Alain DemaillyVisited May 2026
A new lease of life for our Hereke rug. Colours revived, edges restored, fringes redone — truly professional work. Alain and Josy
Antique and vintage rugs washed by hand at Tapis Boeuf, a French family atelier founded in 1950, with a workshop in Sartrouville, 20 minutes from central Paris.
“Patina is the one luxury only time can weave into a rug.”
— The Tapis Boeuf atelier, Sartrouville
Antique rug cleaning is done entirely by hand: gentle dusting, a cold-water bath with pH-neutral soap, then slow, flat drying — never machines, steam or harsh chemicals. At the Tapis Boeuf family atelier founded in 1950, with over 75 years of expertise, we wash fragile antique and vintage rugs this way in our workshop in Sartrouville, 20 minutes from central Paris.
Years
of craftsmanship
Generations
of artisans
Antique rugs
cared for
Century
to the present day
Reviews translated from French.
Alain DemaillyVisited May 2026
A new lease of life for our Hereke rug. Colours revived, edges restored, fringes redone — truly professional work. Alain and Josy
Michel BuntzVisited May 2026
After our house flooded, we entrusted our Persian rugs to Tapis Boeuf — and we have no regrets. We are delighted with the work. Françoise and Michel
Ketty RoubieuVisited April 2026
My two silk rugs came home today. What a wonderful surprise — deep-cleaned, luminous and silky, like new! Deadlines were met and even shortened. Professional work; I recommend them 100%.
— Why it matters
The patina — that soft, mellow glow an old rug earns over the decades — is precisely what makes it precious. Our task is to lift away years of dust and grime without erasing a single trace of that history. It is the most delicate work within our artisan rug cleaning workshop, carried out with the same patient hand-washing we bring to gentle wool rug care.
×1 To the eye — warm, even colours softened by time.
×50 Up close — fibres gently worn by decades of footsteps.
×500 At the fibre — the slow mellowing that creates the patina.
— Our method
Scroll down — each step reveals itself, photographed in our own workshop, like a guided tour of the atelier.
↓ Keep scrolling
Step 01 / 07
Before anything touches your rug, we examine it by hand — age, materials, dyes, weak areas, past repairs. This free assessment decides every step that follows.
Time · 1 to 2 h
Step 02 / 07
High-resolution photographs before we begin: overall condition, fragile zones, borders, colours. They come back to you with the final report — complete peace of mind for insurance or resale.
Time · 1 to 2 h
Step 03 / 07
We test the dyes on five to seven hidden areas to make sure no colour will run. If a dye shows the slightest risk, we adapt the entire method rather than put your rug in danger.
Time · 2 to 4 h
Step 04 / 07
A century-old rug can hold up to a kilo of dust per square metre. We draw it out with soft, low-power extraction — never the harsh beating that would strain aged fibres.
Time · 4 to 8 h
Step 05 / 07
A lukewarm bath, mild plant-based soaps and a soft brush guided by hand — no machines, ever. The result is a deeply clean rug whose colours and patina remain exactly as time made them.
Time · 1 to 2 days
Step 06 / 07
Your rug dries flat in a ventilated room, its humidity checked day after day. It takes 7 to 14 days — slow on purpose, so the fibres keep their shape and suppleness.
Time · 7 to 14 days
Step 07 / 07
The pile is combed and the rug inspected in daylight before it travels home. You receive a before-and-after report with a care certificate — valuable for insurance, inheritance or resale.
Time · 4 to 6 h
Total time · 3 to 6 weeks per rug
— Free quote, no obligation
Free pickup and delivery across France, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Request your free quote— What to avoid
A single botched antique rug cleaning can cost a rug up to 70% of its value — and the damage is irreversible. Here is what we urge every owner to avoid.
That soft, aged glow is the signature of authenticity. Stripping it with brightening products can erase up to half of a rug’s market value in one go.
Traditional natural dyes are destroyed by aggressive household products. Never use bleach, ammonia or an off-the-shelf stain remover on an old rug.
Aged fibres tear and shrink under machine agitation and harsh solvents. A fragile old rug should only ever be washed by hand, in a specialist workshop.
Sunlight fades natural colours — deep reds turn pink, blues turn grey. Keep an antique rug out of direct light whenever you can.
Sewn-on patches, mismatched borders and synthetic threads can lower a rug’s value by 20 to 60%. Worn or damaged areas call for expert antique rug restoration, rewoven invisibly to match the original.
A rug left folded for years cracks along the folds, and damp invites moths and mould. Roll it on a rigid tube and keep it in a dry, well-aired room.
— Frequently asked questions
A rug is generally called antique once it is over 100 years old, semi-antique between 50 and 100 years, and vintage from around 30 to 50 years. All three deserve the same gentle care: aged fibres and traditional dyes are far more fragile than those of a modern rug, so we clean them entirely by hand.
— Entrust us with your antique rug
Three simple ways to talk to us about antique rug cleaning — or about a vintage carpet you are unsure of. Answer within 48 h, free pickup and delivery included.
01 · Workshop
+33 (0)9 50 91 88 85
Mon–Sat · 9 am–8 pm · Sun · 9 am–6 pm
Workshop in Sartrouville, 20 minutes from central Paris
Call the workshop →
02 · Mobile
+33 (0)6 17 59 32 54
7 days a week
SMS & WhatsApp welcome
Call an artisan →
Recommended03 · Online quote
Free quote
form
Photos of your rug · a short description · a priced answer within 48 h.
Fill in the form →