In this article, Emmett discusses what to do with your Oriental Rug in the the event of a spill, pet accident, or flood.
If you don’t find the information you need below, call 1-888-811-RUGS (1-888-811-7847) or 510-526-1087 during business hours.
Spills and Pet Stains
1. Whether it is wine, coffee, coolaid, urine, paint or whatever, the first step is to remove as much of it as possible from the rug- as soon as possible. Paper towels work well. Keep blotting until you have got as much out as possible.
2. After blotting, many spills will require diluting. If it is clear that much of the spilled substance is still in the rug, dilute it with water (assuming that the substance is water soluble)- as much water as necessary. That may mean a half cup for a small spill or it may mean a quart of water for a major spill. Don’t get the rug sopping wet unless you need to.
Please note that some rugs have unstable dyes that may run if you put water on them. But they are a small minority of all rugs. Sometimes you simply must take a chance.
3. Now back to blotting. Get as much out as possible.
4. If the rug has become wet in the process, you needn’t panic. Chances are that it can stay wet for at least several days without harm. Still, you will have to manage the wet rug and promote drying. If the rug is quite wet, you may have to elevate it to promote air circulation under it. You might just stuff some wadded up newspapers under it. You may wish to play a fan on the rug to circulate air.
5. If the rug is still stained after all your efforts, consider taking it to a professional rug washer as soon as you can. Very often spills come out in the wash.
6. Do not use spot removers on Oriental rugs that are formulated for use on wall to wall carpeting. They will harm the wool pile of your rug.
Urine
Urine stains from pets are probably the most common of all stains in Oriental rugs. They present a special problem because urine actually changes the chemical composition of dyes once it has had a chance to set. The best strategy then (besides preventing it from happening) is to remove it the same way as other stains- as fast as possible. After removing as much as possible, rinse the area with a solution of water and distilled white vinegar- about one tablespoon per cup of water- and then remove as much as possible from the rug. If a urine stain is already dry when you discover it, act as quickly as possible anyway, and get the rug to an Oriental rug cleaning specialist. Enzyme type urine removers feed on wool and should not be used on Oriental rugs.
Wet Rugs
If your rug has become sopping wet from plumbing problems, a leaking roof, as a result of firefighting or anything else, the situation may not be as bad as you fear. A rug can stay wet for at least several days before it is harmed. Still, you must do the best you can to manage it. Even though the water and the rug are dirty, your priority most likely will be to get the rug dry. You can have it washed later.
In many cities there are 24 hour emergency services available to deal with wet rugs. You can find them in the phone book under carpets. Their work seems satisfactory on carpeting, but sometimes inappropriate and even harmful on Oriental rugs. Unless you are simply overwhelmed, you may be better off to handle the problem yourself.
1. If possible, get the rug to a wooden deck, a concrete patio or even a sidewalk. If you have a squeegee on a long handle, use it to squeegee out the water, pushing in the direction of the pile. In a pinch, you can use the back of a heavy garden rake as a substitute for a squeegee. Get as much water out of the rug as possible.
If you cannot get the rug to a flat, outdoor surface, you may vacuum it with a Shop Vac or other wet-or-dry type vacuum, pulling as much water as you can from the rug.
2. After squeegeeing or vacuuming it, you may now roll the rug without folding it and stand it on end, letting it stand until water is no longer dripping from it.
3. At this point the rug is still damp but no longer sopping wet. Finish drying it however you can. If you have good weather, you can dry it in the sun. If you must, dry it indoors in a warm room, elevating it, if necessary, to let air circulate around it. A fan trained on the rug will help.
4. If necessary, you can, at your convenience, have the rug washed by professional specialists.
Our dog threw up on our oriental rug. It is yellow in color. What do you recommend to clean it? Thank you very much.
Try cold water and a mild soap. Follow instructions above for “Spills and Pet Stains”
what about vomit odor??????? removal for an oriental wool rug/nonpile type
I have a large carpet - and it got wet (about only 1/5 of the carpet (on one edge) due to water flooding. It was only wet for about 30mins or so. I did dry it (elevating, cool fan, etc). There was a noticeable amount of color coming out of the carpet (I guess that is normal).
Now there is a water stain on the rug. Is there any way to get rid of this and retore the rug back to normal? The place I purchased the rug from said No - it will never get back to normal. I could claim on insurance, but I do like this rug!
Debbie,
You can try liquid Lysol diluted with water 5 parts to one. I can’t, without seeing the carpet, advise this as the piece may have fugitive dyes. If you want to chance it this should do the trick. Try it with a spray bottle if you go ahead with it. Good Luck!
Bob,
Can you send me a photo of the area? Richard@internetrugs.com.
I have several pet urine stains that have dryed on a beautiful oriental rug. The rug is in a room that is rarely used and therefore went unnoticed for some time. The spots have presented yellow spots. Is there anyway to dye the color back?
I want to take my wool black and white rug to the car wash.I do not have the money to have them procleaned. if i dry them out real well will thay be ok?
I dicovered that my dog threw up on our oriental rug and it looks like it has been there for a few days. I put water on it and blotted up as much as possible but there is still a yellow stain and the blotting is not blinging up any more on the cloth. Any suggestions? Thank you
My dog apparently had the runs during the night on my wool area rug. I didn’t have time to even start to deal with it until the evening. Shall I follow the same instructions as above for vomit and/or urine? Shall I look forward to yellow staining on my olive green rug?
Thanks in advance.
I used an enzyme cleaner on my oriental rug where I had pet stains and now they are larger and yellow–help???????? Is there anything to do about it???
I’ve heard that those enzyme products are very bad for carpets made from vegetal based dyes. The problem is that the enzymes break down the proteins in the pet stain and then start on the dyes. My best advice is to call 831-425-7847. Talisman Restoration. They are the best rug cleaners on the west coast and may have some ideas. Best Of luck.
Great, practical article - especially about the information on how the rug can stay wet for a couple of days.
i have paint stains on my wollen jumper, i was wondering if you could help me remove them, some suggestions would be nice, thanks.
my cat threw up on an oriental rug in my bedroom; i picked up the waste with a paper towel, but it left a slightly darker stain on the spot, so i applied a sponge with water and tiny bit of soap to the spot, and a day later the darker stain had expanded to the size of the sponged area, and the water stain remains. what to do?
Stan,
Sounds like the piece is just wet. You’ve done everything you can. I’d just wait to see if the stain goes away as the carpet dries.
If you’re drying a wool/silk blend rug on a wood deck in the sun, will it dry faster face up or down?