★★★★★ 5.0 from 440+ Google reviews · Family-owned San Diego rug cleaning since 1956

A wooden-handled brush spreading white cleaning foam across a red and blue patterned Oriental rug during a hand wash.

Oriental Rug Water Damage Restoration in San Diego

Oriental rug water damage restoration is urgent work, and the hours right after a rug gets soaked matter far more than most people expect. Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair has washed handmade rugs in San Diego since 1956, and three generations later a water-damaged rug still gets full-immersion attention by hand at our Kearny Mesa facility.

A wet oriental rug is a race against the clock. Trapped moisture invites mildew, natural dyes start to migrate, and the cotton foundation begins to weaken while the rug still looks salvageable. Getting it into a controlled wash quickly is what separates a rug that comes back sound from one that is permanently marked.

✓ Pickup and delivery across San Diego County
✓ Full immersion hand washing, never surface scrubbing
✓ Third generation family craftsmen since 1956
✓ Free written estimates before any work starts

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The facts, in brief

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair is a family-owned rug cleaning and repair company founded in 1956.

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair cleans and restores Oriental, Persian, Turkish, wool, and silk rugs in San Diego, California.

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair washes every rug by hand at its Kearny Mesa storefront at 7343 Ronson Road, Suite U.

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair is run by the third generation of the Zeytounian family, brothers Alexander and Anthony.

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning & Repair cleans rugs through a nine-step full-immersion wash rather than surface steam cleaning.

San Diego Water Damaged Rug Specialists

A flooded or soaked rug does not fail all at once. It fails in stages. Within the first 24 to 48 hours, mold and mildew can take hold in a damp wool or silk pile, and the smell that comes with them is hard to reverse once it settles into the foundation.

Dyes that were perfectly stable when dry begin to bleed as water carries pigment from one knot into the next. The cotton base, now holding water it was never built to hold, loses strength and can dry-rot if it stays wet.

If your rug has taken on water, lift it off the wet floor, do not fold or stack it, and call us so the clock stops. Pickup and delivery runs across San Diego County and every estimate is free.

Why a Soaked Rug Needs Full Immersion, Not On-Site Extraction

A truck-mounted extraction unit is built to pull water out of wall-to-wall carpet glued to a subfloor. A handmade rug is a different problem entirely. Its dyes, foundation, and fringe all react to water, and running suction across a soaked pile in your living room still leaves salts, sediment, and moisture buried in the base of the weave. That buried dampness is exactly where mildew and odor begin. Full immersion flushes the whole rug through clean water so nothing is left behind to rot or smell.

With over seventy years of hands-on rug experience, we treat wet rug restoration as its own discipline. Controlled drying finishes the job. The rug dries evenly under monitored airflow and humidity instead of sitting damp on a floor, which is what prevents the shrinkage, browning, and dye migration a slow at-home dry-out tends to cause.

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Rug cleaning technician applying foam to a traditional Persian rug for deep cleaning.

Squeegee pushing foam across a blue rug patterned with fish

How Water Damage Affects Different Rug Fibers

Flood water moves through each rug type in its own way. Fiber, dye, and construction decide how far the moisture sinks and what the drying plan has to be, so we pin all three down before the restoration wash begins.

We restore every type of water-damaged area rug and specialize in oriental and handmade pieces, including Persian, silk, viscose, Chinese, Kilim, Caucasian, Moroccan, Turkish, Navajo, Indian, Karastan, and machine-made rugs.

Free Estimates With Damage Notes
Countywide Rug Pickup
All-Natural Soaps, No Harsh Chemicals

Persian Rugs

Hand-knotted wool and silk over a cotton foundation is the kind of base that holds water badly, and the vegetable and synthetic dyes in a Persian rug are the first thing to run once moisture starts moving. We test every water-damaged Persian rug for colorfastness, wash it in clean water at a matched temperature and pH, and correct any dye run before it can set, so the pile, the foundation, and the original colors all survive the soaking.

Oriental Rugs

A soaked flat-weave behaves nothing like a soaked pile rug. Turkish, Chinese, Indian, Afghan, Pakistani, Moroccan, and Caucasian pieces each pair their own dyes with a different tolerance for standing water, so origin and construction get sorted out before any restoration begins, because a thin tribal Kilim or Navajo flat-weave dries and reacts nothing like a heavy Bokhara or Beni Ourain that can hold gallons of water in its foundation.

