How suntanned carpets are made

When you buy carpets from a carpet retailer in Chester, you expect them to be new, clean and with colours that will not fade.

Modern carpets are made in factories, ensuring they are delivered in an excellent pristine condition. Turkish handmade carpets, however, are treated differently. After they are made, they are left out in fields during the summer where the sun turns their bright colours into pastel shades. Once heat and moisture from the air have faded, the colours are fixed and should not fade further during the carpet's lifetime.

The carpets are softened by the morning dew that evaporates during the noon heat, which acts as a natural cleansing process that removes all germs. If rain is forecast, the carpets have to be quickly lifted indoors before they get soaked.

It is estimated that 15,000 carpets will be left outside in Turkish fields throughout 2024. During the winter when all the carpets have been removed, wheat is grown in the fields so that they remain productive.

These so-called suntanned carpets are made with natural fibres and dyed using root dyes. Nearly all - 99% - are sold outside of Turkey, with a high demand for the carpets in the USA and Europe.

Weaving carpets by hand, then cleaning them and leaving them out in the sun for a while takes time, which explains why Turkish carpets are very expensive. For people who want luxury sustainable carpets made from natural materials at more affordable prices, they may consider pure wool carpets as an alternative.