For years we recommended aerosol pesticides to control rug-eating moths. When we learned what aerosol pesticides to to our atmosphere we stopped using them. But for years afterwards we had a terrible time trying to stop moths from dining in the rug store.

Three years ago we tried a new approach — pheromone-bated insect traps especially designed for the moths that eat rugs. It became clear that we had solved a problem that bedevils Oriental rug businesses and anyone else who owns Oriental rugs or even wool sweaters. Last year Emmett and Natasha used them at home with excellent results.

As a customer service we now stock pheromone moth traps and if you have ever had problems with moths, we believe you should consider using them. They come in packs of ten and cost $99 per pack. One trap in each room with wool rugs or other vulnerable woolens should be enough. They can be placed in drawers, under or behind couches and cabinets or on shelves, especially in darkened areas that these moths prefer.

Unused traps may be used the following year if stored properly, bringing the cost for most people to less than $50 a year to prevent most damage to your Oriental rugs — without fouling the air with aerosol pesticides. We think that is very little to pay for year round, non-polluting protection.

The moths you would do well to worry about are tiny things, hardly noticable as they flutter about. Tineola Bisselliella, they’re called.

Carpet moths rarely cause trouble to rugs that are regularly walked on and vacuumed. So don’t worry needlessly.

On the other hand, they gravitate to dark, undisturbed places where they can eat in peace and often they cause really serious damage. They prefer rugs stored in places like basements and closets, but they will settle for Oriental rugs under sofas or beds or where rugs abut walls and are neither vacuumed or walked on and rarely disturbed. Often they chew away at the backs of rugs rather than their fronts.

Strangely, the carpet moth seems to prefer dirty rugs, often avoiding clean rugs.

If you’re interested in proactively protecting your rugs from moths, you might consider using pheromone carpet moth traps in your home.

Up close and personal with the carpet moth, Tineola Bisselliella

For a 9 ft by 12 ft carpet, that is a savings of $135. Your rugs and carpets will be washed by Talisman of Santa Cruz, by hand, of course. We feel that Talisman may be the best Oriental rug cleaners in the country.

Please allow up to six weeks for the cleaning process. The prices above are for wool rugs. For silk rugs the charge will be $5/sqft instead of the usual $6.75/sqft.

The Talisman oriental rug washing team at work.

We are proud of nearly every rug in our showrooms, but we must clear many of them for our annual Spring Clearance Sale. Rugs and carpets of all sizes are on sale beginning now: runners, entryway rugs, room-sized carpets, throw rugs — many of them with natural dyes and hand spun wool. Tribal designs, formal designs, contemporary rugs. There is something here for you at clearance prices. Our Sale ends after Sunday, June 14th. Also check out our Oriental Rug Washing Special, running concurrently.

Emmett Eiland’s in This Economy

The economy has given us wonderful buying opportunities as vendors in Asia lower their prices. Many of our new acquisitions are exceptionally good buys that we can pass on to you. Ask us about new arrivals that we think are especially well priced.

Becuase our Clearance Sale is of limited duration, clearance prices are not listed on the website. If you find rugs that interest you, please phone 510-526-1087 or 1-888-811-RUGS(7847) to learn whether they are among those offered at special sale prices.

A: What you have is a Persian Sarouk from the late 1920s or early 1930s. The piece is very nice and has a somewhat unusual size. Most of these pieces were painted in New York when they came into the country. The American market wouldn’t support the “pinkish” color and the pieces were painted red by immigrant workers. This piece appears to be unpainted, which is also somewhat rare. I’d say that at retail here in this store we might sell this carpet for between $1500 and $1800.

But those of you who aren’t up for reading an entire novel on your computer screen (and I suspect that is most of you) will be interested to know that When a Dragon Winks is now available in paperback form.

Copies can be ordered from Amazon.com or Createspace.com.

Q: We purchased your book Oriental Rugs Today a few weeks ago in Islamabad, our home now for about three months. Thank you so much for putting together a readable, informative guide. It has sparked a deeper interest in buying and learning about how carpets are made.

We would like to know if you recommend certain stores in Islamabad or Lahore. There are many, perhaps too many, stores and it is too dificult to know which one is selling a quality product (we are not allowed to take photographs and have not been found an expert to advise us on quality). Interestingly, the carpet we have found most beautiful is available in only two stores in Islamabad - one is called “Afghani Carpets” that claims to have branches in Karachi and Lahore - and is apparently from Azerbaijan. There may be some confusion in the translation. He does state the “Caucasus mountains” is the area of production. The shade of the carpet changes depending on where you stand in relation to the ceiling lights. We have found on you website a carpet that appears to be similar in patern but different, lighter colors: Azerbaijan Shirvan Rug, Item #31219. Again, we have found very similar versions of this carpet only in two stores that we love very much. However, carpets from the Caucasus region do not appear at the top of your list of recommended countries of origin of carpets. Perhaps we are being mislead? Or perhaps there is a communications breakdown? What are your thoughts?

A: Hi folks- Thank you for your kind words about my book, Oriental Rugs Today. I’m happy to hear that you’ve caught the rug bug. There is no known cure.

Because I deal only with producers, I know of no retailers in Pakistan I can recommend. I am disturbed to hear that you cannot take photos of the rug you’re interested in. Is it the rug dealer who prevents it? What does he have to hide? I would find some way to insist, and then get the photo to us.

The rug you reference in our inventory (#31219) is stunning. If you have found something like it for a good deal less money, and if, like ours, it has natural dyes and hand spun wool, then buy it. Ordinarily the best rugs woven in Pakistan (and elsewhere in Asia) are produced under contract for the western markets and go right to the US and Europe. Typically, they are not released in Pakistan or Turkey or Iran.

Old Caucasian rugs often are wonderful. If we neglected them in Oriental Rugs Today, it is because most new rugs from the Caucasus tend to be sad things. New rugs in Caucasian designs from Turkey can be wonderful.

My advice: Spend only what you can afford to risk in Pakistan, and have fun. Save your serious rug shopping for the US, where you can take rugs home on approval for deliberation.

-Emmett

A: I don’t think the piece is a Sarouk. It looks like an Indian carpet in a Persian Kashan design. This means the carpet is worth about $800-$1200 to you. The best way to sell a piece like this is through Craigslist or a consignment/auction house.

We get loads of emails asking questions about specific rugs. Richard has dutifully sent out dozens (hundreds?) of detailed responses to these questions, which is great. But wouldn’t it be better if we could all benefit from his expertise?

We hope this will be possible with the new Ask the Rug Experts section of our blog. Here’s how it will work:

If you have a question about a rug you own, go ahead and email us at expert@internetrugs.com with the subject “ask the experts”. Be sure to include at least one photo of the rug. We’ll post your question along with our answer on the blog.

Those of you who know Emmett are aware that he is an avid writer as well as businessman and rug expert.

In addition to his Oriental rug book, Emmett and his wife Natasha co-authored the novel The Last Resort, published in 2004.

Well, all of us rug lovers are in for a treat. Emmett has been writing a new novel which unites his love of fiction with his passion for Oriental rugs. The first three chapters of Emmett’s new novel have just been published on our website, with more to come soon.

When a Dragon Winks is a celebration of Oriental rugs and a good laugh at the many who fatten themselves off them. It is a cat-and-mouse game of “Find the Fake Rug,” and it is a question of aesthetics: Can a forgery be a work of art?