Oriental Rug Cleaning in San Francisco

Why Hand Washing Matters

Most cleaning services treat hand-knotted rugs like the synthetic wall-to-wall carpet in a commercial office. They use high-pressure steam extractors, alkaline detergents, and aggressive heat — techniques designed for durable synthetic fibers, not for wool, silk, or antique dyes.

The results are predictable: faded colors, brittle fibers, shrinkage, dye bleeding, and rugs that look "cleaner" in the short term but lose years of useful life in a single wash. It's the rug cleaning equivalent of pressure-washing an oil painting.

Hand-knotted oriental rugs are different. They were made by hand, knot by knot, with materials and techniques unchanged for centuries. They deserve to be cleaned the way they would have been cleaned in the country where they were made — by hand, with cold water and neutral pH soap, slowly and carefully.

That's what we do at Boga Rugs. Every rug. Every time.

Our 9-Step Hand Washing Process

Every rug we clean goes through nine distinct steps. We never skip any of them — not for small rugs, not for cheap rugs, not for rush jobs. This is what real oriental rug cleaning looks like.

Step 1: Pre-Inspection

When your rug arrives at our shop, we inspect it from edge to edge. We look for fiber type, dye stability, construction, age, and any special conditions — stains, damage, moth activity, or weakness in the foundation. We document everything with photos and written notes, then ask for your written work authorization before proceeding. Nothing happens to your rug until you've signed off on what we'll do.

Step 2: Color and Dye Testing

Some rugs — particularly older pieces, hand-dyed rugs, and rugs with vibrant reds, purples, or greens — can bleed color during washing. Before any water touches the rug, we test every color field with a damp white cloth to check for bleeding. If we find a bleed risk, we'll stop and call you. We may need to use an alternative cleaning method, or we may recommend skipping the wash entirely and using a dry cleaning approach instead.

Most rugs pass the dye test with no issues. But the test protects rugs that wouldn't survive a standard wash.

Step 3: Dusting

The most important step in any rug cleaning — and the one most cleaners skip. Over years of use, a hand-knotted rug accumulates pounds of fine grit and soil deep in the foundation, well below what your vacuum can reach. This embedded dirt acts like sandpaper, grinding against the fibers every time someone walks on the rug.

If you wash a rug without dusting first, that embedded dirt turns to mud inside the pile. It's almost impossible to rinse out completely. You end up with a rug that looks clean on the surface but is actually in worse condition than when you started.

We use mechanical dusting equipment to remove embedded grit before any water touches the rug. It's a messy, time-consuming step. It's also non-negotiable.

Step 4: Spot Treatment

Before the full wash, we treat any specific stains with specialty spotting solutions. The goal is to loosen the stain from the fibers so it releases during washing instead of setting permanently. Different stains need different treatments — coffee and tea respond to one approach, pet urine to another, red wine to another still.

This is where experience matters. We've been treating stains on oriental rugs since 2007 and we've seen almost everything you can imagine end up on a rug. The right treatment is almost always effective. The wrong one can permanently set a stain.

Step 5: Hand Washing

This is the step everything has been building toward. Your rug is placed on our clean wash floor and submerged in cold or lukewarm water with pH-neutral soap. We hand-wash each area, working the soap gently into the fibers with soft brushes.

Our shop uses a compressed-air technique underwater during the wash — the air creates a gentle "Jacuzzi" effect that loosens embedded soil without the aggressive agitation that can damage delicate fibers. It's one of the most effective cleaning methods available for oriental rugs, and it's what separates our process from cleaners who just pour soapy water on top of the rug and hope for the best.

Step 6: Decontamination (When Needed)

If we've identified specific problems during inspection — pet urine, mold, mildew, or insect infestation — we apply targeted treatments during or immediately after washing. Natural fibers like wool can harbor bacteria and odors that regular washing won't fully address. Decontamination protects the rug's long-term health and eliminates sources of lingering smell.

This step is added only when needed, and we'll always tell you in advance if we think your rug needs it.

Step 7: Rinsing

Complete, thorough rinsing until every trace of soap and loosened soil is gone. Incomplete rinsing is one of the most common mistakes in rug cleaning — residual soap in the fibers attracts dirt faster and can cause long-term damage to dyes and fibers.

We rinse with clean water until the runoff is completely clear. For large rugs this can take over an hour.

Step 8: Drying

Depending on the rug's age, size, and structural condition, we either hang it to dry in a controlled environment or lay it flat on our drying racks. We never use direct heat, and we never dry in direct sunlight (which can fade dyes). Drying is slow and steady — typically 24-72 hours depending on the rug.

For antique rugs or rugs with weak foundations, drying is always flat. For newer, structurally sound rugs, hanging can work well and produces faster turnaround.

Step 9: Post-Detailing

Final inspection and finishing. We look for any remaining spots, fringe damage, or issues that need attention. Small repairs — loose fringe, minor edge wear — are often included at no additional charge. Anything larger, we'll call you about before proceeding.

Only when we're satisfied with the final result do we roll the rug and prepare it for delivery back to your home.

What's Included with Every Cleaning

Service	Standard Included
Pre-inspection and condition report	✓
Color and dye testing	✓
Full mechanical dusting	✓
Spot treatment for standard stains	✓
Submersion hand wash	✓
Complete rinsing	✓
Controlled drying	✓
Post-detailing and final inspection	✓
Free pickup and delivery (SF + East Bay)	✓
Written estimate before work begins	✓
Full insurance coverage during service	✓

Add-on services (quoted separately)

• Pet stain treatment and odor removal
• Moth treatment and damage repair
• Water or fire damage restoration
• Fringe repair and reweaving
• Edge and selvage repair
• Color restoration
• Certified appraisal

Why Our Customers Choose Us

35+ years of rug expertise. Cengiz has been working with fine oriental rugs since 1989. He opened Boga Rugs in San Francisco in 2007, bringing decades of hands-on experience to the Bay Area. You're not working with a first-year cleaner — you're working with a specialist who has spent his career handling rugs exactly like yours.