Wool Rugs

Wool’s natural lanolin buys a little time, but a rug left soaking saturates all the way to the base, where it turns to mildew, a stubborn musty odor, and a yellow-brown cast that never airs out. Full immersion flushes the trapped water and dissolved soil, and controlled drying brings the wool back without shrinkage or matting. Leaving a wet wool rug to dry on the floor is what sets the smell and warps the shape.

Silk Rugs

Silk is the least forgiving fiber when it gets wet. The strands are very fine, they lose strength while saturated, and the dyes move at the slightest provocation, so a rushed blotting attempt at home often does more harm than the water. We restore water-damaged silk with gentle low-pH solutions and tightly controlled moisture, never heat or pressure, so the odor and staining are removed while the luster and fine detail hold.

Viscose, Bamboo Silk & Custom Designer Rugs

Cellulose fibers like viscose and bamboo silk turn yellow-brown the instant water sits in them, and many custom designer rugs are built from exactly these materials. They are the pieces most often written off after a flood or a leak. We use precisely controlled moisture and specialist technique to restore them, and can often reverse the cellulosic browning the water has already caused.

Synthetic & Machine Made Rugs

Nylon, polyester, and polypropylene will shed surface water, but a flood drives moisture straight through to the backing and pad, where mildew and odor settle in long after the face looks dry. Our full-immersion wash flushes the base and dries the rug through, front to back. Even an inexpensive machine-made rug comes back genuinely clean and dry from a facility wash in a way an in-home dry-out cannot manage.

Watch Our Wash Process

Before & After Rug Restoration

Our Full Immersion Water Damage Restoration Process

Restoration follows the spine of our full nine step immersion wash process, and this page keeps to the stages that flood work adds. The hand washing, rinsing, and monitored drying between these stages run exactly as they do for any rug on our wash floor.

1. Inspection and Damage Documentation

Every rug starts with an inspection. We map where the water reached, note the fiber and dyes, and record any dye bleed, weakened foundation, or early mildew, then measure the rug and give you a free estimate. If you are filing an insurance claim, we photograph and document the condition so you have a clear record of the damage for your adjuster.

2. Water Extraction and Dry Soil Removal

We first draw out the standing water the rug is carrying, then dust it with a vibration process that shakes loose the dirt and grit the flood drove into the foundation. Pulling that debris out before the wash keeps it from grinding into wet fibers and makes the restoration that follows far more thorough.

3. Dye Testing and Color-Run Assessment

Water is what starts dyes bleeding in the first place, so before we wash we test the rug for colorfastness and look for bleeding that has already begun. If the colors hold, we wash normally. Where a dye has started to run, we switch to a gentler, more controlled method and work to correct the migration before it becomes permanent.

4. Full-Immersion Restoration Wash

This is the heart of the service. The rug is fully submerged and washed in clean water with all-natural soaps that lift the contaminated flood water, dissolved soil, and any mildew out of the entire structure. Because the whole rug is immersed, the wash reaches the moisture trapped deep in the foundation that on-site extraction never touches. Heavier saturation simply gets a longer, more careful wash.

5. Stain and Dye-Run Correction

Water damage leaves its own marks: brown watermarks, cellulosic browning, and colors that have bled into neighboring areas. We treat these by hand, working to draw browning back and pull migrated dye out of the fibers it settled into. Many stains that look permanent after a flood come out with patient, material-specific work at this stage.

6. Repair and Restoration

Water often does structural harm along with the staining: weakened fringe, unraveling edges, and dry-rotted foundation. Once the rug is clean and dry, our restoration side takes over with hand rug repair and restoration, from fringe repair and edge binding to reweaving damaged sections, so the rug leaves sound as well as clean.

7. Final Inspection and Delivery (or Pickup)

We check that the rug is fully dry, the odor is gone, and no watermarks or bleed remain. After a final pass through our inspection checklist, the rug is groomed, rolled, and returned to your door, or waiting at the front counter when you would rather swing by for it. Pickup and delivery are available across San Diego County, from La Jolla and Del Mar to Coronado, Chula Vista, and Oceanside.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast do I need to act after a San Diego rug gets soaked?

The first 24 to 48 hours matter most. That is the window where mold and mildew take hold in a damp pile and dyes begin to migrate through the weave. The sooner the rug reaches a controlled wash, the more of it we can save.

What should I do with the rug before your San Diego pickup arrives?

