How is Oriental rug cleaning different from carpet cleaning?

Carpet is usually cleaned in place with a hot-water machine. An Oriental rug comes to our facility for a full submersion wash with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner, then dries in a heated Dry Room. That's gentler on wool and natural dyes, and it gets out the grit buried in the foundation.

How much does Oriental rug cleaning cost?

It depends on the size, the fiber, and what the rug needs, so we quote after seeing it, or a photo of the front and back. The estimate is free. For one real example, a pet stain treatment on a Persian rug came to $50 on a recent job. See the whole invoice explained.

How long does it take?

Usually 4-7 business days, including pickup, the wash, drying and delivery. We never send a rug back until it's completely dry.

How often should an Oriental rug be cleaned?

It depends on where it lives. Entryways, hallways and kitchens: every 1-2 years. Living rooms can usually go 2-4 years. With pets or heavy foot traffic, once a year is best.

Will cleaning damage my antique or valuable rug?

Not with the right method, which is why we check the fibers, dyes and condition before anything gets wet. If a rug has weak spots or loose fringes, we'll tell you before we start, and repairs can often be done at the same time.

Can you get stains out?

Most food, pet and water stains, yes. Some stains permanently dye the fibers, and no cleaning removes those, but color restoration often can. The sooner we see a stain, the better the odds.

Do you clean hand-made and machine-made rugs?

Yes, both. Hand-knotted rugs get extra attention, but machine-made Oriental-style rugs go through the same careful wash.

Are there rugs you can't fully clean?

The main one is hand-tufted rugs with a glued backing. We can clean them, but we can't guarantee pet urine or odor removal on them. We'll tell you up front if your rug is one of these.

Do you clean silk rugs?

Yes, silk and wool-and-silk rugs too. Silk is more delicate than wool, so we check the fibers and dyes before anything gets wet and handle the rug accordingly.

Family-Owned Since 1989

Oriental Rug Cleaning in Chicago

Persian, Turkish, Chinese or Indian, wool or silk, hand-knotted or machine-made: we look at each rug first, then wash it the way it needs. Free pickup and delivery, and most rugs are back in 4-7 business days.

4.96 on Google from 23 reviewsRead them

Why It Matters

Why an Oriental Rug Needs a Different Clean

An Oriental rug isn't wall-to-wall carpet. Most are wool, some are silk, many are knotted by hand, and the dyes can be sensitive. A hot-water carpet machine or harsh chemicals can make colors bleed, and soap left in the pile pulls dirt right back in.

So we do it differently. We check the fibers and dyes first, give the rug a full submersion wash at our own facility on N Christiana Ave, and dry it in a heated Dry Room. Same family, doing it this way since 1989.

Not sure what kind of rug you have? Our guide on how Oriental rugs differ from other rug types walks you through it.

Inside our rug cleaning facility in Chicago

35+

Years cleaning rugs

What's Included

What You Get When You Send Us Your Rug

No sales talk. This is what every Oriental rug cleaning includes.

A look before we wash
We check the fibers, dyes, age and condition, so your rug gets the right method.
Free pickup and delivery
Anywhere in Chicago and the suburbs we serve. We roll it up and bring it back.
The price before any work starts
The estimate is free, and nothing happens until you say yes.
Back in 4-7 business days
Need it for a holiday or a party? Tell us at pickup and we'll plan around it.
Safe for kids and pets
Biodegradable, pH-neutral solutions. See exactly what we use.
Pet urine and odor guarantee
Guaranteed on every rug except hand-tufted rugs with a glued backing.
Keeps your rug's value
Regular, careful cleaning helps a good rug hold its value and last for generations.

Checking a Persian rug for pet urine with a UV light — From a real jobChecking a Persian rug for pet urine under a UV light. Urine glows under UV, so we can treat every spot, not just the ones you can see.See what that job cost, line by line

Our Process

How We Clean an Oriental Rug

Five steps, all done at our facility. Nothing gets a quick surface spray and a fan.

1
Dusting
The RugBadger shakes out the dry grit buried in the foundation, the stuff a vacuum never reaches.
2
Submersion wash
Several hours in flowing water with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner worked into the fibers.
3
Rinse and spin
An underwater rinse with compressed air, then a centrifuge to spin the water out.
4
Dry Room
6-12 hours in our heated Dry Room with moving air and dehumidifiers.
5
Final check
We clean the fringes, brush the pile, and look the whole rug over before it goes home.

Rug also needs fixing? We do fringe and edge repair and color restoration too, often at the same time.

Free Pickup

Rugs in Chicago

What Chicago Does to a Rug

We've been cleaning rugs here for over 35 years. These are the three problems we see most.

Salt and slush

From November on, road salt and slush get tracked in on boots. A rug that sat by the door all winter deserves a proper wash in spring.

Our Chicago winter rug guide

Humid summers

Rugs in garden units and basements, or anything that sat on concrete through a humid summer, can pick up a musty smell.

Why rugs go musty

When the heat comes on

Heat doesn't create odor, it releases it. If your rug smells once the furnace kicks on, the smell was already in it.

Read the full explanation

We pick up all over Chicago and the suburbs, including Arlington Heights, Northbrook, Skokie, Evanston, Mundelein and Clarendon Hills. Don't see your area? Contact us, we might be going your way.

Our Guarantee