Renaissance Rug Cleaning Inc.
Renaissance Your Rugs!
Open 9:30-5:30 M-F
Closed Saturday and Sunday
for drop-off & Pick-up,
no appointment is needed
(503) 963-8565
Persian Rugs
Persian rugs are handmade carpets that have been woven in Iran (formerly known as Persia) for centuries. The art of rug weaving has a long and rich history in Iran, with some of the oldest known examples of rug weaving date back to the 5th century BC. These early rugs were made of wool and were used for practical purposes such as covering the floor or keeping warm.
As the art of rug weaving developed over the centuries, it became more decorative and elaborate, with intricate patterns and designs incorporated into the rugs from other art, such as tile work. Today, Persian rugs are known for their intricate patterns, vibrant colors, and high-quality craftsmanship collectors and art enthusiasts around the world for centuries have prized Persian rugs.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Safavid dynasty in Iran was known for its high-quality rug production, and Persian rugs became highly sought after in Europe and beyond. During this time, the city of Isfahan became a center of rug production, and many of the most famous Persian rugs were made there.
Today, Persian rugs are still highly prized and considered some of the finest handmade rugs in the world. They are made using traditional techniques and materials, and they are typically made by skilled weavers who have learned the art of rug making from their ancestors.
Wool In Persian Carpets
Fat tail sheep, as the name implies, store fat in a hump on their rear tail section. Fat-tailed sheep are hardy and adaptable, able to withstand the tough challenges of arid life in the middle east and central Asia. The woo from this breed of sheep is coarse long and ideal for use in hand-woven carpets
As a result, the feel of Persian carpets is distinctly different from many other oriental rugs made with softer Merino.
This extends to the dyed wool. The primitive fat-tail sheep wool holds more dye the color is more saturated. The wool shows a deeper luster or sheen. It takes time to understand the qualitative difference of wool used in carpet weaving. In the rug trade, the selective breeding of Persian sheep for carpet wool, particularly in the Zagros mountains.
Are Persian Carpets better than other hand-woven rugs?
Iran or Persia have made and continues to make some fantastic wool and silk rugs. It's important to remember that the type and style of rugs made in Iran are different from other countries in price and style.
Other countries make quality handwoven rugs too; Nepalese or Tibetan carpet uses different Himalayan wools and weaving technique that yields a carpet with a different look and feel than an Iranian carpet.
Morrocan rugs with coarser knotting and bold geometric designs are authentic Persian rugs better? Yes, they are probably better weave quality, but stylistically a Persian rug looks different than a Morrocan
In the end, it's not weaving or even wool quality but rather a decorative look color design that drives people to rug styles not.
Are Persian Rugs Valuable
Some are valuable, and some are not valuable at all.
Iran produces both programmed rugs and one-of-a-kind carpets, with some being very rare and expensive and many being a simple per dollar sq ft. value based on the market price of similar rugs sell for in the marketplace.
Harder to value are some antique rugs, such as tribal rugs such as a Khamseh confederacy rug woven for a Khan, and the tribal environment no longer exists in Iran. Valuing such Persian carpets can be a complex process.
We never suggest buying rugs as investments or because someone tells you a rug is valuable buy a rug because you like it
Can I buy a new Persian rug?
There has been an on-again-off embargo on Persian carpets. Sadly, since 2018 the embargo has been on again. Meaning it is illegal to import Persian rugs or Iranian rugs into the USA. It is possible for a person to buy a Persian rug abroad and carry it back with luggage to the states as a personal purchase. However, purchasing Persian rugs outside the country is illegal and having them shipped to you from out of the country.
If discovered, it will be confiscated, and you will lose the rug and the money you paid for the rug.
Are Iranian Rugs Hard To Clean
Persia is a large country with various weaving cultures, styles of rugs, weaving, and dyeing techniques. Rug cleaning can be challenging for those unfamiliar with the variety of weaving styles and material construction. Being able to identify the origin of a rug before cleaning helps us understand the common and uncommon issues inherent in rug cleaning with specific types of rugs. It's not just identifying a rug but understanding the age of a rug some issues exist in certain time frames of rug production that work out over time; certain types of synthetic dyes are unstable, for example. It's important to choose the best rug cleaner in your area suited to clean Orientals and other woven area rugs.
At Renaissance Rug Cleaning, we know the difference between Persian rugs and copies, we know the age, and Randy, the owner, has over 35 years of experience with Persian rugs and has traveled and worked in rug weaving countries of Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Many of Portland's top rug retailers consider Renaissance to be the best rug cleaner for oriental carpets and area rugs in Portland. At Renaissance, we clean area rugs full -time not as a side business,
Can I Clean My Oriental Rug In My Washing Machine?
Washing machines are made for clothes, not oriental or Persian rugs. laundry detergents are not formulated to clean wool and silk area rugs and the combination of aggressive machine washing and strong cleaning detergents causes damage and bleeds the colors in your fine Persian rugs. Older hand-woven rugs and Navjos rugs can be damaged, frayed, and even fall apart in machine washing.
The proper way to wash rugs is by hand flat with water and pH detergents and by experienced oriental rug cleaners.
We wash Persian carpets the old way, the way they are meant to be cleaned. This pic is from the owner's trip to Zollanvari Gabbeh rug producer wash house in Iran. We hand wash Persian rugs much the same way and the way Persian carpets are meant to be washed.