Posted by George Grillo on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 @ 02:02 PM
We here at Grillo Oriental Rug Gallery and
Care were proud to be told recently that we had won the Angie's List Super Service Award for 2010. We have always aspired to excellence in caring for the rugs entrusted to us by our clients.
The staff here at Grillo know that great attention must be paid to the details of cleaning each individual rug and our experience and equipment allows us to set very high standards. It has made working here both challenging and rewarding for all of us. The expression of our clients satisfaction with our work means a great deal to us.
Examples of comments we’ve received include the following:
"Cleaned and performed extensive repairs edges of a 9 by 13 Oriental rug. Very pleasant, very helpful and very professional. We have been using them for an eternity and we will only go there for the care of our many Orientals.”
“I had them clean a thin old wool Oriental rug. This rug is fairly ragged but has sentimental value. They did a good and careful job of cleaning the rug, after telling me the risks involved in cleaning it. This job was done very well. I've used Grillo in the past and have always been pleased with their service. While they are not inexpensive, their prices are fair and comparable to others in the area and the quality of their work makes it worthwhile.
The fact that busy people - and today who isn't - would take the time to write and report on their great experience with our services is very gratifying. It energizes us here at Grillo to continue to strive for excellence - and offer the safest and most beneficial care for our customers’ valued Oriental rugs.
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Posted by George Grillo on Thu, Mar 10, 2011 @ 12:16 PM
Because Oriental rugs don’t always 
show soil, people often neglect cleaning.
There are three ways I can recommend testing your Oriental rugs to see if it's time for cleaning:
- Move a piece of furniture covering your rug and compare that section with the rest of the rug. If the colors are not as vibrant, it’s time.
- Bend back the nap of the rug in the most heavily trafficked area to expose the fibers at the base of the knots. If you see dirt or grit that your vacuum hasn’t removed, the rug needs professional care.
- Unless your rug is antique, worn fringes and edges are often a sign your rug needs cleaning. After cleaning, we can hand sew new fringes and restore worn edges.
You can actually prevent many problems and expensive repairs with periodic cleaning. While rugs in high traffic areas will naturally require more frequent cleaning, we generally recommend cleaning every three to five years.
Grillo Oriental Gallery & 
Care offers cleaning services for all Oriental rugs & carpets. You can save 10% off our cleaning services by downloading the coupon here.
For your convenience, we also offer pick up and delivery service, or you can use our cash-and–carry service and save even more. (Rugs can be dropped off any time during regular business hours - no appointment required.)
I am George Grillo, and we’re located at 100 Messina Drive, Braintree, MA.
Learn more about our Oriental Rug Cleaning Services.
Posted by George Grillo on Mon, Nov 29, 2010 @ 09:03 AM
A recent article in the Washington post titled “US hopes to revive Afghan rug trade” by Glenn Kessler outlined the involvement of the Pentagon with the Afghan Oriental rug trade. Afghanistan is a nation with some 1 million people involved in a cottage industry of weavers who work mostly in their homes hand knotting Oriental rugs.
What the US Pentagon has discovered, based on a 2006 USAID report from the Afghanistan Competitive Project, is that nearly all rugs made in Afghanistan are shipped to Pakistan for washing and finishing. US officials see this as an enormous loss of jobs and potential income for Afghans with as much as 40 percent of the wholesale value of an Afghan rug lost to Pakistan. In addition, each carpet requires 7 or 8 people for washing and trimming, all jobs lost to Pakistan.
To remedy this situation they have awarded about a $1 million contract to Tremayne Consulting which was recently set up by Richard Ringrose to handle the Afghan contract. Ringrose is known for having previously obtained a Defense department contract for Iraq to introduce the use of natural fibers and new designs. The plan in the next year is to establish training facilities for washing and trimming in Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat, centers for carpet weaving. He is also intending to create a hub in Istanbul, Turkey where foreign buyers unwilling to travel to Afghanistan could examine and potentially purchase the finished carpets.
My opinion is that this kind of project will directly benefit the Afghan people. It has the potential to position the United State's role in Afghanistan in a more favorable light with the Afghan people. As so many women are involved in weaving the economic support gained by their hand work, especially if this project helps to expand the market, for Afghani rugs will empower them.
George Grillo is the owner of Grillo Oriental Rug Gallery & Care, Boston's favorite destination for fine Oriental Rugs - at warehouse gallery prices.
