How to vacuum a Persian rug without ruining the fringe

The rules

• Suction only. Turn the beater bar (rotating brush) off, or use a canister with a plain floor tool. A beater bar pulls fibers from the pile, snags the loops of a soumak, tears the slits of a kilim, and lifts the short silk knots of a Tabriz.
• Stop at the fringe. Vacuum toward the fringe and lift the head before it. A rotating brush catches the fringe, twists it, and pulls out the end finish; then the rug starts losing knots.
• With the pile, not against it. Stroke a corner to find the direction the pile lies. Vacuum in that direction for a smooth finish.
• The back too, occasionally. Every few months, flip the rug and vacuum the back with suction; it lifts some of the grit up out of the foundation.

How often

Weekly in a family room or hall, every two weeks in a formal room. Rotate the rug once a year so wear and sun are even.

What vacuuming does not do

It reaches the top of the pile. The sand and grit that fall through to the foundation stay there and abrade the knots from underneath with every step, and no vacuum reaches them. Fold a corner and tap the back: the dust that comes out is what the vacuum missed. That is what plant washing removes, with dusting from the back before any water, and it is why a rug needs a full wash every one to three years no matter how well it is vacuumed. See how often a rug needs a full wash.

Robot vacuums

Fine on the field with the brush off; they are the leading cause of chewed fringe we see now. Set a no‑go zone at each end of the rug, or lift the rug's fringe onto the field when the robot runs.

Fringe that is already damaged

Grey, matted fringe is cleaned in the wash, combed and whitened without bleach. Fringe that is pulling out needs end stopping before the last row of knots goes; it is the cheapest repair on a rug and the most valuable.