Rug Cleaning & Deep Clean in London
Looking to deep clean a rug without risking the colours or the weave? Carpetix provides specialist rug cleaning across London, using WoolSafe-approved solutions matched to each fibre - from Persian hand-knotted weaves to modern synthetics.
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A rug hides more than it shows
A rug can hold several times its own weight in dry soil before it even looks dirty. That grit sits at the base of the pile, wearing down the fibres and dulling the colours every time someone walks across it.
A proper deep clean flushes that build-up out, lifts trapped odour and revives the original colour - safely. The key is matching the moisture and chemistry to the fibre, which is exactly why a general carpet method is the wrong tool for a good rug.
Cleaning wall-to-wall carpet too? See our deep carpet cleaning service.
Rug types we clean
Every rug is different. Before we apply any chemical, we identify the fibre, test for colour-fastness, and select the correct cleaning method. No single-solution approach.
Persian & Oriental rugs
Hand-knotted silk and wool weaves requiring careful low-alkaline chemistry
Turkish & Afghan rugs
Dense pile tribal rugs cleaned with fibre-safe pre-sprays
Modern synthetic rugs
Polypropylene and nylon rugs - high-extraction safe
Wool & natural fibre rugs
WoolSafe-certified chemistry to prevent shrinkage and colour bleed
Shaggy & deep pile
Extra grooming and air-moving for long pile fibres
Stair runners
Edge-to-edge extraction along every step tread
How your rug was made matters as much as its fibre
Two wool rugs can need completely different cleaning because of how they were built. Turn the rug over and look at the back. It tells you more about what the rug can safely take than the label on the front.
| Construction | What the back looks like | What it means for cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hand-knotted | The pattern shows clearly on the back, slightly irregular, with individual knots visible. The fringe is the ends of the warp threads, part of the rug itself. | Durable and washable when handled properly, but the cotton or wool foundation can shrink and the fringe can brown if over-wetted. |
| Hand-tufted | A canvas or fabric cloth covers the back, often glued on. The pattern does not show through. The fringe, if any, is sewn on. | The latex adhesive holding the tufts can break down when soaked, smell, and let the backing separate. Needs low-moisture cleaning. |
| Machine-made | Perfectly regular rows on the back, identical from edge to edge. Often a woven or latex backing. | Usually the most forgiving to clean, depending on fibre. Check the latex backing if there is one. |
| Flatweave (kilim, dhurrie) | No pile. The same or a very similar pattern on both sides, often reversible. | Cotton and wool flatweaves bleed dye readily. Colour testing first is essential, and drying must be quick. |
Wool rug cleaning
Most good rugs are wool, and wool responds very well to cleaning when it is treated as wool. That means a thorough dry soil removal first, because most of the weight of dirt in a wool rug is fine grit rather than anything a wash would lift, then cool water with pH-neutral, wool-safe products and a flat, well-ventilated dry. Heat and alkaline products are what felt and shrink wool. For small rugs you want to tackle yourself, see how to clean a wool rug.
Persian and oriental rug cleaning
Persian, Turkish, Afghan and Indian rugs are usually hand-knotted wool on a cotton foundation, and many older ones use natural dyes that were never designed to meet modern cleaning products. The two things that go wrong are dye bleed, where a red runs into a neighbouring cream, and browning of the cotton fringe and foundation when the rug stays wet too long.
Every colour is tested before cleaning. A sound rug with stable dyes can be cleaned in the home; an older or more valuable piece is better washed away from the house, where the water can be controlled and the rug dried flat. The care you can give one between cleans is in how to clean a Persian rug at home.
Hand-knotted rug cleaning
A hand-knotted rug is built to last generations, and it tolerates proper washing better than most people expect. The risks sit in the parts people do not look at: the foundation threads, which can shrink unevenly and make a rug ripple, and the fringe, which is the rug’s own warp and cannot be replaced without reweaving. Fringes are cleaned by hand and the rug is dried flat and square.
Viscose and art silk rugs
Viscose, often sold as art silk or bamboo silk, is made from wood pulp. It has a beautiful sheen and a soft hand, and it is the most fragile rug fibre in common use. It loses a large part of its strength when wet, crushes and distorts easily, and tends to yellow or brown as it dries.
Viscose is cleaned with a low-moisture method only, and often away from the home. We will tell you honestly before starting that some marks on viscose, particularly water marks and crushed pile, may improve without fully disappearing.
Clean at home or take it away?
| Rug | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic, machine-made | In the home | Tolerates extraction well |
| Modern wool, sound condition | In the home | Cleaned cool and dried with airflow |
| Hand-tufted | In the home, low moisture | Protects the glued backing |
| Persian or oriental, valuable or old | Taken away | Controlled wash and flat drying |
| Viscose or art silk | Often taken away | Low moisture and careful handling |
| Heavy pet urine contamination | Taken away | Needs a full wash through the foundation |
Our fibre-safe rug process
Dust & inspect
Loose, dry grit is removed first - it makes up most of what weighs a rug down. We then check the fibre, foundation and any weak areas.
Colour test
A quick colour-fastness test on the dyes tells us exactly how much moisture and which solution the rug can safely take.
Gentle deep clean
A fibre-matched, pH-balanced clean lifts embedded soil and odour without stressing natural dyes or the weave.
Dry & groom
Controlled air-drying followed by pile grooming restores the direction and softness of the rug.
WoolSafe-approved chemistry
All cleaning agents we use on wool and natural fibre rugs carry the WoolSafe seal of approval. This independent standard means the product has been tested to be safe for wool fibres, leaving no alkaline residue that would damage delicate pile or cause yellowing over time.
