Unpopular Opinion: I don’t like washed rugs.
Don’t get me wrong; I do like a rug that’s been given a fresh “bubble bath” ~ it looks refreshed when the pile gets fluffed up, the wool is nice & shiny, & it feels soft underfoot. That kind of washing is perfect & one of the many benefits of handmade rugs; they are easy to wash. No, I’m referring to washing rugs in order to artificially change the colors &/or to give them an unnatural aged patina that matches the latest trends.
At first glance of this picture, I admit that it’s a pretty room. The ceiling beams remind me of an English cottage, there’s all that natural light from the giant windows, the greenery, the inviting cozy seating; I can envision getting lost in a good book in this setting. But then again, looking down at the rug, the thought of taking a perfectly good handmade work of art that someone (or several women as the case would likely be with a room-sized rug like this one) & putting it through the wringer to get the look of a vintage or antique rug to round out this room’s look & feel is not for me.
At some point in the not too distant past, rugs with neutral color palettes and subtle patterns became the way to elegantly elevate a room. These styles of rugs have been touted as the perfect way to offer design flexibility & to help not draw our focus away from other design features in a room. Neutral rugs are also a perfect match for the “minimalist” design trend that’s gotten so much attention.
With regard to handmade rugs, there are newer rugs made with wool dyed in neutral hues to achieve this look.
Then there are handmade vintage & antique rugs that are purposefully stripped of their original color to have the same effect.
A little background.
An increased demand for Oriental rugs in the early 20th century started the chemical treatment craze of handmade rugs here in America. The designs being imported from Iran specifically were sought after, but the color palette du jour didn’t match American tastes; too much rust. How to solve the problem? Tone down the brightness with a chemical wash. One of the first rug cleaning companies in New York to do so used a bleaching agent to dull the colors. The rugs were made lighter, but the thinner rugs lost their longer lifespans because of weakened wool. So, American importers ordered thicker pile wool rugs then treated the rugs with chemicals to soften the colors. But a different problem came from this solution; the rugs were too rose colored & actually not red enough. And so the next solution was to formulate a new dye & to paint the rugs in the desired colors. Yes, strip them first then repaint them to get the colors Americans really wanted. (By the way, why not just have the rugs made with the colors Americans did want in the first place? Speculation is that the Iranian workshops weren’t able to make those hues.)
Hand painted or, simply, American Sarouk rug. In this image, women at the Rug Renovating workshop in New York are repainting a Sarouk that has been chemically washed, c.1940’s.
In our family for decades, these two American Sarouk rugs are what I consider to be heirloom pieces.
As much as I don’t care for color being stripped off perfectly good rugs, I have to confess that I do love the American Sarouk rugs. It’s ironic, I know, that they’ve been through the very process I’m saying I don’t care for, but it’s the fact that these two in particular have been handed down to us by my husband’s family that has my heart. So, in essence it’s more of the nostalgia & family heirloom aspect that I love about the American Sarouk rugs.
Special pools have been built to accommodate larger rugs that undergo the process of being chemically washed to change a rug’s color palette. As a part of this washing process to add patina, some rugs are also shaved down to have a distressed look. This photo was taken in Turkey.
The Argument For Altering Rugs.
The business of chemically altering the color of rugs & purposefully antiquing them is still big business. For instance, washing facilities exist where Persian, Turkish, Indian rugs and the like are changed to fit the demand of the toned down color palettes that some households & designers desire. Today, it can be argued that washing is pretty much the same as what happened in the early 20th century, minus the repainting of most of the rugs (over-dyed rugs are a whole other thing!). Some say that at least these rugs get a new lease on life; if changing their color palette makes them more desirable (hence sellable), so be it. I can definitely see this side of the argument, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around taking the hard work, effort, & craftsmanship of these beauties & putting them in chemical baths essentially to fit the demand of consumers.
The Argument Against Altering Rugs.
Another reason why rugs are washed is to give them the patina of antique rugs; the worn down pile, the mellowed out colors giving the rug the feel that it’s been around for a long time & has lived through a lot. As with most antiques, we give value to a thing of beauty & the life that it’s had. Being that it’s from sheep, wool is a natural fiber. Treatments to the wool will alter the look & feel to the seller & consumer’s desired way initially, but the rug’s quality over time is what worries me. Excessive washing will damage the layers of the wool’s fibers, making the fibers brittle & causing them to break, making them more susceptible to damage from foot traffic, & the color will fade more easily from sun exposure. Plus stripping the natural barrier in the wool (affecting the lanolin in the wool) doesn’t help the rug fight against staining. Being that handmade rugs are an investment, it doesn’t make much sense to invest in a rug that’s undergone this treatment only for it to break down more quickly than an untouched rug. After all, shouldn’t the goal be to have a rug that will end up being an heirloom piece? Maybe not for everyone, but I digress. There ‘s also the argument that washing rugs with chemicals is not good us, our homes, or our environment. I have come across washed rugs that have a really bad chemical odor; I’m not sure that many of us would want that in our lives.
One extreme method of aging rugs is to put them out on busy streets & let cars, trucks, motorcycles & other all the vehicles do their damage. This process breaks down the wool & pile creating the aged look a lot faster.
The whole thing about washing rugs to age them &/or to give them the antiqued look is a really hot topic among the rug selling community. The pros & cons mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg; the rational goes a lot wider & deeper.
When considering purchasing a handmade rug, take a step back & to ask your self some who, what, when, where, why, & how questions:
WHO will be using the rug? If it’s chemically washed, is it okay to have your family on it longterm? I’m not a health expert by any means, just making some inferences.
WHY are you drawn to a certain rug?
WHAT is the main purpose/use of the rug? HOW will it be utilized? Probably for decor, but is it a rug you’d like to hang on to for some time to come? If the composition of the rug’s been compromised, is it an investment & eventual heirloom or a rug you’ll get rid of?
WHEN was it really made? Ask your seller the questions you need to know the answers to. Is the rug truly an antique or is the seller being honest in that it’s been artificially distressed?
WHERE are you thinking of purchasing a handmade rug from? Knowing your seller & asking the hard questions can help you get the rug you really want that fits your needs.
One Last Thought On The Matter.
I grew up with Persian rugs that weren’t altered, so I’m biased & I get that. To be honest, growing up I never gave a second thought to the lighter color palettes or those that looked like they were antique. My father sold handmade rugs at one point in his entrepreneurial life & the rugs he chose to bring home were vibrant, full of life, & outlasted his own life. Ultimately, of course, the choice is yours. My intention is not to shame anyone who’s made the decision to purchase an antiqued and washed rug, rather to offer you some behind the scene information so you’re aware of what you’re paying for.