Deep wool pile, dusted twice, dried slowly

Moroccan and shag rug cleaning on Long Island

Beni Ourain, Azilal, Beni M'Guild and Boucherouite rugs, and modern wool and synthetic shags, come to our Farmingdale plant from Nassau and Suffolk homes carrying more sand and grit per square foot than any other rug we clean. They are dusted twice, washed cold with extra rinse cycles, and dried slowly so the pile stays soft and the ivory stays ivory. Free pickup and delivery across Long Island.

At Green Choice Oriental Rug Cleaning Long Island, every Moroccan rug is cleaned inside our own plant at 44 Executive Blvd, Farmingdale, never on your floor, and never sent out to anyone else.

Get my Moroccan rug quote How Green Choice cleans it

from $4/sq ftFirm price after inspection

7–12 daysTypical turnaround

Free pickupAll of Nassau & Suffolk

Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite and shag: what you have

Moroccan rugs became the default rug for new Long Island interiors in the 2010s and they are now in a very large share of the houses we visit in Huntington, Roslyn, Rockville Centre and the Hamptons. A Beni Ourain is an ivory, undyed, thick wool pile with a black or brown lozenge lattice, woven by Berber tribes in the Middle Atlas, with a plain wool foundation and a shaggy pile 1 to 2 inches deep. Azilal rugs are similar in structure but with colored, often abstract designs. Beni M'Guild rugs are denser, with saturated purples and reds. Boucherouite rugs are rag rugs made from recycled fabric strips, wildly colorful and unpredictable in water.

Alongside the genuine Moroccan pieces are the mass‑market versions: machine‑made "Moroccan style" polypropylene shags from big‑box retailers, and hand‑tufted wool shags from India with a latex backing. These are cleaned well but priced and handled differently, and we identify which you have at inspection.

The common factor is a deep, open pile. It hides an astonishing amount of dry soil, it takes a long time to dry, and, on the genuine pieces, the undyed ivory wool shows every bit of yellowing, urine and residue.

Green Choice technicians hanging and rolling area rugs at the Farmingdale rug cleaning plant

Construction: Hand‑knotted, symmetric knot, coarse; wool foundation (Berber); tufted or machine‑made for reproductions
Pile: Undyed ivory wool 1–2 in (Beni Ourain); dyed wool (Azilal, M'Guild); fabric strips (Boucherouite); polypropylene (reproductions)
Dyes: Undyed ivory is stable; Azilal and Boucherouite colors frequently bleed
Soil load: Highest of any rug type: 5–10 lb of sand from a room‑size Beni Ourain is normal
Common on Long Island: 6×9 to 10×14 Beni Ourain in living rooms and bedrooms
Our method: Dye test → double dusting → cold wash, extra rinse → centrifuge → slow flat dry, pile groomed

What goes wrong with Moroccan rugs

Yellowing of the ivory. Undyed wool yellows from lanolin residue, from sunlight, from urine and from detergent left in the pile by a previous cleaning. Most of it is reversible with a proper wash and a clear rinse; sun‑yellowing at the edges is not.

Sand and grit. A Beni Ourain in a Long Beach or Westhampton house is a sand trap. The soil goes to the base of the pile and stays there, abrading the knots. Vacuuming does not reach it; only dusting from the back does, which is why we dust these rugs twice.

Pet urine. Ivory pile and a wool foundation make Moroccan rugs the worst case for urine: it shows, it smells every humid July, and it is deep. Decontamination soak before the wash, every time.

Matting and flattening. Deep pile that is washed hot, agitated hard or dried compressed comes back flat and felted. Cold washing, centrifuge extraction and slow, groomed drying keep it soft.

Bleeding on Azilal and Boucherouite. The bright colors on these rugs are frequently unstable, and on Boucherouite rugs every fabric strip is a different fiber with a different dye. They are tested extensively and washed cold with a stabilizer.

Latex backing on tufted reproductions. Hand‑tufted shags have a glued backing that breaks down with heat and over‑wetting. They are washed cool, extracted thoroughly and dried face‑up.

Area rugs hanging in the Farmingdale plant before washing

Rugs staged for dusting and washing at the plant.

How Green Choice cleans a Moroccan rug at 44 Executive Blvd

Moroccan and shag rugs follow the five stages with two changes: dusting is done twice, and drying is slower with the pile groomed as it dries. Boucherouite and Azilal rugs get a longer dye test and a stabilized cold wash; tufted reproductions are washed cool and dried face‑up.

Inspection and dye test

Identified as Berber hand‑knotted, tufted or machine‑made; measured and photographed. Ivory rugs are checked under UV for urine, which shows clearly on undyed wool. Colored rugs are dye‑tested in several places. You approve a firm price.

Double dusting

Face‑down through the dusting machine, then rested, turned and dusted again. A deep pile releases its soil in stages, and the second pass typically brings out as much as the first. This is where the pounds of sand come out.

