[RWebb]

find a specialty Persian (Iranian, Afghani, etc.) cleaning place - if you cannot find that go to a high end rug dealer

even in this small town, we have a place run by the family of our former Gov., a Persian immigrunt family

they will gut you like a fish if they find out you were hosing it down on a driveway - they have several special machines with rollers that will take great care of your rug and will use special detergents for no-color-fast dyes & woolens

this place will also give you a run-down on which tribe made the rug, where & approx. when - just by looking at it

it helps if they know the place of importation (NoLa for most of mine; one may have been thru Mobil) except for the Navaho rug (about which these guys also knew some history)