How to Take Care of Hand-Knotted Persian Rugs

Hand-knotted or hand-made Persian rugs are the best type of rug you can ever own. They're designed to last an incredibly long time. In fact, most Persian rugs will outlive you!

The only time a hand-knotted Persian rug will wear out faster than the human lifespan is when it isn't properly maintained.

While a Persian rug is crafted by extremely talented professionals you still need to take good care of it if you want it to stay in excellent condition. A Persian rug can last even a full century or more if it is correctly looked after.

There are a few specific things to watch out for when it comes to hand-knotted Persian rug maintenance. In this article, we'll look through the four main things you need to do to keep your Persian rug in pristine condition. Take a look!

Avoid Constant Direct Sunlight

Most people think their rug is safe from sunlight because it is inside. Actually, the opposite is true in this situation. If your rug is placed in direct sunlight via a window for the majority of the day, the color of your rug will start to fade after a time.

For hand-knotted Persian rugs, this discoloration happens very slowly in comparison to other rugs. However, the rug can and may still lose color if the sun is directed at it for too long on a daily basis.

The simplest way to avoid this problem is to close your curtains at certain parts of the day. As the sunlight comes through different windows to hit your rug, open the previous curtains and close the ones that will cover the correct portion of sunlight this time.

However, closing your curtains all through the day can become quite a nuisance after a while. A simpler solution is to coat the necessary windows with mylar. Mylar keeps the harmful UV rays out of your house and away from your rug. (You may want to check the warranty of your window in case applying mylar forfeits it!)

Beware Dry Rot

Dry rot is caused by a rug remaining wet for a long period of time. While Persian rugs are quite resistant to dry rot as well, it can still occur if left unchecked.

Any rug that gets exposed to water often will start to harden and rot. As the rug dries off, the elasticity of the fibers inside gets weaker and weaker. Eventually, the fibers lose all elasticity and look like a stiff piece of wood.

The obvious way to avoid dry rot is to keep your rug away from anything that contains water or could make it damp. Flower pots and other things like them should never be placed on or even near a rug.

Defend Your Persian Rug From Moths

Moths love wool almost as much as we love Persian rugs. In the same way that moths mess with wool clothes in your wardrobe, they may infest your Persian rug. Moths love to settle in and lay their offspring in a wool rug. The moth larvae will then chew through the wool, leaving you with an expensive but ruined rug.

Luckily for all of us, it isn't difficult to stop moths from messing with our favorite hand-knotted Persian rugs! Moths prefer to house themselves somewhere dark and quiet. A rug that is being used on a daily basis isn't a good home for them. Make sure that your rug is entirely exposed and that you vacuum it well every couple of weeks on both sides. Pay close attention to the underside of your rug as that is where moths will most likely go if they do try.

Store Your Persian Rug Carefully

As I mentioned, moths love dark, quiet places. What better place to wreck your rug than while it is in storage! If you do need to store your rug for some time, you need to find something to place it in that can't be penetrated by moths.

A cedar trunk is the best method, in my opinion. However, another measure you could take is to roll moth crystals into the rug before storing it.

It is imperative that we take care of our hand-knotted Persian rugs. These rugs are very valuable and will last an exceptional length of time if we do so.