Cold wash with extra rinse cycles

Submerged in cool water with a neutral wool solution and, for ivory rugs, a brightening rinse that removes lanolin yellowing without bleach. Urine‑contaminated rugs are soaked first. The deep pile is worked with the grain by hand, never scrubbed.

Rinse until clear, then rinse again

Deep pile holds detergent like a sponge, and residue is what makes an ivory Moroccan rug turn yellow and sticky within months of a poor cleaning. Extra rinse cycles until the water is completely clear.

Centrifuge and slow, groomed flat dry

Spun to remove the bulk of the water, then dried flat and slowly in the drying room with air movers, with the pile raked and groomed several times as it dries so that it comes back soft and standing, not flat.

Moroccan rug repairs

Side cord and selvedge repair; Beni Ourain sides are wrapped in wool and wear through.
End and fringe rebuilding on the braided ends.
Reweaving moth damage in undyed wool, matched for tone.
Latex re‑backing for tufted shags whose backing has failed.
Padding; a dense felt pad stops a big Beni Ourain from bunching.

Moroccan rug pickup across Nassau and Suffolk

We collect Moroccan rugs from every town in both counties, and the concentration is in newer and renovated homes: Huntington, Cold Spring Harbor, Northport, Roslyn, Manhasset, Port Washington, Garden City, Rockville Centre, Long Beach, Merrick, Massapequa, Babylon, Bay Shore, Sayville, Stony Brook and Port Jefferson, and the weekly route through Westhampton, Southampton, Sag Harbor, East Hampton and Montauk, where beach‑house Beni Ourains are practically a category of their own. Big rugs are collected by two technicians, rolled pile‑out so the deep pile is not crushed.

The plant

Green Choice Oriental Rug Cleaning Long Island
44 Executive Blvd
Farmingdale, NY 11735
(631) 314‑6606
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week

Drop‑offs welcome any day; call ahead and you can watch the dye test.

Moroccan rug cleaning cost on Long Island

from $4/sq ft

Moroccan and shag rug cleaning runs $4 to $6 per square foot. The deep pile means double dusting, extra rinsing and slow drying, so a 8×10 Beni Ourain in normal condition is typically $320 to $480 and a 9×12 is $430 to $650. Machine‑made polypropylene shags are at the lower end. Priced at inspection, before work begins.

Get my price

Dye test and full inspection report
Dusting from the back
Immersion wash and clear rinse (or hand wash where the fiber requires it)
Centrifuge extraction and flat drying
Fringe combing and pile grooming
Free pickup and delivery in Nassau and Suffolk
Urine decontamination, repairs and padding quoted separately

Moroccan rug cleaning questions

Why is my Beni Ourain yellow, and will it come out?

Usually lanolin residue, sun, or detergent left behind by a previous cleaning, plus urine if there are pets. Lanolin, residue and urine yellowing come out with a proper cold wash, brightening rinse and clear rinse. Sun‑fading at the edges is permanent.

How much sand can really be in a rug?

A room‑size Beni Ourain from a beach‑area house in Long Beach or the Hamptons routinely gives up five to ten pounds of dry soil in the dusting machine. It is under the pile where a vacuum cannot reach.

Will washing flatten the pile?

Not if it is washed cold, spun rather than wrung, and dried slowly with the pile groomed. Flattening comes from hot washing and drying compressed, which is what happens when a shag is cleaned on the floor.

Can you clean a Boucherouite rag rug?

Yes, carefully. Every strip is a different fabric and dye, so the rug is tested in many places and washed cold with a stabilizer and short contact time. Some bleeding of the most fugitive strips can be unavoidable, and we tell you before washing.

How much does Moroccan rug cleaning cost on Long Island?

$4 to $6 per square foot, so about $320 to $480 for an 8×10 and $430 to $650 for a 9×12. Urine treatment and repairs are extra and quoted at inspection.

Do you clean machine‑made Moroccan‑style shags?

Yes. Polypropylene and nylon shags are washed and dried the same way and are priced at the lower end of the range. Hand‑tufted wool shags with latex backings are washed cool and dried face‑up.

📞 (631) 314‑6606 Get a quote

Moroccan and shag rug cleaning on Long Island

Get a rug cleaning quote

Beni Ourain, Azilal, Boucherouite and shag: what you have

What goes wrong with Moroccan rugs

How Green Choice cleans a Moroccan rug at 44 Executive Blvd

Inspection and dye test

Double dusting

Cold wash with extra rinse cycles

Rinse until clear, then rinse again

Centrifuge and slow, groomed flat dry

Moroccan rug repairs

Moroccan rug pickup across Nassau and Suffolk

The plant

Moroccan rug cleaning cost on Long Island

Moroccan rug cleaning questions

Related rug types and services

Beni Ourain rugs

Azilal rugs

Boucherouite rugs

Wool & machine‑made

Kilim & flatweave

Moroccan rug care

Beach‑house rugs

All rug types