Rug Cleaning and Repair Gallery
Real rugs from our Kearny Mesa shop, photographed before and after the work. No stock photography and no staged rooms, just what came in and what went home.
Before and After a Full Immersion Wash
Both photographs below are the same rug on the same patch of floor. The difference is dust, not filter. Most rugs hold far more dry soil than their owners expect, which is why the rug is dusted before it ever touches water.
Before. A silk-and-wool medallion rug photographed on the shop floor with the grey cast that years of foot traffic leaves behind. The ivory ground has gone flat and the fringe is dull.
After. The same rug, same spot, after a full immersion hand wash. The apricot and ivory read as separate colours again and the fringe is white.
Repairs, Before and After
Fringe, edges, holes and worn pile are rebuilt by hand in wool matched to the rug’s own construction. Look closely at the after frames: the aim is that you cannot tell where the repair is.
Fringe replacement. The original fringe on this dark red rug had worn down to uneven stubs. It was rebuilt across the full end of the rug.
Kilim reweave. A tear straight through the red and blue flatweave, rewoven by hand in matching wool until the pattern runs unbroken.
Pile rebuilt. The white foundation was showing through where the wool had gone. New knots were tied in to match the surrounding motif.
End and selvedge rebuild. The end of this tan and rust rug had begun to unravel. The edge was re-secured so the foundation stops working loose.
Edge binding. The grey overcast binding had worn through to the foundation threads. It was rebound in red wool matched to the border.
Corner repair. A prayer rug whose corner and fringe had pulled out of line, brought back square.
On the Wash Floor
Every rug is washed by hand with all natural soap, then spun and dried in a room where airflow and humidity are watched, so it comes back flat rather than stiff.
All natural soap worked through a red and blue Persian with a wooden-handled brush.
Foam pulled across a blue rug during the wash. Nothing here goes through a machine.
At the Repair Bench
Alexander and Anthony are the third generation of the family at this bench. The shop has been washing and rebuilding rugs in San Diego since 1956.
Stitching new wool onto the edge of a kilim with a curved needle. Repairs are done by hand, one pass at a time.
New white fringe sewn onto a beige floral rug on the workbench.
Shears, a thimble and a block of beeswax on a Kerman. Most of the tools on this bench have not changed since 1956.
Wondering What Yours Would Look Like?
Bring the rug in, or we will collect it. We look it over, tell you what it needs and what it does not, and put the estimate in writing before anything starts. See rug repair, cleaning and washing, or the areas we cover.
Get a Free Estimate
Drop your rug off, or we can pick it up. Our shop is at 7343 Ronson Rd Ste U in Kearny Mesa, open Monday to Friday 9 to 4 and Saturday 9 to 2. Pickup and delivery reach anywhere in San Diego County.