Lift it off the wet floor and keep it flat. Do not fold or stack it, because a saturated foundation is weak and creasing it can do structural harm. Then call us and we schedule the pickup.

Can dye bleed and watermarks be corrected?

Often, yes. We test for colorfastness, wash with a method matched to how far the bleeding has gone, and work brown watermarks and migrated dye by hand. Many stains that look permanent after a flood come out with patient, material-specific work.

Will you document the damage for my insurance claim?

Yes. During the first inspection we photograph the rug and record the dye bleed, weakened foundation, or early mildew we find, so you have a clear condition record to hand your adjuster.

Is it worth restoring a machine-made rug after a San Diego flood?

Usually it is worth asking, and the estimate is free either way. A flood pushes moisture into the backing where mildew settles, and a full-immersion wash flushes and dries the rug through, front to back. We tell you plainly whether restoration makes sense for that piece.

Authentic handmade rugs with intricate patterns and vibrant colors.

Testimonials from Our Clients

All Testimonials

Excellent

5.0

Casandra Anders

22 hours ago

Exceptional service that surpassed my expectations! They did an amazing job on my 35+ year-old area rug. Older stains I thought could never be removed, are gone! My rug looks like new, great experience from start to finish.

Melisa Mitchell

2 days ago

They really know what they are doing. I wouldn’t trust my hand knotted wool rugs to anyone else. They wash them the right way and your rugs are CLEAN!!!

nicole wyne

3 days ago

My rug was pretty gnarly from a bad coffee spill. I guess the rug was also in the show room for some time because it looks even brighter than when I bought it👌🏼 Thanks fellas!

Andy Nickerson

6 days ago

Amazing experience from start to finish. Tight communications & fast service. Great value.

James Endicott

7 days ago

Let me add my recommendation for Zeyrtounian Rug Cleaning to the list of happy customers . Zeyrtounian brothers were recommended by the couple Wiazi who repaired a very old and in poor shape Turkish rug (they did an amazing job) that has been in the family for almost 100 years. Zeyrtounian brothers brought the rug back to life. They gave me a great deal and completed the cleaning in a timely manner. They are both very friendly and want their customers satisfied. Highly recommended. James

Leonardo Perez

1 week ago

They are great to work with, honest and helpfull. I made the right choice specially when they revealed my rug was an authentic persian rug. Thank you for helping me out

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the kind words, Leonardo! It was a pleasure working with you and helping you learn more about your rug. Discovering that you have an authentic Persian rug is always exciting, and we're glad we could share some of our knowledge with you! We take great pride in being honest, transparent, and helpful with every customer. We truly appreciate you choosing our family business and trusting us with your rug. We look forward to helping you again in the future!

Caitlin Kaplan

1 week ago

We had six rugs cleaned (including a large Persian Hamadan) plus new rug pads, with pickup and delivery. We hit some scheduling challenges on our end, and they were so understanding and helpful working around them, and never made us feel like a bother. The rugs came back beautiful. Really glad we went with a family business that clearly takes pride in the work. Highly recommend.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the thoughtful review, Caitlin! It was a pleasure working with you and caring for your beautiful rugs, especially your Persian Hamadan! We're so happy to hear that you're pleased with the cleaning and new rug pads. We understand that schedules can get hectic, and we're always happy to be as accommodating as possible. As a family-owned business, we take great pride in both our craftsmanship and the relationships we build with our customers. Your kind words and recommendation truly mean a lot to us. Thank you again for trusting us with your rugs!

Sharon Wasserman

1 week ago

The brothers are great. Service was very professional and within my budget. Highly recommend them.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the kind words, Sharon! We’re happy to hear you had a great experience with us. We truly appreciate your support and recommendation. It was a pleasure working with you, and we look forward to helping you again in the future!

Sharon Duke

2 weeks ago

Linda Beach

2 weeks ago

I can't enough about the brothers that own this business. Alex and Anthony are 3rd generation rug sellers, cleaners and offer repair services. Their knowledge of the various rugs is extensive. The business itself is a vast improvement over the prior vendor who serviced my rugs. They have a 9-step process for cleaning the rugs and the drying system ensures a good, dry, flat rug, without any evidence of trapped mildew or moisture. I have a lot of pets, my rug came home from the cleaning looking almost new. I've referred friends and neighbors, who want to maintain and preserve their Persian, Turkish, Afghani rugs to Zeytounian. Everything about the business it top of the line.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for this incredible review, Linda! It truly means a lot to both of us that you recognize the care, knowledge, and attention to detail we put into our work. As a third-generation family business, we take great pride in continuing our family's tradition of caring for fine rugs. We're so happy to hear how pleased you are with the results! Your trust in us and your referrals to friends and neighbors mean more than you know. Thank you again for your continued support, and we look forward to caring for your rugs for many years to come!

