Indian Rugs
A very wide range, from finely hand-knotted Agra and Jaipur weaving to the hand-tufted rugs that make up much of today's retail market.
How to tell
Check the back before anything else. Hand-knotted shows the pattern through; hand-tufted shows a glued canvas scrim backing instead. They look similar from above and they are completely different objects to clean.
How we clean indian rugs
Hand-tufted construction is the important distinction. The pile is glued to a scrim with latex, and latex degrades with age and water. Immersion can dissolve a failing adhesive and release the pile entirely, so tufted rugs get controlled low-moisture cleaning and are never soaked.
What goes wrong
That latex breaking down on its own — the symptom is a fine tan powder shedding from the back and a smell some owners describe as wet cardboard. Once the adhesive has gone, cleaning cannot bring it back.