Antique Rug Cleaning since 1881.

An antique oriental rug — typically defined as 80 to 100 years old or older — is a fundamentally different object from a contemporary piece. The wool may have been hand-spun. The dyes may be vegetal, drawn from madder root, indigo, walnut hull, or onion skin. The foundation may have weakened from decades of foot traffic. There may be repairs, color run, fading, or structural issues that have to be addressed before cleaning can even begin. Cleaning an antique with the methods that work fine on a new tufted rug is one of the most common ways valuable rugs get permanently damaged.

Fred Remmers Rug Cleaners has been cleaning antique oriental rugs since 1881. Four generations of family training. Our antique cleaning approach is fundamentally conservative: the goal is to remove soil and stains without making any aspect of the rug worse. We never use aggressive chemistry on an antique. We never use hot water. We never clean a structurally compromised piece without addressing the structure first. Every antique we clean is documented before and after with photographs and condition notes.

Antique cleaning includes pieces from every major weaving tradition — Persian, Caucasian, Turkish, Indian, Tibetan, Chinese — and every condition state, from museum-quality pieces in remarkable shape to floor-worn family heirlooms with significant condition issues. Each receives an individual assessment, written estimate, and the cleaning method appropriate for its specific condition. We tell clients honestly when a rug should not be wet-cleaned at all and recommend dry methods instead.