A light do-it-yourself clean for a hand-knotted rug that freshens it and delays the next professional wash rather than replacing it. After vacuuming the front side to side, sparing the fringes, the pile is wiped section by section with a clean, preferably white, cotton towel dipped in diluted, bleach-free dishwashing foam, moving with the pile so the rug is only dampened and dries within 30 to 60 minutes. Dirty fringes are laid over a stick of wood and brushed with the same mixture, working from the rug outward.