Area Rug Drama

So, the other day I picked up aTurkish area rug. Got it back home here, and started out just like normal. It had fringe on the edges so i usually wait until last to do it. Cleaned the middle which wasn’t that dirty. Then this is where it gets interesting. I wet the fringe and started cleaning it. All of the sudden in almost an instant it seemed, It shrunk widthwise causing the edges of the rug to bubble up. I think that my heart literally stopped beating for a minute. If any of you have had experience with this you can relate. I called my dad in Kalispell Montana and asked if he had ever had this happen. He said yes and gave me the following tip. Get as much water out of it as you can, and then stretch the ends back. Luckily we have a wood floor, and I nailed one corner down, and then pulled it back past the original spot without tearing and nailed the other corner down. Luckily it dried in that position and no damage was done. SO, be careful out there. If you come across a rug that has come direct from Turkey or any other country by that matter, charge double before thinking about cleaning it. There was really no way for me to tell if it would do that. I think that in those other countries, they do not preshrink the fringes or something.

If anyone has any other advice, Please DO SHARE.