When something is spilt on your rug.

In the event that an accidental spill has happened or food has been dropped on your hand crafted rug, time will be of the essence and there are some simple steps by which you can follow to avoid your rug being damaged further.

Liquid Spills

It is best to immediately and carefully blot the spill with a cloth or paper towel. The cloth or towel should be replaced regularly in order to extract as much liquid as possible. Do not rub the area as this will spread the split liquid, and the area impacted will become much larger to clean and could possibly damage the pile of your rug.

Please note, that pet soiling, especially that of cats, can damage a rug permanently if not extracted quickly and carefully.

Food or solids spillage

Food or solids which have been accidentally dropped on your rug will need to be removed carefully. Scoop up the food with the dull edge of a knife or spoon ensuring that you do not increase the area that will require attention. Blot any remaining evidence of the food spill to extracting as much as possible prior to cleaning the area further.

Crush marks

When the pile is crushed in transportation, this is not a fault and can be rectified by spraying a fine mist of water on the effected area. Vacuuming or massaging the yarn back to it's normal state.

Please reference the section "Your Spot and Stain Guide" for specific details.

Your Spot and Stain Guide

Removing spots from carpet can be successful depending upon the spot and how long it has been on the carpet. At times multiple applications of the spot removal solution, or a second solution is required. Listed below is a general spot removal procedure. If the origin of the spot/stain is unknown, please begin with step 1.

If the origin of the spot is known begin at the appropriate step according to the table provided below.

Things to remember

Never use a circular motion to remove a spot/stain as this may destroy the texture of your rug.

The final step should always be to rinse with clear water, blot dry and put a thickness of several white paper towels over the damp area. Put a suitable weighted object on the pad of towels to keep the pad in contact with the rug.

Be certain to try, on an inconspicuous area of your carpet, any solutions you plan to use as it may affect colour or texture. Do not use if colour in the test area marks off on a white paper towel.

Useful cleaning items

* White paper towels or white terry towels.
* Hand dish washing detergent, which does not contain lanolin or bleach. To make a detergent solution, mix 1/4 teaspoon of a hand dish washing detergent with a cup of water.
* Spray bottle for applying detergents and special solutions.
* Household ammonia solution, which is 1 tablespoon of clear household ammonia to 1/2 cup of water.
* Isopropyl rubbing alcohol.
* 3% hydrogen peroxide.
* White vinegar solution made up of 1/3 cup of white vinegar, 2/3 cup of water.
* Good quality carpet spotters available at carpet stores and other outlets.

Please follow the steps that correlate to the table above.

Step 1: Unknown and greasy spots.

Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife. Apply isopropyl-rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth, white paper towel or cotton ball. If the spot extends deep into the pile use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no colour is transferred to the cloth. Do not allow the alcohol to penetrate into the backing, as this will destroy the hand -tuft (latex bond). If the spot/stain is on the surface only, blot in one direction at a time. Never use a circular motion to remove spot as this may destroy the texture. Stop if spot is removed. If not, go to step 3.

Step 2: Water based spots.

Blot up as much of the spill as is possible. A wet vacuum is useful if a large quantity of liquid was spilled. If the spot/stain has dried, saturate the tufts in the affected area with tap water (do not over wet). Allow remaining for about 1 minute and blot. If the spot/stain is being removed using water, continue until the spot is completely removed. Blot dry and apply the paper towels and weight. If ii is not completely removed go to step 3.

Step 3:

Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife. Apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. Use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. If spot/stain is being removed continue applying detergent and blotting with a white paper towel until spot is removed. Rinse with tap water using a spray bottle, blot to remove excess moisture, spray lightly with water, do not blot this time; apply pad of paper towels and brick and allow drying. If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for one (1) hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is stain free. Light will cause peroxide to change back to water so no rinsing is necessary. Apply pad of paper towels and weight down with brick.

A) For blood, ketchup (tomato sauce), cheese, chocolate, cough syrup, mixed drinks, soft drinks, soy sauce, starch, toothpaste, water colour and white glue

Blot with white paper towel to remove as much of the stain as possible then neutralise with an ammonia solution. Saturate spot using spray bottle. Do not wet backing. Blot with a white paper towel to remove excess moisture. After neutralising begin with step 3 of general procedure. All solutions for removing blood must be cool.

B) For beer; coffee, perfume, tea and wine

Blot with a white paper towel to remove as much of the stain as possible then neutralise with the white vinegar solution. Saturate spot, using a spray bottle and blot to remove excess moisture. After neutralising go to step 3 of general procedure.

C) Egg, excrement, urine and vomit

Remove as much of the stain as possible by using a spoon or dull knife. Blot up as much of the stain as possible, then neutralise by spraying the affected area with the ammonia solution. Care should be taken to remove all protein matter. Blot to remove excess moisture and go to step 3 of general procedure.

D) Candle wax or other types of wax

Spread brown paper (such as grocery bag) or a terry cloth towel over the area and iron with the setting on "warm." The wax will be absorbed into the paper or towel. Remove any traces with alcohol or dry cleaning fluid.

E) Chewing gum

Freeze the gum using an ice cube. Shatter the frozen gum with a knife handle and vacuum. Some citrus-based products (check the product to ensure that it does not bleach) have been demonstrated to break down the stickiness of gum so that it can be removed. We suggest that you test the product on an inconspicuous area prior to treating the affected area.

F) Mud

Allow mud to dry completely. Shatter the dried mud with the handle of a knife and vacuum. Go to step 3 of general procedure.

G) Rust

Saturate spot with lemon juice, using a spray bottle, and allow to remain for 5 minutes. Go to step 3 of general procedure to remove lemon juice. If this does not work, and it may not, call a professional. Most rust removers contain a very strong acid and are, therefore, not recommended for residential use.

H) Nail Polish

Remove as much of the nail polish as possible using a spoon or dull knife. Apply a non-oily nail polish remover to a clean white cloth and gently rub (in only one direction at a time) or blot the spot. Continue until spot is removed. Do not allow nail polish remover to get to the latex backing. Go to step 3 to remove nail polish remover.

I) Soot, graphite, copier material

Vacuum using crevice tool of vacuum cleaner to remove the soot. If all, or most, of the soot has not been removed, call a professional cleaner. If vacuuming has removed all particles go to step 1 of general procedure to remove any traces.

Stains That Can't Be Removed

Acid toilet bowl cleaners, acne medication, alkaline drain cleaners, chlorinated bleaches, hair dyes, iodine, insecticides, mustard with tumeric, plant fertilisers and stains of this nature cannot be removed as they have permanently altered the carpet's colour.