Area Rug Cleaning in Sag Harbor, NY

Walk into almost any older Sag Harbor house and you will find rugs laid over wide pine floors. Runners line the halls, a big rug sits under the dining table, and a flat-weave catches sand at the back door.

Those rugs protect the floors, so they take the wear. Sand from the beach, salt from the air and paws from the dog all end up in them.

The first job is getting the dry sand out. In a beach village, that grit is the main thing that wears a rug down. We remove it before washing, since water just turns sand into mud.

Then we check the fiber and test the dyes. Wool, cotton and flat-weave rugs each need their own method, and some colors can bleed if they are treated the wrong way.

Salt air leaves a slight film on fibers in houses near the water. A proper wash clears it and brings back the rug's softness.

Pet stains and pet smells are treated deep in the rug base. That is where the odor stays, especially on humid summer days.

Fringe gets its own cleaning. We wash it and comb it out so it lies straight again instead of tangled and gray.

Rugs that spent the winter rolled in a damp cellar are good candidates for moth protection, which we can add to the wash.

Runners on old stairs and halls are cleaned as carefully as the big rugs. They often see more traffic than anything else in the house.

Old floors bring their own questions. Wide pine boards can have gaps that trap dirt under the rug, and some have old finishes that do not like water. When we lift and return a rug, we keep the floor dry and protected.

Some homes use rugs as part of a careful old-house look, layered in front of fireplaces or under antique tables. We take note of how each rug was placed, so it goes back exactly as it was.

For antique or hand-knotted pieces, see oriental rug cleaning. If the room also has wall-to-wall carpet, carpet cleaning can be booked on the same day.

Questions about a particular rug? Phone 1-800-589-4364 - the quote is free and your first cleaning is 10% off.