On-site or collection - your choice
Cleaned in your home
Most rugs are cleaned in situ. It is convenient, there is no waiting for a return, and you see the whole process. Ideal for everyday wool and synthetic rugs.
Collection & return
Delicate, antique or heavily soiled rugs may benefit from a controlled clean off-site. We collect, clean and return - and always advise honestly which route suits your rug.
How to tell what your rug is made of
Almost every ruined rug we are shown was cleaned as though it were something else. Here is how to narrow yours down before anything gets wet.
| Fibre | How to spot it | What it needs | What ruins it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wool | Springs back when squeezed. A single test fibre singed at the tip smells like burnt hair and crushes to a brittle ash. | Cool water, pH-neutral, WoolSafe-approved products. Dried flat with airflow. | Heat and alkaline chemistry. Both felt the fibre permanently, the same way a hot wash shrinks a jumper. |
| Viscose, sold as art silk or bamboo silk | Very shiny, cool to the touch, and goes stiff and yellowish when damp. Usually the inexpensive rug that looks expensive. | Specialist low-moisture handling only. Best kept away from water entirely. | Water. Viscose loses most of its strength when wet and the pile distorts and discolours. |
| Real silk | Fine, warm to the touch, and expensive. Burns to a soft ash and smells of burnt hair, like wool. | Specialist cleaning, usually off-site with controlled drying. | Domestic machines, strong products and anything alkaline. |
| Cotton and cotton flatweave | Matt rather than shiny, often a kilim or dhurrie, frequently reversible. | Careful moisture control and fast drying. Colours checked first. | Slow drying, which invites browning and mildew. Cotton also bleeds colour readily. |
| Jute, sisal and seagrass | Coarse, rope-like, natural in colour, often with a visible woven texture. | Dry or very low-moisture methods. | Wet cleaning. These fibres stain and brown from water alone, and can shrink and buckle. |
| Polypropylene and nylon | Plastic feel, melts into a hard bead when a test fibre is singed rather than turning to ash. | The most forgiving of the lot. Takes standard hot water extraction well. | Very little. Excess heat can distort the pile, but it is hard to damage. |
The burn test uses one fibre pulled from the underside of the fringe or a hidden edge, held with tweezers, well away from the rug itself. If you would rather not, send us a photo of the pile and the back of the rug and we will usually be able to tell you.
The colourfastness test, in two minutes
A rug that is not colourfast bleeds one colour into another the moment it is wet, and that cannot be undone.
- 1.Dampen a plain white cloth or a piece of kitchen roll with cool water. No product, just water.
- 2.Press it firmly onto a hidden part of the rug, ideally a dark or strongly coloured area near the edge, for about ten seconds.
- 3.Lift it and look at the cloth. Any colour transfer at all means the dye is loose.
- 4.Repeat on each distinct colour in the design. Reds and deep blues are the usual offenders.
- 5.If anything transfers, stop. Do not wet the rug, do not blot with water, and tell whoever cleans it what you found.
Step by step guidance for doing it properly at home is in our guides to cleaning a wool rug and deep cleaning a rug at home.
Rug cleaning by area
Period housing across East and South East London holds a lot of wool and handmade rugs.
Specialist rug care you can trust
A rug can be the most valuable soft furnishing in a home, so it deserves more than a general clean. Our certified team matches the method to the fibre, backed by WoolSafe-approved products and full insurance.
NCCA-certified technicians
Trained and certified by the National Carpet Cleaners Association to recognised industry standards.
WoolSafe-approved products
Fibre-safe, non-toxic chemistry that protects wool, natural and delicate materials.
£5m public liability insured
Fully covered in every home, rental and commercial property we work in.
Local to Leytonstone (E11)
A genuinely local team means faster, more dependable arrival times across London.
Rug cleaning reviews
“Our old Persian rug looked completely revived - the colours were brighter than they had been in years. You can tell they genuinely know rugs.”
“Cleaned our large wool rug in the living room with no shrinkage and no smell afterwards. Careful and tidy the whole way through.”
“The dog had an accident on our shaggy rug and I thought it was ruined. The odour is completely gone. So relieved - thank you.”
Rug cleaning questions
Can you deep clean a wool rug without shrinking it?+
Yes. Wool needs low-moisture, pH-neutral chemistry and controlled drying - exactly what we use. Every product we apply to wool carries the WoolSafe seal, so there is no alkaline residue, shrinkage risk or colour bleed.
Can you clean a valuable or antique rug without damaging it?+
We begin with a fibre and dye test before any chemical is applied. For antique and hand-knotted rugs we use low-moisture, pH-neutral solutions that are safe for natural dyes and delicate foundations. We will always advise if a rug is better sent to a specialist bath-wash facility.
How long does a rug take to dry after cleaning?+
Most rugs are touch-dry in 3 to 6 hours with our air-moving finish. Very dense pile or natural fibres may take a little longer. We groom the pile on completion to speed airflow and prevent any flat-pack drying pattern.
Do you clean rugs on-site or take them away?+
We clean most rugs in situ in your home. For very delicate or heavily soiled rugs that need a controlled environment, we can arrange a pick-up and return service. Get in touch and we will advise on the right approach for your rug.
Book your rug clean
Free quotes with no obligation. We respond within 15 minutes during business hours.
Other Services
We cover the full range of fabric and property cleaning from a single call.
Carpet Steam Cleaning
Hot water extraction that lifts embedded dirt, stains and allergens from deep in the pile.
Upholstery & Sofa Cleaning
Low-moisture deep extraction for sofas, armchairs, mattresses and curtains - fabric-safe.
End of Tenancy Carpets
Tenancy-grade carpet cleaning to help secure your full deposit back at check-out.
Property Deep Cleaning
Full property reset - kitchens, bathrooms, floors, and carpets in a single thorough visit.