Cleaning: Depending on the amount of traffic your rug bears, we recommend getting your rug professionally cleaned every 1 to 3 years. Puffin insures a skilled cleaning that brings out the richness in color and softness of the wool. The entire cleaning process usually takes 7-10 days. If you have pets, or bad allergies, you may have to have your rug cleaned more frequently. If you notice any moth activity/damage, pet stains or urine odor, contact Puffin immediately. For all rugs that have pet stains, urine, or mildew odors we recommend deodorizing as part of the cleaning process. We also offer smoke-treatment for smoke-damaged rugs. Puffin offers FREE local pick-up and delivery if the rugs are ready to roll.

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Rotation: To insure even wear and prevent fading, your rug should be rotated at least once a year. Depending on the traffic, the rotation may vary from six months to two years. Most rug dyes are quite resistant to sun fading or bleaching. Still, ultraviolet rays are a powerful force of nature, and a rug will likely fade over time if used for years in a very sunny area. Consider sheer drapes to block some of the direct sunlight.  

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Vacuuming: Oriental and area rugs, like most carpeting, should be vacuumed on a regular basis to remove dirt and restore life to the fibers. The beater brush can be used on the pile but be sure not to vacuum the fringe. The most common repair is restoring ripped fringe.

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Padding: A quality pad used under your rug helps protect it from dirt, wear, and slippage. It will also help prevent your floors from additional wear and better insulate your space while adding a nice cushion to your rug. No matter what type of flooring you have, we have the perfect padding solution. The most common requests are for pads that prevent rugs from moving, on hard surfaces or on top of carpeting- ask us about Teebaud padding. All of our padding options are made in the USA and are made with synthetic fibers that won't break down over time or mar your rugs or floor.

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Restoration: In case of damage, just about any problem has a solution with a professional restoration, which is one of Puffin’s signature services. Old and antique rugs sometimes need to be rewoven where worn and restored to life. Puffin offers overcasting- which lock the ends to protect from fraying; serging- locking in the sides of the rug with a single round or double flat weave; fringing- either ready-made replacement or hand-filled invisible restoration, as well as repiling, reweaving, sleeves for hanging rugs and patches.

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Stains: There is no general solution to remove stains. Depending upon the cause of the stain, any of several cleaning options may be the best choice. If your rug gets stained, contact us immediately and we will help you decide on the appropriate course of action. Always be cautious putting any product on your rug, as some can cause colors to bleed or actually set in the stain.

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Water Damage: If your rug gets wet, contact us ASAP! Dry rot cannot be undone, so it's helpful to get your rug properly and fully dry to avoid this damage. 

Most varieties of Oriental rugs have a wool pile, but many have cotton warp and weft (the warp is the foundation upon which knots are tied to create the pile; the weft runs over and under warp strings between rows of knots to strengthen the rug from side to side). This cotton foundation can be weakened, and sometimes actually rotted if the rug gets wet repeatedly and not properly dried.

A common cause of such damage occurs when potted plants are placed directly on a rug. The plant is watered regularly, the pot leaks, and the rug under the pot stays permanently damp. Within two or three weeks the foundation of the rug can become so weak that chunks can be torn from the affected area by hand. If you use planters near a rug, try to place them on a slim legged stool, or a caster-based support that lets you see under the pot and allows for ventilation. After watering the plant check to be sure the rug under it is completely dry.

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Moth Damage: Once you identify the presence of moths in your Oriental rug, it is too late for you to treat the problem yourself. Contact Puffin immediately to avoid the infestation spreading to other rugs and areas of your home.  Our cleaning and moth-proofing treatment will help prevent any further damage from the active moth larvae on your rug.  Keep in mind that even after your rugs have been treated, you will need to take preventative action so that no new moth damage occurs. Below are some tips on identifying the presence of moths, and how to maintain moth-free rugs.

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Flying clothes moths do not eat your rugs, but the females lay hundreds of eggs each, and the eggs hatch into larvae that consume wool, fur, feather, and silk fibers. Moths and their larvae thrive in dark, undisturbed areas where a rug gets little traffic and is not often vacuumed (for example, areas under heavy furniture). A bad infestation sometimes leaves a cobweb-like veil in the area of the damage, along with fine, sand-like debris. An infestation often involves more than one rug, and can spread to (or from) woolens or furs hanging in a closet or sweaters stored in a drawer.   

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To identify the presence of moths, look for one or more of these signs:

 -Flying moths -- the common clothing moth (tineola bisselliella) is the villain. It's small, 3/8" long or less, and is usually silvery tan or soft brown in color. This moth flies slowly but with a rapid flutter of small wings. If you try to snatch one out of the air, the clothes moth folds its wings and drops to the floor.

 -Bare spots in the pile -- often moth larvae will prefer the taste of one color yarn over another, and so the bare spots may involve some specific colors but not others.  

 -Webs -- white gossamer filaments covering a patch of the rug's pile (often only present with a bad infestation).

 -Cocoons -- 1/8" diameter x 1/2" long slightly fuzzy cylinders usually the same color as the rug's pile (larvae camouflage their cocoons to blend in with the color of the wool that surrounds them).

 -Larvae in the pile -- slender, white, worm-like moth larvae about 3/8" long can sometimes be seen just after hatching, before they've constructed cocoons. It is the larvae that actually eat the wool.

 -Sand-like particles down in the pile of the rug -- this material, often tan or brown in color, regular in size, and granular in look, is the excretion of the larvae.

 -Broken/loose piles -- where the larvae have chewed through yarn overcastings or bindings.

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To prevent moth damage:

Vacuum the entire face of the rug weekly if possible. A few times a year, vacuum the back side of the rug and the pad and floor underneath. If the rug is too large to handle, flip the edges over, and vacuum at least one to two feet in along the borders on the back side of the rug. The corresponding areas on the pad and floor should also be vacuumed.

Be aware that moth balls, flakes, or crystals (naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) act only as a minor repellent to moths, when storing rugs in a small enclosed area, and they lose their effectiveness rather quickly. They do not kill moth larvae; only professional rug cleaning will kill active moth larvae.

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