Leticia Taufahema

3 weeks ago

They did a great job cleaning two of my Karastan rugs, I would highly recommend

Response from the owner:Thank you so much, Leticia! We're happy to hear you’re pleased with how your Karastan rugs turned out! We take great pride in caring for every rug that comes through our shop, and we truly appreciate you trusting us with yours. Thank you for your kind words and recommendation. We look forward to helping you again in the future!

Louise McDevitt

3 weeks ago

Zeytournian has been cleaning our area rugs for the last 30 yrs of pet stains, odors, and spilled drinks Have always been highly satisfied.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much, Louise! It truly means the world to us that you and your family have trusted ours with your rugs for the past 30 years! As a third-generation family business, we're incredibly grateful for longtime customers like you who have supported us throughout the years. We're so happy to hear that you've consistently been pleased with our work. Thank you again for your loyalty and continued trust in us!

Emily Cheney

4 weeks ago

Adore them. Never going anywhere else to have my rug cleaned

Response from the owner:Thanks Emily you're the BEST!

Jo\ Anne Hacker

4 weeks ago

Wow these guys are truly amazing. So friendly, competent, accommodating. Simply could not ask for more. And…my carpets are soooo clean!

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Jo-Anne! We're thrilled to hear how happy you are with your freshly cleaned rugs! We take great pride in not only delivering exceptional cleaning results but also making the entire experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. Your kind words truly mean a lot to us, and we're grateful you chose our family business. It was a pleasure working with you, and we look forward to caring for your rugs again in the future!

Shinar Zoldi

4 weeks ago

It was a medium wool area rug that needed cleaning as well as a repair in one of the corners. It’s an old repair that was unraveling and eaten by dry rot. Anthony and his crew were very upfront about what they can and can’t do, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. The rug looks beautiful. Thank you.

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Shinar! We're thrilled to hear that both the cleaning and corner repair exceeded your expectations. We always believe in being upfront and honest about what can realistically be accomplished, especially when working with older rugs that have existing damage. It means a lot to us that you trusted us with your rug, and we're so happy to hear how beautiful it turned out. Thank you again for your support, and we look forward to helping you in the future!

Jerry G

1 month ago

Brought in an Egyptian layer weave cotton rug to be treated prior to installation. The facility is run by the Zeytounian brothers, very friendly service and with suggestions for the care of the rug. I also purchased their recommended rug padding. They were helpful in unloading the loading the rug in my RAV4. Strongly recommend, no issues with the rug, it was beautiful. Photo attached. Any marks on the rug are from 3 and 5 year old grandchildren playing on it!!

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Jerry! It was a pleasure meeting you and helping you prepare your beautiful Egyptian cotton rug for your home. We're glad we could offer some helpful care recommendations and get you set up with the proper rug padding to protect it for years to come. We love hearing that your grandchildren are already enjoying it! After all, rugs are meant to be lived on and enjoyed. We truly appreciate your trust in us and your recommendation. Thank you again for supporting our family business!

Stewart Polk

1 month ago

I took our rug to Zeytounuan Rugs for cleaning after watching their short video. The rug is gold and ivory, and one foot on either side of the rug was dark brown from dirt. When I left it with Anthony I was hopeful that I may see some color where the walking paths were. Eight days after leaving the rug Anthony called to say the rug was ready for collection. I took it home and opened what looked like a new rug! The colors were bright and it is so, so very clean. You could never tell the rug is 20 years old. So happy!

Response from the owner:Thank you, Stewart. Twenty years of foot traffic on gold and ivory is about the hardest thing anyone hands us, so getting the colour back out of it was satisfying on our end too. Glad the video brought you in, and Anthony will be pleased.

Marcia Sorini

1 month ago

Zeytounian Rug Cleaning and Repair have been my go to rug cleaners for the past 25 years. Kind, courteous, timely and through. My rugs are beautiful and will last forever with the care the Zeytounian family gives them. Call them now!?♥️♥️♥️

Response from the owner:Thank you, Marcia. Twenty five years of rugs between us is something we don't take lightly. Looking after them so they outlast all of us is the whole idea. We appreciate you saying so.

