Rug protection
Invisible armor
for your wool.
Scotchgard and fluoropolymer fiber seal applied after our hand wash. Spills bead up instead of soaking in. For wool, silk, sisal and shag — safe for natural fibers.
Why apply protection
The first 90 seconds
decide the stain.
A drop of red wine on an unprotected wool rug migrates into the fiber in under two minutes. Once the dye reaches the cotton foundation warps, no cleaning agent can fully extract it. The ghost is permanent.
A fiber-seal treatment — Scotchgard on the synthetic side, fluorochemical polymers on the natural side — lowers the surface energy of each fiber. Liquids bead rather than wick. You get five to ten seconds of grace to blot instead of two minutes of spread. On heirloom wool that difference is the difference between a stain and a story.
Skip the treatment and you’re betting nothing will ever spill. Apply it, and the next spill is a paper-towel event.
What’s included
Four layers of defense.
Scotchgard fluoropolymer
Even fine mist of Scotchgard Ultra for synthetic and blend rugs — repels water, oil and most food dyes.
Wool-safe fiber seal
A pH-neutral fluorochemical formulated for natural protein fibers. Lanolin-safe, no stiffness, no yellowing over time.
UV colorfast finish
Optional ultraviolet stabilizer for rugs near sunlit windows — slows fade from direct Bay Area sun.
Written care card
A laminated blot-and-dab guide for the first 60 seconds of any spill, plus our direct line for emergencies.
Pricing
Priced by the square foot.
Fiber-seal protection
Applied wet-on-wet after the hand wash, cures in 24 hours of flat drying. Effective 3–5 years in a normal home.
- Best paired with our 12-step hand wash
- Safe for wool, silk, cotton, viscose, sisal
- Care card & spill-line phone included
How we apply protection
Four quiet steps.
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Fiber assessment
We confirm the rug’s foundation is compatible — wool, silk, cotton, viscose, sisal all accept fiber seal; some coated jute and rubber-backed mats do not.
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Wet-on-wet mist
Protection is applied while the rug is still damp from its final rinse. The treatment bonds to the cuticle of each fiber rather than sitting on top as a film.
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Flat cure
24 hours in our climate-controlled drying room at 72 F / 45% humidity. The seal cures without heat — no shrinkage, no stiffness.
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Droplet test & delivery
Before wrap-up we bead a drop of water across the field to verify the protection is live. You see it work before the rug leaves the bench.
When it’s worth it
Four homes that get it every time.
Dining rooms under wool
Red wine, balsamic, olive oil. Your wool runs under the table — fiber seal buys you time to react.
Kids’ rooms & playrooms
Juice, markers, finger paint. Cleanup becomes a blot instead of an extraction.
Pets on silk & wool
Stops the first minute of a pet accident from crossing into the foundation — giving you time to call.
Rugs near sun
The optional UV stabilizer slows fade on Bay Area south-facing living rooms.
Pickup & delivery
Across the entire Bay Area.
Protection FAQ
What clients ask us first.
Is Scotchgard really safe for a Persian or silk rug?
The household aerosol from the hardware store is not. The wool- and silk-safe fluorochemical fiber seal we apply at the atelier is a different formulation — pH-neutral, lanolin-compatible, tested on vegetable dyes. It is the only version we apply to natural-fiber heirloom rugs.
How long does the protection last?
Three to five years in a normal household, shorter on a high-traffic rug, longer on a bedroom accent. We recommend reapplying whenever the rug comes back for a deep cleaning.
Will the rug feel different after protection?
No. Because it’s applied wet-on-wet and bonds at the fiber level, there is no film and no hand-feel change. Run your palm across a treated field and you can’t tell.
Can I DIY with a spray from a big-box store?
On a synthetic area rug, yes — follow the can. On wool, silk, or antique rugs, please don’t. The consumer sprays can yellow wool and stiffen silk. The professional-grade treatment we apply is a different chemistry.
Do I still need to blot a spill?
Always. Fiber seal gives you five to ten seconds of grace instead of the usual two; it is not a force field. Our care card tells you what to reach for first.
Does protection have to be paired with cleaning?
It works best on a clean rug. We will apply protection on a rug we didn’t clean, but we ask that it arrive at the atelier fresh from a hand wash — ours or anyone’s.
Protect before the spill
Add protection to your next cleaning.
Book a free pickup window and we’ll quote cleaning plus protection in one written estimate.