Posted by George Grillo on Thu, Aug 05, 2010 @ 10:09 AM
Direct contact soils like sand and clay and other abrasive solids get tracked into the home on peoples’ shoes and sneakers. These “direct contact” soils are very abrasive and cut at the fibers of your rug, wearing away at them to reduce the rugs’ life. By giving your rugs a thorough vacuuming about once a week, you will remove most of this gritty soil, delaying the need for shampooing and prolonging the life of your rug. Eventually though some grit will work itself deep into the pile to the base of the knot and professional cleaning will be needed.
Now let’s talk about equipment. For the best cleaning job get yourself a vacuum cleaner with a motor driven brush and beater bar. The combined action of vibration and suction makes this the best type. By contrast a suction only type cleaner or canister type without a brush or beater bar only removes surface litter without loosening the embedded dirt. The same is true of a floor sweeper or electric broom. They are useful for quick touch ups, say after a family gathering. You do not need to buy the most expensive vacuum to get the best cleaning effect. Consumer Guide Reports is a useful guide for identifying a quality tested vacuum and saving money. Be sure to replace the brushes before they become too worn, also if you empty the vacuum cleaner bag when it is only half full the vacuum will operate more effectively.
As for vacuuming method, push and pull the vacuum in slow even strokes to allow it to pick up the embedded soil. In well trafficked areas, at least five strokes are need for a thorough vacuuming. Make all your final sweeps in the same direction ( the one with the least resistance ) to align the tufts laying flat. Do not suck up the fringes when you near the end of the rug as they can be torn or damaged. In fact, at the very end of the rug you should run the vacuum across the width thereby avoiding the fringes altogether. You can hand brush the fringes themselves.
A safe way to remove embedded soil from small rugs is to vacuum them from the back with your brush and beater bar vacuum cleaner. Once you have vacuumed the back you will want to remove the soil deposited on the floor; then give the face of the rug a good, thorough vacuuming. You will be amazed at how much dirt can be removed this way especially from hallway and front door rugs.
Learn more about Boston's favorite Oriental Rug store, Grillo Oriental Rug Gallery & Care.
Posted by George Grillo on Mon, Jan 25, 2010 @ 01:12 PM
My recommendations are based on my many years experience seeing how various types of padding have performed in my clients’ homes.
Firstly, it is important to understand that padding has two very important functions. One is to prevent slipping under scatter rugs and the other is to increase the life of your Oriental rug. Because it can absorb impact, some types of padding can increase the life of your rug by as much as 40 %. According to laboratory tests conducted some years ago by Consumer Guide Reports the type of padding that absorbs the most impact is felt.
For many years all hair and hair and jute felt pads were the only types available. I recommend a felt pad which is now being made from recycled synthetic materials. Moths do not eat these fibers and it is much longer lasting than hair and jute. The firmness and stability of synthetic felt give it yet another advantage, it can adjust the unevenness is some older wood floors and can eliminate any ripples and bumps that cause uneven wear when a rug lies on the floor without a pad. To truly be effective, I believe a dense ½ inch thick pad is needed. But a word of caution: it slips under scatter rugs.
You must avoid sponge or foam type padding! They are too soft and can cause “bottoming out” which stresses the foundation of Oriental rugs especially of thin finely woven rugs, flat weaves or antiques. In my experience, I have seen sponge and foam padding disintegrated to dust and some actually stuck to the wood floors!
One of the best pads to come onto the market is a ¼ inch synthetic felt, bonded to a thin solid rubber backing. It can serve two purposes: it is excellent at anchoring the rug preventing slipping and its’ felt layer helps extend the life of the rug. A sliding rug can cause a very injurious fall. I especially recommend this type of padding for all scatter rugs and also room-size rugs that do not have a thick pile like antiques, needlepoints, Aubussons and all kinds of flat weaves. Another consideration is to use it under thick rugs as it is thinner than synthetic felt and many people prefer not to add much to the thickness of their rug. Another use for this type of padding is under Oriental rugs placed over wall to wall carpeting. It eliminates the nuisance of rippling, buckling and adjusting, not to mention preventing a fall.
Most of the non-slip pads available and that are the most frequently used by consumers such as the mesh variety or thin rubber pads do not provide any support to the rug nor are very sturdy. George Grillo
Learn about Boston Oriental Rug store, Grillo Oriental Rug Gallery & Care.