Every day is laundry day at the Grand Mosque in Makkah where 2,000 carpets are washed each week

MAKKAH: No one likes laundry day – but spare a thought for those responsible for the carpets in the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

One of Islam’s holiest sites, the mosque has 35,000 carpets and they all have to be cleaned and perfumed.

In fact 2,000 carpets are cleaned and perfumed each week by a special department set up in Kudai.

Millions of Muslims pass through the Grand Mosque every year, especially during Ramadam and the Hajj pilgrimage – that is a lot of feet.

So the need to ensure that the carpets are kept clean is essential.

“The carpets in the Grand Mosque are luxurious, as more than 35,000 carpets were laid so that the worshipers perform their prayers with all reverence and tranquility,” Jaber Ahmed Al-Wada’ani, assistant director general for service affairs at the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, told Arab News.

He said the green carpets have a positive impact on the psyche of visitors.

Al-Wada’ani said the carpet cleaning department has the latest high-tech equipment to clean, wash and maintain the quality of the carpets.

“A team of specialists supervises these operations to ensure implementation in accordance with established technical principles and to ensure that they are free from any defects, using the latest technologies,” he explained.

“The first stage of cleaning the carpet begins with automatic dirt and dust removal using high-quality technology. Then, the second stage is washing and sanitizing the carpet automatically with disinfectants, water, and special detergents, then rinsing it with water.”

Then comes the third stage, where the carpets are placed into special tubes to remove excess water, Al-Wada’ani added. The fourth and final stage sees the carpets laid out to get sun and fresh air, with fans to speed up the drying process.

The carpets are then swept with special modern brooms, sanitized and perfumed with the Kingdom’s famous Taif rose water. Then they are sent for packaging and storage.

He said these are luxurious Saudi carpets made specifically for the two holy mosques, distinguished by their soft thread, thicker pile, and of such quality that they are unaffected by repeat washing.

Al-Wada’ani said 240 meters are washed per hour and then stored in special warehouses for safekeeping. The warehouse stores 26,000 carpets ready for transportation to the Grand Mosque.

He said the carpet cleaning department has a laboratory equipped with the latest machines to preserve carpets from damage. For urgent washing, the Grand Mosque itself has machines for this purpose.

“Specialized teams also sweep, clean and sterilize carpets around the clock, as well as arrange their direction toward the Qibla,” Al-Wada’ani said.