Welcome to Capital Rug Cleaning Serving Ellicott City MD

Capital Rug Cleaning is a family-owned & operated full-service rug company backed by over 30 years of experience in the rug industry. We have cleaned thousands and thousands of rugs in Ellicott City Maryland and the surrounding area. We offer complete oriental rug restoration and cleaning, reweaving, traditional washing, and repair.

Odor & Urine Elimination Removal *

Pet Stains & Rug Odors

We guarantee rug odor removal. Our rug cleaning process is customized for each rug removing risks of dye bleeding, cross-contamination, shrinkage, or damage – while eliminating stains, odors, and contaminates.

** We do not guarantee complete stain removal.

How are oriental rugs
professionally cleaned?

Our Difference

At our cleaning facility, we use perforated floor/raised from the ground where rugs are washed. Every rug is hand-washed individually placed on that floor and hand-washed with attention to detail with utmost care.

Two rugs are never washed simultaneously, never share the same unclean water – eliminating cross-contamination problems. Actually, the water goes down the wash floor holes preventing water from running on the surface and reaching the next to it. This method of cleaning allows the urine and other contaminants to go straight down instead of getting all over the rug we work on. We clean:

• Braided Rugs
• Handmade Carpets
• Hand-Hooked Carpets
• Hand-Tufted Rugs
• Flat-weave Rugs
• Hand Woven (Kilims/Dhurries)
• Fine Persian Rugs
• Antique Rugs
• Flokati/Shag Rugs
• Tapestries/Needle-Points
• Machine-Made
• Karastan Rugs

Specialists in Fiber Care

• Wool Rugs
• Wool/Silk Blended Rugs
• Pure Silk Carpets
• Cotton Rugs
• Cowhide Rugs
• Olefin/Polypropylene Carpets
• Viscose Carpets
• Natural Fiber Carpets
• Synthetic Carpets

Turn-Around Time: 7 Days

Rug Washing Process

Professional rug cleaning is recommended every 2-3 years. Our hand washing process eliminates residues, allergens, dirt, stains, soil & toxic substances – cleaner & healthier for you & your family.

1. Inspection & Dye Bleed Testing

Your rugs are measured and the rug dyes are inspected for bleeding. We look for pre-existing damages. We’ll point these areas out and provide an estimate for repair plus best course for action, whether it’s necessary or worth the investment. All repairs will be done before washing to eliminate chance of any further damage. Read more about our rug repair services here.

2. Rug Dusting

Dusted front and back. Settlement of dust, sand, or grit lay at the foundation of your rug and reduce the life of a oriental carpet by causing premature wear. Your rugs are dusted to bring out these particles. An extremely important step in cleaning rugs, it cannot be preformed in your home, by a commercial wall-to-wall carpet cleaner.

3. Soaking and Hand-Washing

Soaked front and back with plenty of clean, cold water, rug shampoo (non-toxic) is applied and then hand washed – scrubbing direction going the way of the rug pile. All work is gently done by hand to insure that no damage is caused.

4. Thorough Rinsing

We’ll rinse and squeegee the front and back to remove the remaining rug shampoo, contaminants and particles completely. We make sure no residue of any cleaning or spotting agents is left in the rug.

5. Water Extraction & Drying

Any remaining water is extracted from the your carpet using an extraction vacuum. There is no dripping. The rug is carefully hung to dry in a temperature controlled room with filtered air drying conditions.

6. Fringe Cleaning & Maintenance

We pay special attention to the fringe and hand brush them once more after washing. We never use bleach – will break fibers. Damaged fringe, whether your fringe has been chewed off by your pets, torn by the vacuum cleaner, or worn off from heavy foot traffic, you do need to take action it right away. If left not cared for, my increase damage by unraveling the rug knots over time.

7. Wrap for Pickup or Delivery

The rug will be wrapped for protection. A staff member will notify you for pick up or schedule a delivery. When your rug is delivered, it will be placed exactly where you desire. We will move furniture for no additional charge.

Steam Cleaning ✗

When a carpet cleaner attempts to clean a rug in the home with a hot water extraction machine – better known as steam cleaning.

Proper rug cleaning requires:

• Deep rug dusting / vacuuming
• Complete rug shampooing and scrubbing
• Deep rinsing and grooming
• Controlled drying

With steam cleaning: as quickly as the solution and steam are sprayed onto the rug it is extracted by the machine. This is problematic, especially with wool rugs. Dirt bearing water that is not fully extracted from the carpet can result in soggy carpet, browning or wicking, mildew, shrinkage, or damaged backing, padding, and floors.

What happens:
The top half of the rug in most cases becomes saturated with detergent while the bottom half (the pile or foundation) remains untouched by the detergent.

Severna Park, MD

(443) 883-5825

836 Ritchie Hwy #21, Severna Park, MD 21146
Monday – Friday 10AM – 6PM
Saturday 12PM – 5PM

Common Questions

How often should area rugs be cleaned?

Every 1 to 3 years, on average. Most rugs should be washed every 18 to 36 months, depending on foot traffic, pet incidents, number of pets, spills, and overall usage.

How much does it cost to have a rug professionally cleaned?

Approximately $3 – $4 per square foot. Rug washing pricing is determined by SIZE, MATERIAL, & RUG TYPE. We charge $3/sqft for synthetic rug cleaning, $4/sqft for wool rug washing, $5/sqft for shag rug cleaning, $6/sqft for silk rug cleaning.

Where can I get an area rug cleaned?

Rugs should be washed off-site. It is recommended to have your rugs professionally cleaned by specialists at a rug cleaning plant.

Can you clean an area rug with a Rug Doctor?

Not recommended. It is usually best for spot cleaning.

Can you clean a rug with a steam cleaner?

No. Only if it’s a thin inexpensive synthetic rug. Rugs are not cleaned properly with steam cleaning.

Who do you recommend that does wall-to-wall carpet cleaning?

We recommend Mallary Carpet & Flooring in Glen Burnie, MD

The thorough process of a complete immersion rug washing includes many detailed steps. Each detailed step, from inspecting to dusting to washing to drying, is crucial and must be completed correctly!

That is why it is essential to work with a professional rug company that understands how to clean an area rug properly.

Even if you prefer to do things yourself, some equipment is required to complete the immersion rug washing procedure that is not available to the public.

A rug duster is a piece of equipment available to a professional rug cleaning facility. This piece of machinery is quite large and would require a facility with plenty of space to accommodate.

The rug dusting machine has straps inside that rotate at a high pressure to perform the beating.

This step is completed before the rug is washed, the carpet is laid on a metal grid, and the rug dusting machine will gently beat the back of the carpet, releasing pounds and pounds of unwanted dirt.

Only when we have removed pieces of soil or dust from the deep in the rug pile before soaking the rug results in a thoroughly cleaned area rug. Dusting is far more effective than vacuuming, which is why having your oriental rug done professionally is critical.