Although made to last many lifetimes, Persian carpets will suffer from the lack of proper care and can be damaged by accident or abuse. The two biggest threats to hand-knotted, pure wool carpets are damp and dirt. Damp will rot the weave and embedded grime will grind away at the knots.

While Persian carpets can be washed, it is important to ensure that only a minimum amount of water is applied and that the carpet is hung out to dry and then aired regularly.

A well cared for carpet will only need periodic deep cleaning. We recommend that you use our services at the Persian Carpet Art Centre, where a skilled professional will take the precautionary step of testing the colours for fastness before washing.

Regular vacuuming will do the job of dust extraction far more efficiently than beating your carpet. This should be done weekly, with the back of the carpet also being vacuumed. Turning the carpet over for brief periods several times a year will assist in shedding dust from the pile.

Persian carpets can be repaired, although a high level of expertise is required to ensure the result is virtually undetectable.

Should a problem arise, it should be tackled as soon as possible.

Never, never try to do it yourself


Made by a skilled craftsperson, repairs must be carried out by someone adept at copying, as closely as possible, the individual style of the original weaver.

At Persian Carpet Art Centre, the Navazani Family are specialists in the repair of Persian carpets. Originally from the carpet making centre of Navazan in Iran - where to this day family members remain dedicated to creating original Persian rugs and carpets - they have a great depth of knowledge and expertise in the traditional techniques.

One final piece of advice concerns moth-proofing. This should be carried out with an application of naphthalene flakes, particularly when you are away from home for any lengthy period of time.