For us, the Swiss wash had two drawbacks. First, because of added transit and handling, it slows delivery of our products by one to two months, compared to source-country washing. Second, it interjects a variable in the quality control process between the time the rug is checked at the factory, and the time it is received by us in New York. A rug that leaves the factory in perfect condition may develop quality problems in washing and arrive to us in New York in unsatisfactory condition.
It is important to note that we go to great lengths to ensure that the Swiss metal-complex dyes and cleaning chemicals used in the other rugs we offer are not used in a manner that is detrimental to the environment. After washing the rugs, we do not simply pour the contaminated water back into the ground or the public water supply, as many other manufacturers do. Instead, we purify the water, restoring it to drinkable quality before re-using it. We then dispose of the dyes, washing chemicals, and other contaminants carefully and separately.