Mikey definition:
Rug snob = Those who know how to clean rugs, ie:
not a hack that added "rug cleaning expert" text to their carpet cleaning van without bothering to learn anything about rugs. :roll:
Your method is probably fine, although improperly used a Cimex, a rotary pad and high heat can all damage a wool rug. Assuming some skill with the tools used the chosen cleaning solution should be appropriate for use on wool.
How do you clean wool area rugs ?
There are so many types of construction using wool that this is not possible to answer.
You can complain that this is a Rug Snob type of unhelpful response, but I could give ten good answers and all might be wrong given the missing parameters.
Does a wash pit clean wool rugs, better, is there more of a risk of damaging the backing, and is it nessasary.
No. The wash pit won't automatically make for better cleaning without the additional knowledge of how to use it.
Yes. For most rugs use of a pit or a flatbed rug washer will yield results far
superior to any other cleaning method, even if you use the other method in your shop.
Yes. More water generally means better cleaning but can also increase the potential for problems, particularly if you don't know much about the rug construction or don't have a way to get the rugs drier again.
Depends. Whether you need to wash a rug depends on the type, soil load, customer expectation and whether you care if the customer thinks you're an expert rug cleaner.
Some rugs should be cleaned in place, and many can be cleaned in place if that fits the above criteria. Few rugs can be thoroughly cleaned in place though, and it is rare that a rug of value can be properly cleaned in place. Being able to identify which rugs can be cleaned in place, those that should be cleaned off-site, and those that should be subbed to a rug cleaner is critically important if you want to avoid the expensive "learning by buying ruined rugs" type of education.