Sarah Federman

1 month ago

Loved working with them. Not only did our rugs come back beautiful and clean, they taught us more about the history of the carpets. Ours was likely woven by two women over 100 years ago in Persia. They say it took them two years. I feel more connected to these women.

Response from the owner:Thank you, Sarah. Reading where a rug came from is half the pleasure of this work, and a piece like yours carries a lot of hours in it. Glad it came back clean and that you know a little more about it now. We appreciate you taking the time.

Adrian Montfort

1 month ago

This is one of those dying breed of amazing family businesses that make this country great. Friendly service, that old school way of doing business where you feel understood and appreciated. Cleaning service was great and delivered on time, communication was beyond great. I absolutely recommend this place for area rug cleaning.

Response from the owner:Thank you, Adrian. Three generations in, the old school way is really the only way we know. Glad the rug came back on time and that you always knew where things stood. We appreciate the recommendation.

Adam Salter

1 month ago

Zeytounian Rugs did a great job repairing and cleaning a Turkish rug I’ve had since I was a teenager. The corner has been chewed and damaged by my dog many years ago, but they fixed it right up. After the repair and a clean it looks like new, I’m so pleased. The guys are super friendly and knowledgeable, just a pleasure to work with.

Response from the owner:Thank you, Adam. A chewed corner on a rug you've had that long is worth repairing properly rather than hiding, and Turkish weaves take the repair well. Glad it looks like new again.

Reid Perry

2 months ago

Friendly, professional, hardworking brothers. Had two chinese ivory wool rugs cleaned. One large one smaller. One with a few spots i did not think they could get out, but they did. Very pleased. Would highly recommend them.

Response from the owner:Thank you, Reid. Ivory wool is unforgiving, so spots on it are the ones people assume are permanent. Glad we could prove otherwise on both. We appreciate the recommendation.

Vincent Carson

2 months ago

Knowledgeable, hardworking, kind, and professional. What else can I say.

Response from the owner:Thank you, Vincent. That's plenty to say, and we appreciate you taking the time.

patricia arbaugh

2 months ago

I had three rugs cleaned and service was outstanding! Very professional and personable. My rugs look brand new! Repaired fringe on one of my rugs and did an excellent job. Pick up and drop off is so convenient! Would highly recommend!!!

Response from the owner:Thank you, Patricia. Fringe repair is slow work and it's the detail most people notice afterwards, so it's good to hear it came out right. Glad the pickup and drop off made it easy. Three rugs at once is our favourite kind of day.

Krisg123

2 months ago

You never know who you’ll encounter when searching Google for a professional service, but these brothers were an incredible find! They are among the kindest, most efficient, and trustworthy service professionals I’ve ever met. They treated our rug as if it were their own and completely eliminated every sign of staining. Thank you so much for the outstanding service. I’ll gladly recommend you to anyone in need of professional rug cleaning!

Response from the owner:Thank you. Picking a rug cleaner off a search result is a leap of faith, so we're glad it paid off. Treating a rug like it's our own is the only way we know how to do it. We appreciate the recommendation.

On-Site Extraction vs Full Immersion Restoration for a Soaked Rug

What each approach leaves behind
	Truck mounted on-site extraction	Full immersion restoration at the facility
What it was built for	Wall to wall carpet glued to a subfloor	Handmade rugs, as their own discipline
What stays in the rug	Salts, sediment and moisture buried in the base of the weave	The whole rug is flushed through clean water so nothing is left to rot or smell
Mildew and odor	Buried dampness is exactly where they begin	Removed at the source
Dyes and fringe	Suction runs across a soaked pile with the dyes still reacting	Dyes are tested and the color run assessed before the wash
Drying	The rug sits damp on a floor	Dried evenly under monitored airflow and humidity
What that prevents	Shrinkage, browning and dye migration are the usual result	Shrinkage, browning and dye migration are prevented

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Rug Restoration · Rug Repair · Pet Urine and Odor Removal · Request a free estimate

Contact Us About Water Damage Restoration

★★★★★ 5.0 · Google Reviews

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. The same freeway runs our pickup vans make work in reverse: Highway 52 from the coast, Interstate 805 from the South Bay, and Interstate 15 from inland North County, roughly twenty to thirty-five minutes from most of the county.

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