Rug cleaning is usually priced by the square foot, but the rate depends on what the rug is. Any quote given before someone has seen the rug is a guess, and guesses tend to get revised upward once the rug arrives. Here is what actually moves the number.
Size
The base of any quote. A 9 by 12 is roughly three times the work of a 5 by 7, and needs more space and more drying time.
Fibre
- Wool is the most common and the most forgiving. Silk needs slower handling, gentler agitation and careful drying. Cotton and viscose each behave differently again — viscose in particular can be damaged by water in the wrong hands.
- This is why we test before we wash. It is also why the fibre is the first thing we identify.
Construction and dyes
- A hand-knotted rug with natural dyes needs dye testing before any water touches it. Some older dyes will bleed, and finding that out mid-wash is not recoverable.
- Machine-made rugs with synthetic dyes are more straightforward and usually cost less to clean.
How soiled it is
A rug cleaned every year takes far less work than one that has not been cleaned in a decade. Heavy soil means longer dusting and sometimes a second wash.
Pet urine
The honest one. Urine is not a stain, it is a chemical problem — it moves dyes and, left long enough, damages the foundation from beneath. It always costs more, and results depend on how long it has been there. We will tell you before we start what we expect to achieve.
Repairs found along the way
Fringes, edges and small holes are often only visible once a rug is clean. We quote those separately rather than folding them in, so you can decide.
What is not extra
Pick-up and delivery. Inspection and the written quote. Laying the rug back down and squaring it. Those have never been billed here and will not start now.