Wool and older rugs usually go to the workshop with pick-up, while large synthetic rugs and fitted carpet are cleaned on site. Travel to Torņakalns is not charged separately, but pick-up and return there and back costs €10. Send photos of both sides and state the building type, and a specialist gives the price.
Historic buildings and a wool rug that has lain in a room for years
Low-rise family houses, workers' tenement houses and, in places, ornate detached houses took shape in Torņakalns, and it is a neighbourhood with historic wooden and brick buildings. Today university complexes and new developments stand next to them. In older houses a rug is often a permanent part of the room: it can lie in one place for years, and dust collects in it.
If this rug is wool, it should not be washed at home. Hot water together with rubbing or the movement of a washing machine makes wool felt and the rug can shrink; this usually cannot be reversed. So a wool rug goes with pick-up: it is cleaned in the workshop and brought back, and pick-up and return costs €10 (both ways together).
What to write in the request from the Vienības gatve side
In Torņakalns the main roads are Vienības gatve, Jelgavas iela and the direction of Akmens tilts, and the neighbourhood is crossed by a railway. So in the request write the address so that it is clear from which side the house can be approached and where a car can stop.
For a wooden or brick house without a lift, write the floor and the type of staircase. Add the rug size (length × width, without the fringe), photos of the top and the underside, and what is known about the fibre. Many rugs have no care label, and then it is the underside and the fibre of the rug that show what it is made of.
If you do not know whether the rug should be cleaned at home or in the workshop, in the “Where to clean?” field mark that you are not sure. A specialist will recommend from the photos which option suits.
A wool rug: what conservators advise
The Canadian Conservation Institute writes that heat strips wool of its natural oils and weakens the threads, while high humidity damages the fibre and can make the dyes bleed. Light fades colours, so it is advisable to turn the rug so that it wears evenly. Commercial carpet shampoos must not be used on important rugs, because afterwards the dirt clings to the fibres even more.
Colourfastness must be tested in a hidden spot. Wool rug cleaning costs from €10/m². Example: a 2 × 3 m wool rug is 6 m² × €10 = from €60, plus pick-up and return €10, in total from €70. For more on washing at home, see the article can a wool rug be washed at home.
A rental flat in an old building
Torņakalns has pre-war apartment buildings that were built to be let. If such a flat is let and the occupant changes, it is a good moment to clean the rug. Carpet cleaning in a rental flat is done on site if the rug is synthetic or fitted.
Before cleaning, photograph the damage. In the request, write whether the rug has a smell or an old stain: a fresh stain usually comes out better than an old one, but paint and bleach marks often stay.
New developments and a rug after renovation
Torņakalns has development areas with new projects. If a flat is being furnished after renovation and the rug was in the room during the renovation or is new, it can have construction dust and paint or glue stains on it. What cleaning can do depends on the type of stain and on how long it has been on the rug.
If the new rug is viscose or “bamboo silk”, it becomes much weaker in water and can change shape, and flattened pile may stay. Add photos to the request and write what kind of dirt is on the rug: carpet cleaning after renovation.
A fitted carpet in a flat that cannot be lifted
If the floor of a flat or house is covered with fitted carpet (carpeting), it cannot be taken to the workshop, so cleaning is done right on the floor. Makers such as Shaw advise periodic hot water extraction, usually every 12–18 months depending on traffic, and warn that too much moisture without extraction can cause wrinkles and, in severe cases, the backing to separate. A maker’s conditions may require proof of such cleaning, so it is worth finding out what your carpet’s maker requires.
Fitted carpet cleaning costs from €4/m² up to 100 m². Example: 40 m² × €4 = from €160, travel included. In the request, write the area in m², the number of rooms and whether the rooms have heavy furniture that cannot be moved.
Stairwell and property manager
If the stairwell of a wooden or brick house has a carpet or runner, the request can be submitted by the property manager. In the request, write the number of flights, the total length and width, and whether the carpet is fitted or laid loose. For businesses the price is calculated by area and volume, and the unit prices are the same “from” prices. See carpet cleaning for property managers.
In the request, state when the stairwell is free, and send photos from several floors if the condition of the carpet differs.
Prices in Torņakalns
Travel to Torņakalns is included in the price. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45, and this applies only to cleaning.
A synthetic rug with a short pile at home costs from €6/m², a long-pile or thick rug from €10/m², and silk, viscose and hand-made rugs with pick-up from €15/m², with the final price given from a photo. Example: a 1.6 × 2.3 m synthetic rug is 3.68 m² × €6 = €22.08, so the charge is €45. See everything on the prices page.
Sources
- Low-rise family houses, workers' tenement houses and, in places, ornate detached houses took shape checked 7 November 2026
- Heat, humidity and light damage wool; commercial shampoos are not recommended for important rugs checked 10 November 2026
- Wool felting in hot water with rubbing checked 10 November 2026
- Wet viscose becomes much weaker and can change shape checked 10 November 2026
- Test colourfastness in a hidden spot before cleaning checked 7 November 2026
- Makers advise professional hot water extraction every 12–18 months depending on traffic; the maker’s terms may require proof; over-wetting without extraction can cause wrinkles and layer separation checked 10 November 2026
- Viscose pile can brown or crush when wet; flattened pile may stay checked 10 November 2026