Toronto Rug Cleaning

I recently did some renovations on my condo, and so while I had the wall paper in my den, living room and dining room replaced and the walls painted, I had the floors replaced as well. So I finally decided to have my carpets cleaned, while this work was being done. I have two Persian carpets (one large the other small), and two Kashmiri carpets. My late parents had spent a bit of money on the rugs 29 years ago, (and I knew they had not been washed in all that time). So I was looking for a company that first of all knew the product well, and thus how to properly clean them, and secondly knew how to repair them (the ends were frayed on some of the rugs).

I used to work at the University of Toronto in the Office of the Governing Council, and I remembered when the Chair of the Governing Council had an oriental carpet installed in their office. I was there the day the carpet arrived and I chatted with the owner and took his business card. I was impressed with his knowledge of the carpets he sold, collected and cleaned. In late 2018 I retired from the University and I forgot to save the business card when I cleaned out my office. So when I decided to have my carpets fixed and cleaned in 2019 I wanted to call the same company “Toronto Rug Cleaning”. I called my former colleague at work to see if he could get a hold of the Director who knew the owner and referred several University contracts to him. Unfortunately that Director was in charge of the Office of Convocation and I could not get a hold of that person (as it was convocation week in early November). I was in a rush to get my carpets removed before the floor was replaced, so I looked up several companies on the web, and found Toronto Rug Cleaning. I called them to get an in-home quote, and to my surprise it was the same person I had talked to in the Chair’s office years back (Ben). So I knew I could trust him to do a good job.

Before he came to my condo I had found the receipt my parents saved (for the purchase of the carpets in 1980). It gave a description of 3 of the rugs. The fourth rug was purchased back in the 1970’s by my father. With the receipt in hand and before I could even mention it to Ben, he was able to fully describe the carpets in great detail. He also knew how old they were and the fact that they had never been cleaned. I was impressed! He confirmed everything the receipts were saying before I could even show him the receipt. What really surprised me was that he valued the carpets at todays prices, which was much more than what my parents paid for them in 1980. He explained the provenance term “Kashan Kork” for my largest carpet, saying the wool only comes from the softest part of the sheep (under the neck). He identified my other larger carpets as Kashmiri Silk. I had no idea the carpets were that expensive, and I will be updating this with my insurance company so they are properly covered.

Ben quoted me a price for cleaning and repairs, and I have to admit it was more than what I had budgeted. However these carpets are family heirlooms and very expensive, so I soon realized they need to be in the best hands. The carpets have tripled in value since 1980, so the cost of cleaning was well worth preserving them. I doubt Museums complain about the cost of restoring a masterpiece. So for me it was the same. These carpets needed loving care by someone who quite clearly appreciates and admires every fine carpet he deals with. Carpets are a passion to Ben.

I finally got my carpets back after a month. They were done sooner than that, but I had to wait for my new flooring to be put in before I could get them back. I was overjoyed to get my carpets installed. They warm my condo, as bare floors need a fine carpet to make a home feel like a home. I was impressed with cleaning job, and the repairs done.

So with this said, I would highly recommend Toronto Rug Cleaning to anyone that has very fine carpets. The University of Toronto trusted them, and I do too. Their passion is carpets, and you can’t have anyone better than that to take care of your rugs. In 5-6 years time I will call upon them again to clean my treasured heirlooms.

-A very happy customer!