Hand-washed antique oriental rug cleaning — by master artisans in our atelier.
For more than a decade, the Cohen family has hand-washed antique oriental rugs from every great workshop — Persian, Turkish, French, Tibetan, Chinese. Conservation-grade methodology: every color dye-tested, washed individually with pH-balanced soap and temperature-controlled water, dried flat on slatted frames, finished by hand. Never by machine, never off-site. Complimentary pickup across Manhattan, the Hamptons, Westchester, Greenwich, and Stamford.
Persian, Turkish, French, Tibetan, Chinese — every great antique workshop.
Each antique tradition has its own foundation, its own dye chemistry, its own hand. We wash each one with the process appropriate to its construction.
Tabriz
Workshop rugs from northwest Iran. Technical precision, central-medallion drawing, exceptional knot count.
Kashan
Classic Persian medallion design. Harmonious palette of deep reds, navy, and ivory. 100 to 800 knots per square inch.
Heriz
Bold Persian village weaving. Oversized geometric medallion, earthy reds and rust, exceptionally durable mountain wool.
Isfahan
Court-style atelier weaving. Fine wool on a silk foundation, up to 1,000 knots per square inch.
Oushak
Western-Anatolian workshop rugs. Soft palette of saffron, terracotta, and dusty blue. Large-scale floral and medallion drawing.
Hereke
Imperial Turkish atelier. Silk on silk foundation, often more than 1,000 knots per square inch. Court-grade work.
Aubusson
French flat-weave tapestry rugs. Pastel palette, foliate cartouche drawing, 17th- to 19th-century atelier production.
Savonnerie
French royal-atelier knotted pile. Plush wool, neoclassical drawing, originally woven for the Bourbon court.
Tibetan
Himalayan high-altitude wool, vegetable-dyed. Senna-knotted, geometric and dragon drawing, exceptional pile loft.
Chinese Art Deco
Tientsin and Peking ateliers, 1920s and 30s. Open ground, soft pastel palette, low-relief carving.
How an antique oriental moves through our atelier.
Seven to fourteen days, calibrated to the age, fiber, and dyes of your rug.
Inspection & dye-testing.
Our master artisan examines fibers, foundation, dyes, and any prior repairs — then dye-tests every color before water touches the rug. The wash plan is written for your specific antique piece.
Hand-washed individually.
pH-balanced soap and temperature-controlled water, calibrated to age and dye chemistry. Antique pieces are washed alone, never in a batch, never on a machine. By hand, by our atelier floor.
Dried flat, finished by hand.
Dried flat on slatted frames — never tumbled, never hung. Hand-finished, wrapped, and returned to your home in better condition than the day it left.
Why antique orientals are never machine-washed.
An antique oriental is hand-knotted at 100 to more than 1,000 knots per square inch on a wool, cotton, or silk foundation. The wool is greasy mountain fiber, often from Iran, Anatolia, or Tibet. The dyes are vegetable and natural — madder for red, indigo for blue, walnut hull for brown, pomegranate for yellow — and they move under heat, friction, and alkaline soap.
A rotary brush will felt the pile, lift the dye, and split the warps that hold the rug together. Dry-cleaning solvents destabilize the dye chemistry. Hand-washing adapts — water temperature, soap pH, contact time — piece by piece. It is the only method appropriate for an antique Tabriz, an Oushak, or a silk Hereke, and it has been the standard for fine antique orientals for centuries.
The slow wash that earned its name.
The antique wash is a hand-controlled bath calibrated to the age, dye chemistry, and foundation of an antique piece. Water temperature, soap pH, and drying conditions adjusted rug by rug. The only wash appropriate for vegetable-dyed wool and antique silk.
Us versus a standard cleaner.
Where the two paths diverge. Eight choices that separate an atelier from a cleaning service.
Cleaning Method
Horizon
Hand-washed by master artisans
Standard Cleaner
Rotary machine, generic chemicals
Pickup & Delivery
Horizon
Complimentary — by our team, in our truck
Standard Cleaner
Third-party courier (or your problem)
Antique & Silk Orientals
Horizon
Conservation-grade, by hand
Standard Cleaner
Same process as everything else
Process Time
Horizon
7–14 days, properly done
Standard Cleaner
1–2 day machine ‘express’
Dye Stability Testing
Horizon
Tested before every wash
Standard Cleaner
Not tested — rugs lose color
Where Your Rug Is Cleaned
Horizon
Our family atelier, supervised
Standard Cleaner
Third-party wash plant
Restoration & Reweaving
Horizon
In-house, by hand
Standard Cleaner
Outsourced or refused
Inspection
Horizon
By hand, before any work begins
Standard Cleaner
Visual only, if at all
Ready to have your antique oriental cared for by our atelier?
Where we pick up your antique oriental.
Letters from across the Northeast.
A few of the rugs we've cared for — and the families who trusted us with them.
“They returned an heirloom Tabriz — the colors look exactly as my grandmother described them.”
“A 1920s Heriz I thought was beyond saving came back better than the day my parents bought it.”
“Our clients trust us with eight-figure homes. Horizon is the only atelier I send their rugs to.”
Questions, honestly answered.
What clients ask us before they hand over a rug — and how we answer.
How is an antique oriental rug cleaned?
Why hand-washed instead of dry-cleaned?
How long does antique oriental cleaning take?
What is a dye-stability test?
Can you treat moth damage on an antique oriental?
Can you do color restoration on an antique?
My rug came back from auction — should I have it cleaned first?
Do you pick up antique orientals across Manhattan, the Hamptons, Westchester, Greenwich, and Stamford?
Where is the rug actually washed?
How much does antique oriental rug cleaning cost?
How is an antique oriental rug cleaned?
Why hand-washed instead of dry-cleaned?
How long does antique oriental cleaning take?
What is a dye-stability test?
Do you pick up antique orientals across Manhattan, the Hamptons, Westchester, Greenwich, and Stamford?
Where is the rug actually washed?
Can you treat moth damage on an antique oriental?
Can you do color restoration on an antique?
My rug came back from auction — should I have it cleaned first?
How much does antique oriental rug cleaning cost?
More from Horizon.
Other ateliers, every service we offer, and the rest of our story — a few directions to explore.
Bring us your antique oriental.
Antique Tabriz, Oushak, Hereke, Aubusson, Savonnerie, Tibetan, Chinese Art Deco — whichever antique tradition you own, we hand-wash with the process appropriate to its age and construction. Complimentary pickup from Manhattan, the Hamptons, Westchester County, Greenwich, and Stamford.
By hand · By the Cohen family · By appointment