For your carpet to maintain its original appearance, it is essential to keep it regularly. Whether old or new, here are the simple gestures to adapt to brush, wash, disinfect your carpet or revive its colours.
- What is a Kilim?
- What is a Sumak
- What is a Carpet
- Maintaining a carpet daily: the vacuum
- How to clean a carpet in depth
- To revive the colour of a carpet
- Some tricks exist to revive the colours of your carpet
- To clean a carpet: disinfect
- What is a Kilim?
What is a Kilim
Kilim is a fabric without velour: nomads most often embroider on small looms. Originally it was from Anatolia and Iran. The word kilim comes from the Persian ” gelim “, ” flat-stitch wool carpet “, which people believe to have originated in Central Asia almost 10,000 years ago.
What is a Sumak
Soumak is embroidery on a kilim. Regions of Central Asia, eastern Turkey, Iran, and Turkmenistan, mainly the Caucasus are its origin. The word “sumak” comes from the city’s name where he was born, Sjemacha, in the Kuba province in the Caucasus. Nomadic women weave and embroider, initially in winter to combat the cold after the planting and harvesting season has passed.
What is a Carpet
Carpets are the oldest floor covering, its origin dates back to the same time as the first clothes. Sedentary women obtained it from knots mounted on a weft, this “velvet” on large looms. Much heavier than kilim and Soumak, it is more difficult to transport but adheres much better to soils. Nomadics use sheep’s wool and, more rarely, silk. They use cotton and hemp to make the structure of the carpet. “Oriental carpets” come from Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, China, India and Pakistan.
Maintaining a carpet daily: the vacuum
Your carpet deserves special care. Also, twice a week, pass the vacuum in brushing mode because it better raises the bristles and is, therefore, more efficient. However, if you have an Eastern carpet, a Berber carpet, an ethnic or old carpet, avoid brushing mode and aspire smoothly. Also, be aware that if your carpet is new, it will fluff in the first few months. In this case, vacuum without using the brush. Otherwise, you may damage it.
Other very simple gestures will guarantee a beautiful appearance and a longer life:
To erase traces of furniture, use a hot steam iron that you position above the crushed hairs.
In addition, do not hesitate once or twice a year to change the direction of your carpet so that it wears out less quickly.
Conventional aspiration, although efficient, does not remove all dust. It is, therefore, necessary, once a year, to use an injection-extraction shampoo by mono-brush. It will overcome dust but also dirt.
How to clean a carpet in depth
In addition to the foams and other more or less efficient products found in business, there are many more natural recipes to clean a carpet.
The first solution consists of washing it with a sponge impregnated with soapy water (or a mixture of water and household alcohol). Rinse it then in vinegar water.
If your carpet is light, dilute a few drops of ammonia in soapy water and rub the carpet with a cloth soaked in this mixture. Wait a few moments while the mixture penetrates and rinse with a cloth impregnated with warm water. Finally, dab it with a dry cloth.
If your carpet is dark, dab it with mineral spirits (wear gloves and ventilate the room). Leave on for about 1h30 and rub with a dampened cloth—finally, vacuum.
To revive the colour of a carpet
Some tricks exist to revive the colours of your carpet:
Firstly, humidify your carpet with gas water, let dry and brush.
Secondly, apply to your carpet sawdust impregnated with a mixture of water and ammonia (1 / 10th). After penetration of the mixture, brush the carpet and vacuum it.
In winter, if the conditions are suitable, you can also apply hard snow to the carpet and rub energetically.
To clean a carpet: disinfection
Also, a safe method to disinfect your carpet is to sprinkle it with baking soda. Then, leave on for about fifteen minutes and vacuum.
If you want to buy Kilim, Sumak or Carpet from Turkey, please visit our Turkish Carpet&Kilim category.
