A handmade antique carpet is an asset of great value and it can remain intact and beautiful for long time, but only if it is maintained and treated with the necessary care. There are basic rules for cleaning an ancient carpet that are fundamental. In this way the precious carpet is maintained over time and it will not get ruined irreparably. Carpet cleaning is very important for is safekeeping: dust and dirt can reduce the beauty and the brightness of the carpet, but also ruin seriously the knots and weaves.

The 5 Rules to Follow and the Errors Not to Do

1. The main rule to follow is to never beat the antique carpet on the balcony or the railing, also if we are used to do it with linen and tablecloths or carpets of less value. This practice, in fact, relaxes the weft yarns of the carpet, stresses the fibers that will be ruined, and produces breaks and tears on the edges. Blowing the carpet outdoors just makes it fray faster. This operation is generally bed for all carpets because the sun with its hot rays acts negatively on the colours and can alter them (is possible to do it only with low-value carpets whose wool has been dyed with synthetic dyes of poor quality)
2. To clean every day the hand-made carpets from dust, is better not to use the vacuum cleaner at too high speeds as this operation will melt or loosen the carpet nodes (false! Vacuum cleaner even at maximum speed does not ruin the carpet) The vacuum cleaner or a brush can, however, be used not too often (it is the rotating brush of the beacon that if used too frequently could damage the carpet). It is better to use vacuum cleaner at low speeds to avoid friction. (False! The air don’t do friction). To remove some crumbs you can use a broomstick. It is also advisable to clean regularly the back of the carpet with the vacuum cleaner to remove dust or sand that will deteriorate the back of the carpet (Wrong !, if the back of the carpet is dirty, it is time to wash it with water, it means the dust has come in, it has reached the inside of the nodes) The dust that stay for a long time in the carpet, can ruin it.   To protect them you can opt for underlay (useless if the floor is not slippery). Let me spend a word for the broomstick.
3. Washing the carpet, every 4 years, for example, is a good habit to keep the it in good conditions and to remove dust from the inside, avoid friction when trampled. If you have a silk carpet, an antique carpet or a precious carpet and you are afraid of ruining it and loosening its knots, do not try to wash it in your home, but give it to a specialist.
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5. Another important aspect for the good maintenance of an antique carpet is friction and trampling, that must be reduced. It is not true that the more it is trampled and more beautiful the carpet becomes: it is the opposite, the more you trampled the more you consume it and the knots and weaves will worn out. Occasionally the carpet must be turned and its more trampled parts placed in other areas of the room, in this way the level of the fleece will naturally uniform. For the same reason the carpet should not be laid under the doors. Infect, when you open and close them you may crumple it and chairs and heavy furniture should not exert constant pressure on the carpet.
6. Lastly, it is good to remember that in general if the inner wefts are stretched between the yarns of the warp, the carpet is more resistant to footsteps but it does not have to be bended. On the contrary, if the inner wefts are soft (loose) among the yarns of the warp, the carpet is more delicate but it can bend.

The blue are mine Fabio Morandi.