. An oversized carpet is likely to be folded at the edges or placed under heavy pieces of furniture, causing kinks and wrinkles that are often hard to even out.

Where to Place the Carpet

Carpets must not be placed on plaster-lime surfaces as they usually cause a change of color in, for instance, silk rugs. The floor must be as flat and even as possible, and stone, ceramic, and parquet floorings - with gaps filled meticulously - are perfect options.

Fringe Protection

Fringe is the name for the threads that hang off each vertical end of the rug. One way of protecting the carpet against wear and tear is to prevent fringe tassels from being untied or worn off. To that end, it is suggested that both ends of the rug should be canvas woven. These days, the untied fringes are cut and the canvas is stitched to the underside (backing) of the carpet. Another frequent repair is to tie fringes two by two using a separate string or thread, also known as a double knot, which will prevent the fringe from being torn away. Healthy fringes – not added to the rug later – are an important indicator of the carpet’s quality. The quality of fringes is also a decisive factor once it comes to purchasing second-hand rugs; the better the quality of the fringes, the higher the quality of the rug.

Selvedge

The selvedge of a rug is where the weft threads reach the end of a rug, and serves both protective and ornamental functions. In some weaves, a selvedge is reinforced to the border of the rug upon weaving completion, though it should be of the same thickness and density as the rest of the rug to prevent fraying, especially where there is too much foot traffic.

Leather Borders

There are several reasons why leather is applied as binding to the edges of the rug. At times, the rug’s edges are rolled towards the backing, and to avoid this, leather binding is applied to the borders. Leather bindings are also applied to protect the borders and prolong the life of thin rugs in particular. Other purposes of using leather binding are to cover the loom preparation effects and to increase friction between the rug and the floor, with the latter being an important function as stone, ceramic, and parquet floorings are very common nowadays.

Weather conditions and Room temperature

High humidity contributes to the growth of microorganisms such as mildew and mold in hand-woven carpets. In general, these microorganisms grow better in wet weather conditions; therefore, drastic changes in humidity and temperature of the rug’s surrounding environment must be contained to prevent its wear and tear. Hand-woven rugs must be protected against any kind of humidity caused by water pipes, radiators, gaps around windows and in ceilings or roofs. It is recommended that hand-woven rugs should be aired periodically. Different heating systems could also lead to the rug’s warp and waft fabrics going dry, which in turn has a negative impact on the elasticity of the rug, making it more likely to be torn when folded. Silk carpets are impervious to moths; however, they are more vulnerable to heat.

Insects Harming Hand-woven Rugs

There are a number of insects penetrating hand-woven carpets that destroy the rug’s wool fabrics. Some other insects bring about damage to cotton fabrics. The most harmful among these insects are moths (though adult moths do not feed on rug fabrics). When purchasing hand-woven carpets, one tends to observe moth-eaten areas on the rug’s surface and the backing. Some producers use miticides in the pile preparation phase to prevent such possible shortcomings.

Washing Hand-woven Carpets

Washing hand-woven carpets, an inevitable procedure, must be done by experts using appropriate machinery in carpet cleaning factories. Inappropriate washing methods at home and elsewhere might lead to color change, decay, and other serious damage to some carpets.

Removing Marks and Stains from Hand-woven Carpets

Getting stains out of rugs is a complex process requiring a great deal of experience, expertise, and knowledge. To do so, absorbents and solutions are needed. Carpets – especially second-hand ones - with no stains on the surface and the backing are considered to be of high quality.

Bibliography

1. Repair and Maintenance Methods of carpet. 2017. Iran National Carpet Center . Third edition by Abdolhossein Ghasemnejad .