A Renowned Rug Cleaning Company, Right in West Philly

by KYW's Lauren Lipton

People from all over the country look to Philadelphia for many things.  And believe it or not, rug cleaning has become one of them.

"People are sending us rugs from all over the place -- as far away as Washington State -- and many come from Florida."

That's Robert Zakian (above), owner of Zakian Bros. Oriental Rug Cleaning Specialists.

(Zakian:) "Back in the the '20s, my grandfather [far right] was going door to door.  They would wash the rugs in our basement and then hang them on lines outside."

Now, through the magic of UPS and the Internet, they're going state to state as people from all over the country join people here in the Delaware Valley in sending their rugs to West Philadelphia to get them cleaned.

(Zakian:)  "It's different than cleaning someone's pants or suit.  People really have a love for their rugs."

And it's quite a process.

(Worker:)  "It was in a flood, so it really needs to be thoroughly cleaned." 

(Zakian:)  "Check-in time is kind of the fun time.  I pick up runs all day long, and I'll always hear on the PA system, they're paging Ali to come to the back.  Ali's my head repair guy."

(Ali:)  "There was water damage.  It sat there for a long time.  We're going to eliminate this, then re-seam it by  hand."

(Zakian:)  "A woman sent this in.  It was her grandmother's, and it's dry-rotted badly.  She really wants us to save it -- and we're going to."

This family-owned business has remained in Philadelphia all these years because they love it here.  And it's a good thing, because the equipment is not going anywhere easily.

(Zakian:)  "Just the rollers are probably about three tons each.  And then there are steel rollers under that.  You could land an aircraft carrier on top of  it."

For more information, including tips on how to care for your own rugs, go to www.zakianrugs.com.

That's Positively Philadelphia!