Caring for a carpet

A hand-knotted carpet is built for use; the worst thing you can do to one is treat it as untouchable. Walk on it. Rotate it once or twice a year so light and traffic land evenly, and give it a good underlay — the single cheapest way to double a carpet's life.

Vacuum gently with suction only, never a rotating beater bar, and never vacuum the fringes. Once a season, vacuum the back as well; grit that works down to the foundation is what actually cuts pile.

Natural dyes soften beautifully over decades, but no dye should face full southern sun day after day. Keep significant pieces out of the direct path, use curtains or films where the architecture allows, and let rotation even out what light there is.

Act quickly and calmly. Blot — never rub — with a clean white cloth or kitchen paper, working from the edge of the spill inward. Lukewarm water on a cloth deals with most accidents; avoid detergents, and avoid soaking the foundation.

For wine, ink, oil or pet accidents, blot what you can and call a specialist rather than experimenting. A carpet can wait a day for the right cleaner; it cannot always survive the wrong chemical.

Moths seek undisturbed wool: the strip under the sofa that is never walked on, the rolled rug in the loft. The defence is disturbance — vacuum under furniture monthly, lift and check corners a few times a year, and take any sign of webbing or gritty sand-like deposits seriously and early.

Every few years, depending on use, a carpet deserves a proper hand wash by a specialist in oriental carpets — not a general dry cleaner and never a supermarket machine. Done well, washing revives colour astonishingly.

Deal with small damage early: a loose end or nibbled selvedge is an hour's work for a restorer, and a season's neglect can turn it into a re-weave. We are glad to recommend conservators, or to arrange work on pieces that came from us.

If a carpet must rest, have it cleaned first, then roll it — with the pile inward, around a tube, wrapped in a breathable cotton sheet. Never fold, never wrap in plastic, and store it off the floor in a dry, ventilated space, checking it every few months.