There’s a reason VIP Oriental Rugs has earned five-star reviews on both Yelp and Google. The proprietor of the BBBaccredited company, Francisco Muñoz, knows pretty much everything there is to know about cleaning, restoring and selling Oriental rugs, having been in the business for 20 years.
“He’s been involved with everything that’s wool and textile-related since he was 18 years old. He became very passionate about rugs since then,” says Diego Muñoz, who runs the business with his father.
VIP Oriental Rugs isn’t only a showroom, the family’s rug restoration service employs weavers on-site, and its rug cleaning operation is in the facility on Mockingbird Lane as well.
“We have connections with rug makers all around the world,” says the younger Muñoz, who credits their vast network with how they’re able to source any type of rug, to fit any color scheme, for any sized room. “If a designer were to reach out to us to help her find a specific rug or match colors with a certain room, we would work with her to the fullest extent of our knowledge,” he says.
Because of those connections, the business is able to stock some of the most sought-after Oriental rugs in existence, such as rare, antique Isfahan Persian rugs, named for the area of Iran where they originate.
VIP stocks roughly a thousand rugs in its showroom, from Persia, Turkey, India and Pakistan, including Serapi and Oushak varieties. About half of its inventory is antique, with some even dating back to the 1800s.
According to Diego, all of the rugs are handwoven, oftentimes with wool and silk yarns, which take years to make. They’re also all vegetable dyed.
“It preserves the color of the rug and protects it from harsh stains. Wine won’t permanently stain. You can take a damp cloth and dab it up, whereas wine will permanently stain a chemically dyed rug,” he says.
“We have a special cleaning procedure for each type of rug,” says Diego. “Other people do it by machine, but we’re known for cleaning them by hand.” Muñoz is knowledgeable about the amount of water that needs to be used for the different types of rugs, as well as the water temperature, and the brooms, brushes and handheld vacuums in his arsenal.
“To dry them, we do it in the traditional way, by hanging them in the sun. That’s only with a specific type of rug. Some rugs are too sensitive,” he says. The shampoos the company uses are just as conscientious; they’re acid-free and biodegradable. And the guys make sure to do a colorfast test on each rug before cleaning it.
“Some rugs have very sensitive colors, most specifically red. If the colors bleed, we have a different shampoo for that as well. We make sure to get the right shampoo for each rug,” he says.
Diego recommends having rugs cleaned every two years to keep them in top condition, even if they haven’t encountered harsh assaults, like pet accidents or food spills.
“You’re walking on them with your shoes. The rug collects a lot of dirt and dust, and if they’re wool rugs, they can attract moths. So you want to get that washed to make sure nothing bad stays in the rug too long,” Diego says.
For those rugs that need some TLC beyond a cleaning, VIP offers restoration services.
“With repairing a rug, you have to focus on matching the quality,” Diego says and asserts that his team takes particular care to match the color, design and type of yarn used in the rug. “We spend time getting it right. We have various workers here with much experience repairing rugs. I consider them master weavers.”
Muñoz doesn’t take the term VIP lightly and says that in all of the company’s dealings, they only work with the best. “All of our rugs come from well-known, authentic weavers and sellers. We make sure everything is the right quality and the right material. Our rugs will preserve their value,” he says.
Alaena Hostetter is a Dallas-based journalist who writes about all of her favorite things: art, fashion, culture, music, entertainment and food.
