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Expert advice on how to care for rugs

Nader Bolour, rug expert and owner of the high-end New York gallery Doris Leslie Blau joined staff writer Jura Koncius recently on The Washington Post's Home Front online chat. Here is an edited excerpt.

Q. I have a friend who puts his old rugs on his driveway, washes them with soap and a hose, then dries them in the sun. There are not museum-quality rugs, but they are nice ones. Do you think that is a good idea?

A. I think as long as the rug can be 100 percent dried in real time (meaning a lot of sun and low humidity), this should be fine. The danger comes when it hasn't been soaked sufficiently and the soap or shampoo stays in the fibers of the rug for an extended time while the rug is wet. This will damage a rug tremendously.

Q. Do you believe there is a benefit to always having a rug? I have hardwood floors and identify greatly with the whole minimalist movement. I've been struggling with the decision to buy or not buy a rug. On one hand, I think rugs can look great. On the other hand, it does stop the eye a bit and it is one more thing to maintain.

A. I always say there should be at least one rug in one of your main rooms. A rug imparts soul into a space and the right rug can still serve - and maybe even enhance - a minimalist setting.

That said, there is nothing wrong with beautiful, old wood floors.

Q: When I bought a kilim for my living room, the dealer said to use an old-fashioned manual floor sweeper, not a vacuum cleaner. Is this the standard recommendation?

A. Yes, this is the standard and smart recommendation.

Q. Is it a big problem if sofa legs or coffee table legs smush the fibers of my living room area rug? It leaves little indents and it's a new rug, so I can't be sure if the fibers will bounce back or look terrible if I reposition things.

A. As long as it's a good quality rug, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever.

Q. What type of rug material do you recommend for a nursery that will stand up to stains and grow with the child?

A. Undyed, organic wool carpets are the best for nurseries. They are comfy, cozy and resilient. Reversible flat weave rugs are also great. They're easy to care for and can last throughout your child's life.

Q. We have an area rug that was somehow stretched on one side and no longer lies flat. Is there anything we can do to fix it or are we just stuck with this uneven trip hazard?

A. My recommendation would be to send it to a professional rug cleaner who can stretch it for you.

Q. My new condo has wall-to-wall beige carpet. Along one hallway, I placed an oriental-style runner. It looks great, but it shifts and I have to reposition it often. What would keep the runner in place without damaging the original carpeting? Should I use a rug gripper, or is there a better way?

A. I think the rug gripper sounds like a good idea.

Q. How much space should you leave between your rug and the wall? For example, what size rug would you recommend for a room that's 16-by-20 feet?

A. For large rooms such as that, we recommend about 2 feet on each side between the wall and the carpet.

You should be looking for a 12-by-16-foot rug, but it won't hurt if it's a little bigger.

Q. My partner and I have a long-standing disagreement about the proper way to vacuum the oriental rugs in our home. I prefer to use the rug attachment with the beater bar set at highest level to remove pet hair. My partner claims this harms the rugs and insists that we use the attachment meant for hard flooring. Please weigh in!

A. You should listen to your better half!

Q. Can you recommend an affordable natural fiber rug for my daughter's Brooklyn apartment?

A. Jute or hemp rugs are the best casual fibers and have a Brooklyn vibe.

Q. What is your favorite rug vacuum?

A. The Bissel rug sweeper from Bed Bath & Beyond.

Q. I have a small rug in the middle of my den that doesn't reach all the furniture. I want to place a larger rug underneath it to pull the room together. What do you recommend?

A. The most popular recipe for layering rugs is starting with a neutral rug as the foundation and topping it with a colorful patterned rug. Sisal and sea grass will make the best base. Jutes are usually softer than sea grass and more stain resistant than sisals. They are all rather cheap so choose the biggest size so that it will fit the whole seating area.

Q. It seems antique rugs are out of fashion. Would you agree and, if so, for how much longer?

A. Unusual, great antique rugs are not out of fashion. They have a timeless quality that can complement the more modern settings which today's designers have opted to work with. A great designer can create stunning rooms with antique and vintage rugs.

Q. I have a mostly cream-colored flatweave rug that was not inexpensive. I applied Scotchguard to try to make it easier to clean spills since it's in a high-traffic area. But the cream has dulled to a light gray and stains are not coming out. What is the best way to clean a flatweave? Would it benefit from a professional cleaning?

A. Absolutely. We always recommend using a professional. Starting to clean a rug yourself opens up a can of worms.

Q. We are planning to move into a new home and will need lots of new, high quality rugs that will accommodate small children and potentially a pet. What materials would you advise?

A. When outfitting an entire home, we recommend wool rugs, especially because they keep the price down. We recommend only dealers who have been in business for at least 10 years with a defined reputation.

Q. How did the rug gallery founder, Mrs. Blau, learn so much about carpets and is she still around?

A. She learned from her ex-husband who was an immigrant from Romania. When she started her own company in 1965, she was the first American woman rug dealer in the U.S.

Doris's whole thing when she started the company was finding the unique antique Persian/Orientals that weren't just the typical reds and blues that were popular in Europe; she saw the American customer looking for a different, more muted, aesthetic and set off on a mission to find it. She traveled the world to cultivate what is now the largest and rarest collection of antique, vintage, oriental and European rugs - plus an extensive collection of modern rugs.

She's still an important part of the DLB family and is much respected by the design community.

Q: Our family recently downsized and had the living room carpet cleaned, packaged and appraised by a certified appraiser. It's being kept in a bag made of a heavy material that appears to be Kevlar. Is this method of storage OK? I don't want the rug damaged by either its own weight or other possible hazards.

A. Yes. Your rug should be fine in this method of storage.

Q. How can you distinguish a Persian knot weave from a Turkish one? Can you spot the difference with the naked eye?

A. This is not something just anyone would be able to tell from just looking. It requires years of experience of trading in different rugs to be able to identify the origin.

Q. What is the best method to display a silk carpet?

A. If you want to hang it like a tapestry, put it on a pole.

Q. Do your clients care about pure wool or synthetic fibers?

A. We try not to sell synthetic fibers, but barely hear any requests for it.

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