The first, and one of the most important steps in properly deep cleaning a rug is “dusting “ the rug to remove dry soil.
Fine rugs are densely woven, which makes it very difficult to completely remove dry soils such as road salt, dust mite waste, pollen, and plain old dirt with a traditional vacuum cleaner.
First we lay the rug, upside down, over a metal grid which holds the rug about 1/2 inch off of the floor. Next, we push our rug duster over the back of the rug. A series of straps “slap” the back of the rug and this agitation/vibration knocks the dry soil out of the rug and it falls into the metal grate.
If this step is skipped, or improperly done, the dry soil remains in the rug turns into mud when we start the washing process. Some of this deeply embedded mud layer will remain in the rug’s foundation and will harden and accumulate over time if the rug is not properly dusted prior to cleaning.
