Vacuum cleaning is valuable as maintenance cleaning system. However, we recommend a more effective system for fine rug care. But if you are to use it, here’s how: Use a clean floor or place rug on Tyvek or visqueen plastic. Vacuum the face first. Move slowly in all four cardinal directions. This means that the rug gets eight passes if you are doing it correctly. Roll back the rug and sweep or vacuum up the dust on the floor. Place the rug face down and vacuum as above; eight passes slow and deliberate. Roll back and sweep up the mess. Place rug face up and vacuum the face pile again as above. Repeat this process again if you can see dry soil at the base of the yarns or dirt and dust is still coming out. You may want to test by hanging or lifting the rug and whipping it a few times to see if more dust comes out. Remember that a vacuum is only about 2% efficient, so you may be vacuuming and flipping the rug a dozen times if you want to get all of the dust and dirt out. Make sure that you use a good performing commercial vacuum cleaner. A beater bar or stiff beater bar type brush is a big plus. Some cleaners modify their vacuum by replacing the brushes, replacing them with beater bars improve performance. Keep the vacuum at top operating performance by keeping filters clean, replacing belts as needed (often) and emptying or replacing bags very often. Remember that air must be able to get through the filter bag to remain effective so replace or empty when it becomes 1/2 full. Some cleaners use a pile lifter in place of or in combination with a vacuum cleaner. A pile lifter does not employ a beater bar but it has a superior power and pile grooming ability. Again use slow and deliberate passes in all four cardinal directions.

Old fashioned rug beating (i.e. Rug Whip) valuable as a deep imbedded dry soil remover. Old fashioned rug beating with the rug hung up and hand beat with a rug whip works, yes, it is hard work and it is very slow, but it works. Should you beat the face or the back of the rug? Beating the face of a hanging rug is more effective at removing soil as it drives the rug away from the soil. So always start with the face pile side and finish with the back side. It is recommended that technicians finish by vacuuming (slow and deliberate in all four cardinal directions) to remove soils driven to the surface. Modern portable rug beater (i.e. Badger) Tools and equipment are labor saving devices. Using the right tool helps you to get the job done faster and better. Lay the rug on a grid rack face down and beat the back of the rug first. This will drive the soils into the grid rack. Flip it face up and vacuum the face pile as beating forces the soils to the surface where vacuum cleaning (slow and deliberate in all four cardinal directions) can remove them. For weak or damaged rugs and small or light weight rugs, overlay tyvex on rugs and beat through the tyvex protective cover. Use a vacuum attachment for dust control on your rug beater so that you and your employees do not have to breath in that harmful nasty dust.

Air dusting (i.e. dust storm tool) high pressure air can blow away even the finest of dry paticles in a dense piled oriental rug. A commercial air compressor supplies the power to force air through the yarns, carrying away the particles and dust. Start by placing the rug face down on a grid rack and dust the back first, you will know you are done as the clouds of dust subside. Then flip the rug over and do the face. Again the clouds of dust departing will let you know when you are done, vacuuming is not required. For those who do not have the dust storm tools and air compressor, small rugs can be air dusted by clamping one end to one or more air movers. By adjusting the speed settings, you can get the rug to flap back and forth, thereby air dusting the rug. Star wheel dusters (rug cage) This is a rug tumbler employed to shake out dust. It works great if you can find one.

In plant dusting (i.e Moore Duster) the ultimate in ease and speed is the in-plant soilseparator or the Moore Duster. Simply feed rugs in on one side, and they come out the otherside clean. What about extremely heavily soiled rugs? Run them through again, it only takes a few minutes. Most technicians run the rug face down to beat the back to knock the soils down and out of the rug, vacuuming is not required. You may notice that the speed of cleaning increases wth each method as listed above. Likewise the cost of each method increases, showing perhaps again that time is money. The results from each method is another story. Likely the owner of anyone of these tools will believe and tell you that their tool works best. Most will find, given the opportunity to work with each tool, that they all work well when used properly. Properly used means not only following the manufactures directions but also giving each rug enough time for complete processing and removal of dry soils. This is in complete contrast to using a vacuum cleaner, which is not adequate for removing imbedded harmful dry soils. So choose your weapon, but whichever you choose, use it correctly and take the time to do it throughly. It will be time well spent to protect your customers investment and you will find that you will have fewer problems and complaints so you can complete the washing process.