New oriental carpet cleaning takes careful examination before you even consider getting it near water or cleaning compounds

An antique oriental carpet will have used natural dyes and hand knotted weaves but new designs could be made with a variety of materials.

Each material may have been treated a different way in its making that could effect the reaction to even the slightest touch of water.

Some dyes from Morocco for instance can bleed as soon as any damp comes into contact while other chemical dyes will stay through anything.

Was the wool bleached before dying? It may make strands weaker and prone to breaking.

Another aspect to look out for is whether it was hand woven or machine made. The knots made by a machine are usually made on the weft rather than the warp, which can affect how it reacts to a cleaning.

For laymen it is best to think of the warp of the long strands that will make the fringe. The weft is the bit woven in between the warp.

Just like a cat doesn’t like its fur to be stroked the wrong way, a carpet will not like having its pile made to go a way different to its original lay.