Tea Washed Oriental Rugs

Tea Washed Oriental Rugs


Oriental Rugs sell better when they look older so for over 100 years the trade has tried a wide range of tricks to “age” rugs. One trick popular at the turn of the 21st century was Tea Wash. New rugs were stained with tea or henna to dull the brashness of a new rug making it appear older to the untrained eye. There is no consistent formula for tea wash but at first it was usually tea or henna. Both tea and henna are more stains than dyes since neither is particularly colorfast.

The dye instability led to some problems for Rug Cleaners. When washed these rugs would often lose color. Particularly when treated for stains or traffic lanes color loss was inconsistent giving the rug a splotchy look. This of course left untreated would cause customers to complain that the Rug Washer ruined their rug,

The Tea Wash problem is aggravated by a shift in the market. Dealers faced with used rugs with color loss or damage particularly from urine stains would Tea Wash the rugs to hide the damage. On cleaning previously hidden stains and areas of color loss could once again become very noticeable. The customer would often think the old damage was new and a result of the cleaning.

Because the tea wash could be applied to a new rug in perfect condition or to an older rug with varying degrees of damage Rug washers are faced with a difficult task in the pre-inspection of rugs entering their plant. Cleaners need to look for an overall brown or red brown stain. Customers should be informed that the stain may lighten in the cleaning process and restaining may be necessary. The cleaner should look for areas of old staining or damage that the tea wash may be hiding and inform the customer of the preexisting condition.

Once the rug is cleaned by whatever method is appropriate then the cleaner can assess the condition of the tea wash. If it has lightened or if there is inconsistent color then the cleaner should apply tea wash. Stable long lasting tea washes can be obtained at most suppliers. Success with tea wash involves educating yourself as well as educating and informing your customers.

Barry O’Connell is an independent scholar who has studied Oriental Rugs in the United States as well as Iran and the Middle East. O’Connell is best known for his websites including http://www.spongobongo.com/ and http://www.persiancarpetguide.com/