Tea-washed rugs are very common in today’s marketplace. Tea-washing a rug gives it an antique effect that many people look for when shopping for a beautiful area rug. Tea-washed rugs are over dyed with a brown or golden dye or treated with a chemical to make it look older. This treatment is also called henna-washed or antiqued.
Traditionally this was done by packing rugs in tea leaves however, the process today is much different. Today this is done via chemical treatments or dyes. These chemicals or dyes can cause 3 problems.
First, the chemicals used to tea-wash the rug can stink! Secondly, some people are sensitive to the chemicals used in the process. Lastly, the tea-wash treatment is not permanent. This that the treatment wears off or washes off over time. When it does, it will wear off unevenly.
When a rug is tea-washed it can either be soaked in the chemical or solution or the solution can be sprayed onto the rug. The difference in methods of application will affect the way how the rug looks when it starts to lose the tea-wash treatment.
Tea-washing can be used to hide previous color bleeding or stains in a rug. Sometimes, however, unethical rug dealers with use tea-washing to hide existing damage that is not discovered until it it too late.
We would like to note that even the most gentle method of cleaning can take the tea-wash off and will not come off evenly. The most important thing to know is that ALL tea washing will be lost over time due to washing off, wearing off or fade. You will find that the cotton fringe will lose it’s tea-wash quicker than the body of the rug and will be noticeable much faster. We know that this can be concerning but there in nothing that can be done to prevent this process.
If you have further questions please contact us.