my moroccan rug
This is the rug I bought in Asilah last month – isn’t it pretty?
In fact, you can actually see it in this pic, on the left hand side near the table. It’s taken me this long to figure out what to do with it. Well, first of all I had to drape it outside over the balcony railing for about a week to air it out (not sure about washing it as I’m worried the colours might run) and then I tried it out in a couple of rooms. But rugs and plants don’t seem to do very well within reach of “the boys”, so I finally decided to hang it on the wall in the hallway between the livingroom and bedroom…
And what a difference it makes. Instead of a long white empty wall there is now this lovely splash of colour that really warms the place up. I’m also pleased every time I see it now to remember that afternoon in Asilah and how Susan & I honed our haggling skills, so that instead of paying 25 euros for this rug I got it for 12. Seemed like a good deal to me.
It’s beautiful!… and just the right spot for it!
It IS beautiful. And how wonderfully it fits in with the color scheme of your place. It sort of ties stuff together. Lucky you, only 12 euros! And a lifetime of memories.
I love your rug. The colors are wonderful. And I think it works really well on the wall where you put it. How great to have a regular reminder of your adventure.
looks great on that walll
It looks perfect. Did you need to air it out because it had that *just out of the casbah* smell?
Yep, it was pretty whiffy when I took it out of the bag, zoomer. And it sure attracted the boys when I tried it out on the livingroom floor – they made a beeline for it and started sniffing away. So it is not only safer on the wall, but I think it’s the best place for it visually too.
I wonder what Susan has done with hers.
It is always a good idea to let wool carpets air out in the sunlight once in a while. While you don’t want them sitting in direct sun for any length of time to prevent fading, airing it out and exposure to sunshine will help prevent any moth or carpet beetle activity, and mold.
It is also good to take it up (or down, as the case may be) and have a good look at it every so often to ensure that there are no critters chewing on it.
For anyone who has wool carpets and wonders what to look for and how to deal with pests…
Look for casings or little fuzzy cast-off larva shells on the floor underneath. vacuuming (gently on old and fragile ones) will help.
If you do have an infestation, bag the item and freeze it immediately (if you have a freezer big enough) keep it in the freezer for a week, take it out for a few days and refreeze it. That should kill any larvae and the second freeze should kill any new hatchlings.
You can spray the area where the rug was and then vacuum but avoid spraying the actual carpet to avoid damaging it.
You need to be careful about washing carpets, as Az said, in case the dyes run. Testing the colours is easy enough. Wet a Q-tip and rub it gently on each area (on the back of the carpet) with a different coloured dye. If you find colour seeped into the Q-tip, you won’t want to wash it.
If you feel sure the colours are safe, you can lie the rug in the bathtub in a few inches of water. Gently rub the rug with your fingers and don’t scrub or you lose pile and may distort the fibres.
If washing in plain water doesn’t get it as clean as you want, you need to get a very gentle soap. Don’t use your usual detergent. There are a number of websites where you can get information on ph balanced soaps for antiques.
Canadian Hertiage has information on care of household objects: http://www.preservation.gc.ca/howto/index_e.asp
The Canadian Conservation Institute has a lot of articles on line about care, cleaning and preservation of call sorts of objects..
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/crc/cidb/index-eng.aspx
Wow, great tips from Mudhooks!
And the rug looks perfect on that wall – it will be a real conversation piece, as my Grandmother used to say! Wonderful colours and what a bargain!
Will you take another picture for more of a close up? I’d like to see it in a lot more detail. I love the colors. I love that you bought a rug in Morocco. I have GOT to get over there someday before I reach my dotage. The Romance! The Adventure! The Dire Rear!
My very short career in museum work has to come in handy once in a while…
Thanks for the rug tips, mudhooks.
Here is a bigger version that shows more detail, Beth.
Moroccan Rug
Beautiful.
But it lacks the most important thing – cat hair
Wow! Now I want one, and at that price, I could afford it. Do you have any idea what you would pay for that over here?
I love the way it looks on the wall, and I think it looks just fine without cat hair.
Okay, I love it more, now.
I put it in my “estudio” (the computer room) near my desk. Love it!
You told me to google how to wash a moroccan rug, which I did, and one site recommended pouring hot water over it. So I took it out to the patio, boiled water in the electric kettle, and poured it on. The gack came off and the water that ran to the drain was very red, so I was glad I didn’t machine wash it. After drying outside it looks and smells fine. I also had to trim the tassles on the ends so they are even now.
Oh, you… you… comment-closer! Bah.
Beautiful rug! Love the colors and the design. Looks lovely on that wall.