A cotton dhurrie asks for little. It is a flat piece, made to be walked on, and it settles into a room with use rather than against it. Most of what shortens the life of one is done with good intentions: too much water, too much detergent, and a stiff brush where suction would have done. What follows is the care the house recommends, kept short because the object does not need much. The pieces referenced throughout sit in the cotton dhurries.
Everyday cleaning and vacuuming
Lift dry soil before it settles. A cotton dhurrie holds grit at the surface rather than deep in the ground, so suction alone is usually enough. Use a vacuum without a rotating brush, since a rotating brush pulls at the edges and loosens them. Work along the ground rather than across it. Lift the piece once a season and clean the floor beneath, because grit caught between a dhurrie and a stone floor abrades both. A new piece releases loose fibre for the first few weeks, which settles on its own; vacuum it away rather than brushing it out. The same routine suits the wool dhurries, which shed more in the early weeks and settle in the same way.
Sun fading and rotating the piece
Turn the piece twice a year. Light falls unevenly in most rooms, and a dhurrie that is never moved will hold a record of where the sun sat. Turning it also spreads wear away from a single path, which counts most in a hallway or beside a door. Direct, prolonged sun softens a palette over years rather than months. A pale ground carries that change more gracefully than a saturated one, which is worth knowing before a piece is chosen from the dhurries in cream and ivory for a room that takes strong afternoon light.
How to remove a stain from a cotton dhurrie
Blot, and do not rub. Rubbing drives a spill into the ground and spreads it sideways. Work from the outside of the mark inward with a clean white cloth and cold water, since warm water sets many stains in cotton. Press, lift, and move to a dry part of the cloth each time. Cotton absorbs quickly, so the first minute counts for more than anything done afterwards, and most spills lift with water alone. If a detergent is needed, use a small amount and test it first on a corner that sits under furniture, because residue attracts soil and shows later as a darker patch. Dry the piece flat with air on both sides, never in direct heat, and never wring it.
Washing a cotton dhurrie at home
Small cotton dhurries can be washed at home. A piece at 4 ft x 6 ft or under is manageable in cold water with a mild soap, laid on a flat surface, with the water pressed out using towels rather than twisting the piece. Dry it flat and out of direct sun. Cotton set with other yarn behaves differently in water, and the difference between the two grounds is set out in the guide to cotton and wool grounds.
When to have a dhurrie professionally cleaned
Have a piece professionally washed when the ground has dulled overall rather than in one place. A single mark is a spot to be treated; a flat, even loss of colour is a wash. Anything at 8 ft x 10 ft and above should go to a professional rather than into a bath, since a wet dhurrie carries a great deal of weight and handling it wet is what distorts the shape. Write to us before a first wash, as the house holds the record of what each piece is made from, and the care service will say whether a piece is cleaned in place or collected.
Protecting a dhurrie against stains
A stain-resistant coating can be applied once and will repel water and most liquids afterwards. It sits as an invisible layer at the surface and does not change the hand of the cloth. It suits a dining room, or any room used by children, and the detail of the application is held on the stain coating page. Placement helps as much as any treatment: a ground drawn from the multi palette carries daily marks less openly than a plain pale one. For pieces already chosen with children and animals in mind, there is the guide to washable dhurries.
How to store a cotton dhurrie
Roll a dhurrie, and do not fold it. A fold sets a crease into cotton that can take months to fall out, and the crease becomes a line of wear. Roll it with the face inward around a tube and wrap it in cotton or unbleached cloth. Never wrap a dhurrie in plastic, which holds moisture against the ground and brings mildew with it. Store it flat or upright in a dry room, off the floor, away from a wall that carries damp, and check it once during the monsoon.
Using a rug pad under a dhurrie
A pad earns its place. It stops the piece from travelling, lifts it slightly so air moves beneath, and takes the abrasion that would otherwise fall on the ground of the dhurrie. On stone and marble a pad counts for more, not less, since those floors are hard and hold grit, and a flat piece laid straight onto them wears from below where it cannot be seen. Corners that lift will usually settle under a pad. If a corner persists, roll it back on itself for a night in the opposite direction.
A note on fabric, and where to reach us
The ground beneath a cotton dhurrie is chosen with the same care given to every fabric kept in the house, weight and weave considered together rather than pattern alone, and the furnishing cloths sit in the fabric collection. The wider range of grounds and sizes sits in the dhurrie collection. A longer account of the house sits on the about page. For a question on a particular piece, a wash, or a coating, write to us directly.
Cared for plainly, a cotton dhurrie outlasts most of what surrounds it: vacuumed lightly, turned twice a year, blotted rather than scrubbed, washed only when the whole ground has dulled, and rolled rather than folded when it is put away.
Questions
How often should a cotton dhurrie be vacuumed?
Once a week in a room in daily use, and less in a quiet room. Use suction without a rotating brush and lift the piece once a season to clean the floor beneath it.
Can a cotton dhurrie be washed at home?
A small piece can, in cold water with a mild soap, dried flat. A large one should not, since a wet dhurrie carries considerable weight and handling it wet distorts the shape.
What lifts a spill from a cotton dhurrie?
Cold water and a clean white cloth, blotted from the outside of the mark inward. Warm water sets many stains in cotton, and rubbing spreads them. Most spills need nothing further.
Does a flat cotton dhurrie need a rug pad?
Yes, and more so on stone or marble. A pad stops the piece travelling, lets air move beneath, and takes the abrasion that would otherwise fall on the dhurrie itself.
How should a cotton dhurrie be stored?
Rolled with the face inward around a tube, wrapped in cotton rather than plastic, and kept off the floor in a dry room. Check it once during the monsoon.