A real San Francisco showroom since 2007. We're a genuine storefront in a historic commercial district — not a pop-up, not a home-based business, not a "traveling" operation. We've been at 3499 Sacramento Street for nearly two decades.

Family-owned. We take personal responsibility for every rug in our care. Your rug isn't a line item in someone's workflow — it's a piece we're genuinely invested in.

Hand-washing only. We don't use steam cleaners or shortcut equipment on hand-knotted rugs. Every rug is washed by hand, the way it would have been cleaned in the country where it was made.

Free pickup throughout the Bay Area. We come to you anywhere in San Francisco and the East Bay — no mileage charges, no bridge toll pass-through, no delivery fees.

Written estimates, no surprises. Every quote is documented in writing before work begins. There are no hidden fees and no pressure to commit until you've seen the number.

Full insurance coverage. Every rug in our care — during pickup, cleaning, and delivery — is fully insured for its appraised value.

Honest opinions. We'll tell you if we think your rug doesn't need cleaning yet. We'll tell you if a stain isn't going to come out. We'll tell you if a repair isn't worth the cost. Our long-term relationships with Bay Area clients depend on that kind of honesty.

What We Clean

We clean any hand-knotted, hand-loomed, or fine machine-made rug. Our specialties include:

• Persian rugs — Tabriz, Isfahan, Kashan, Kerman, Nain, Heriz, Qum, and more
• Turkish rugs — Hereke, Oushak, Konya, Sivas, Anatolian village rugs
• Caucasian rugs — Kazak, Shirvan, Kuba, Daghestan
• Chinese rugs — classical Peking, Ningxia, Art Deco, modern production
• Central Asian rugs — Bokhara, Afghan, Turkmen, Yomut
• Indian rugs — Jaipur, Amritsar, Agra, Kashmir silk
• Kilims and flatweaves — hand-woven flat rugs from multiple regions
• Antique and vintage European rugs — Aubusson, Savonnerie, Arts and Crafts
• Modern designer rugs — Jan Kath, Madeline Weinrib, Tufenkian, and others
• Braided and hooked rugs — American country rugs

If your rug isn't in this list, call us anyway. We've probably cleaned something similar.

How Long Does Cleaning Take?

Standard cleaning (most rugs): 5-10 business days from pickup to delivery Cleaning with stain treatment: 7-14 business days Cleaning with repair work: 2-6 weeks depending on scope Full restoration of antique rugs: 4-12 weeks depending on condition

We'll give you a realistic timeline at pickup. If anything changes during the process, we'll call you immediately.

For rush situations (water damage, fire damage, mold) we can often accelerate the timeline. Call us as soon as possible — the first 24-48 hours matter most for saving damaged rugs.

Service Areas

Free pickup and delivery throughout:

• San Francisco (all neighborhoods)
• East Bay — Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, Alamo, Danville, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Berkeley, Oakland, Piedmont
• Marin and Peninsula — case-by-case for significant rugs

See full service areas →

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if my rug needs cleaning? A: A few signs: visible soil, a dull or flat appearance, dust that rises when you walk on it, a persistent musty smell, or simply that it hasn't been professionally cleaned in 2-3+ years. When in doubt, we can do a free inspection and tell you honestly whether it's time.

Q: Can I bring my rug to the shop myself? A: Yes, walk-ins are welcome during our hours (Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:45 PM). Bring the rug, and we'll unroll it in our showroom, take a look, and give you an estimate on the spot.

Q: Is there a minimum charge for cleaning? A: Yes — we have a minimum that covers the fixed cost of inspection, dusting, washing, and drying. For very small rugs (under 3x5), the minimum may be more than the per-square-foot calculation. Call us for exact numbers.

Q: Do you clean wall-to-wall carpet? A: No. We only clean hand-knotted, hand-loomed, and fine area rugs. For wall-to-wall carpet, we can recommend local companies that specialize in that work.

Q: What if my rug bleeds color during testing? A: We stop and call you before proceeding. Some rugs can be cleaned with an alternative method (dry cleaning or a specialized color-fast wash). Others should not be washed at all — in which case we'll return the rug and only charge you for the inspection visit.

Q: Do you guarantee stain removal? A: No honest rug cleaner guarantees 100% stain removal, because some stains are permanent by the time we see them. What we do guarantee is that we'll do our best, tell you honestly what we think we can and can't fix, and never damage your rug in the process.

Q: What's your return policy if I'm not satisfied? A: If you're not satisfied with the cleaning when we deliver the rug, we'll work with you to make it right — whether that's re-cleaning, additional treatment, or a refund. Our long-term Bay Area relationships depend on this.

Schedule Your Free Estimate

Call us, come by the shop, or fill out the form below with a photo and brief description of your rug. We'll give you a written estimate — no commitment, no pressure.

Call (415) 567-1965 or Request a Free Pickup

Visit our showroom: 3499 Sacramento Street, San Francisco Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:45 PM

Related resources

• Pricing — transparent rates for cleaning, repair, and restoration
• Rug Repair & Restoration — our repair services
• Service Areas — neighborhoods and cities we serve
• Blog: Professional Rug Cleaning in SF — our complete guide
• Blog: How to Get Stains Out of an Oriental Rug
• Blog: How Often Should You Clean an Oriental Rug?