Welcome to Rug Care Central!
This is a website dedicated to removing some of the mystery behind the general care and upkeep of your oriental rugs. On this site, you'll see typical oriental rugs, Persian carpets, American Indian pieces, tapestries, flatweaves, machine made pieces, all in various states of disrepair and need. You can watch them go on their journey from needy back to "ready for prime time" again.
Our general rug repair philosophy involves repairing rugs by hand, in ways that correspond with the way they were originally woven, so that they can be strong again and ready for use in your home. "Repair" and "restoration" are two different categories. Most of the rugs featured here are being repaired for further use in the home - not restored to original condition for the purpose of selling or display in a museum. While we can do that, that is not our purpose here.
We want to show you, the rug owner, some of the things that are possible when it comes to bringing life back to a worn out rug that you fear might be ready for the rubbish bin. Don't throw it out just yet! Spend some time looking around. If you'd like, you can send us pictures of any of your rugs that you have rug repair questions about (rugcarecentral@gmail.com) We are accessible, and ready to chat. Our primary goal is to provide simple, approachable education about an industry that has prided itself for too long on mystery and complexity.
Thank you for dropping by. Check back often, as we will be updating the site frequently.
K Blatchford
San Diego Rug Cleaning
San Diego Rug Cleaning Company, Inc.
K. Blatchford's San Diego Rug Cleaning Company is a San Diego based business specializing in the care of antique, semi-antique and contemporary hand-woven textiles. Our craftsmanship of hand cleaning and hand repair over the past several decades has built up our reputation as one of the premier rug cleaning and repairing facilities in the United States.
The textiles that we handle on a regular basis vary from Persian rugs to Chinese rugs - and all of the countries in between (there are hundreds of weaving centers in the world). We have experience with the cleaning and repairing of American Indian weavings, flat woven textiles and tapestries. We also care for natural fiber machine woven specialty area rugs (such as Karastan).
Customer Service is the most important common goal for everyone that works at our shop. We love to educate our customers about what we do and how our "art" is different then any other cleaning experiences they may have encountered. Our entire staff is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of cleaning, repair and restoration. Please be assured that you are in excellent hands when you leave your rugs with us. We treat each and every piece with care and continually keep in mind the customer who has entrusted their "family member" to us.
About Kate Blatchford
With over 30 years experience in the realm of rug care, Kate Blatchford has accumulated a thorough understanding of -- and developed a unique approach to -- oriental rug wash, repair and restoration. She is the owner and manager of San Diego Rug Cleaning Company, in San Diego, CA, and the Resident Rug Care Expert here at Rug Care Central. Her wide knowledge base and easily-approachable manner makes Kate an ideal source of answers to any questions you may have about your rug collection, from basic questions about rug construction and identification, to the more focused questions about specific solutions to repair and care issues.
About Lisa Wagner
Lisa is a second generation rug care specialist and one of the owners of San Diego Rug Cleaning Company. She is an NIRC Certified Rug Specialist and a hands-on instructor in the professional cleaning industry. She created the first knowledge product for rug cleaning in the industry, Rug Secrets, and has written the Rug Buyers Guide for consumers on buying the right rugs for their homes.
Lisa served ten years on the board of the Carpet and Fabricare Institute, serving as President twice. She has served twice on the board of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification. She served on the Rug Certification Technician task force, and also on the National Institute of Rug Cleaners Textile Council.
Lisa was chosen as Cleanfax Magazine’s 2006 Industry Person of the Year for her contributions to the industry, and has been a 4 time recipient of the Bill Bailey Memorial Award for her work in helping and teaching other professionals.
Lisa has been a strategic business consultant/coach and is the current CEO of Piranha Marketing, a company that has helped thousands of companies in the cleaning and restoration industries create success in their companies.
About Lesley Torres
Lesley Torres is a trained weaver and restorer of all types of antique carpets, kilims, tapestries and American Indian textiles. She has worked with collectors and dealers in the San Francisco Bay area and in San Diego for 25 years. She is currently working at San Diego Rug Cleaning, restoring her favorite Tribal Weavings.
About Dave Wagner
David Wagner has grown up around handwoven carpets, and is living proof that, given enough time, anyone can absorb a lot of useful information, without trying. Specializing in graphic arts and marketing, Dave's primary responsibility is to make what we do at San Diego Rug Cleaning Company live up to its visual potential, both online and in our print materials. Any product or bit of advertising that bears our name has passed through Dave's hands. Nevertheless, he also has quietly accumulated a substantial amount of information regarding rugs in general - rug care in particular - that allows him to participate in the dialog both at our shop and online.
Be sure to check out the story behind our peacock logo by going to the Logo Story page!
CONTACT INFORMATION
Business hours: Monday - Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
Our address is: 7848 Silverton Ave, Ste. G San Diego, CA 92126
Fax: 858 566 9142
Phone: 858-566-3833
Email: sandiegoruginfo@aol.com
CREDENTIALS
K. Blatchford’s San Diego Rug Cleaning Company is the only NIRC Certified Rug Specialist in San Diego, Orange, and Riverside counties.
Rug Society of San Diego - member
Carpet and FabriCare Institute (CFI) - member
National Institute of Rug Cleaners (NIRC) – Certified Rug Specialist
NIRC Textile Council Board Member (2007 term)
Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC) - Certified Firm and Past Board Member
Textile Museum – Member
Wools of New Zealand - Wool Specialist
We conduct educational classes on rug care, rug repair, and rug buying to cleaning/restoration industry professionals, interior designers, insurance adjusters, and consumers.