Oriental Rugs: Removing Pet Stains and Pet Hair

Your oriental rugs can be ruined by your pet's stains and hair. Below is a short and easily followed step-by-step method of taking out pet dirt and stains.

Tools and Materials Needed:

•    Damp paper towels;
•    Rubber gloves;
•    Rubber squeegee;
•    Lint remover or anti-lint brush;
•    Duct or packaging tape;
•    Cold water;
•    Vacuum cleaner;
•    Crumpled newspaper or wood.

Step 1 – Clear Away Visible Pet Stains and Hair

First, quickly remove from your oriental rugs as much pet fluff and dirt as you can. You can do this by rubbing the affected spots with moist paper towels. To protect your hands from bad odor and dirt, put on a pair of rubber gloves before cleaning your rug. Besides, some pet hairs tend to stick to rubber, making your efforts a lot easier.

Step 2 – Dilute Stubborn Dirt with Water

If damp towels do not work effectively, you can try to add some water on the affected area. This will dilute the pet stain and can significantly clear away stubborn dirt. The amount of water that you can add depends on the size of the stain. But whatever you do, avoid getting your rug drenched.

Step 3 – Use Squeegee or Lint Remover

If you still see pet hair lodged within the rug pile, use rubber squeegee to evenly brush off fluff from pets. Again, rubber tends to attract hair, so you will not have a hard time taking off strands of fur from your carpet or rug. For very fine cat hair, you can use a lint remover or an anti-lint brush.

If the affected oriental rugs are small, you can use a strip of packaging or duct tape. Simply put on the strip of tape on the area where there are lots of pet hair, then after a few seconds, pull the tape off.

Step 4 – Clean Off Pet Urine Thoroughly

Pet urine can bring about serious problems to your rug unlike any other types of dirt and stain. For this reason, pet urine deserves its own step in cleaning rugs. Urine can actually alter the composition of the dyes used in rugs, so you have to thoroughly blot out affected spots and in the fastest way possible. You can use water and some white vinegar to take out the odor and stain, but remember to remove as much of the vinegar solution as you can afterwards.  

Step 5 – Completely Dry your Wet Rug

If for some reason your oriental rugs became soaked in water, you have to ensure that they completely dry before putting them back. You should lift up the affected area for a few hours to enhance air circulation underneath it. This will speed up the drying process. Put crumpled newspaper or two pieces of wood under your rug to hasten its drying.    

Step 6 – Vacuum the Affected Area

After the rug has dried, you should vacuum the affected area to take out dust and other particles. Vacuuming can also bring back the softness and silky feel of your rug.