The best advice is "don't"....if you don't want to hire a pro, they will be a lot better and stay cleaner if you do nothing....just keep vacuuming well, turn them over on a hard surface, with the pile down and vacuum the back with an upright with a beater bar....you will be surprised at what shakes out!
Wool is self cleaning....that is the wool ised for carpets is coarse...slippery and stuff doesn't stick to the fibers.
My mother would occasionally take a damp cloth, dampened in a very weak vinegar solution and wipe the rugs with the grain of the weave...she felt better about it.
Linda C

Linda, this seems like good advice. Thanks!

Is dry cleaning bad for them. I think that is what I would do but the advice above sounds good.

Carla

Only if you don't have a cleaner expecienced in fine hand made oriental rugs is it bad.
I remember when I was a kid, the Oriental rug dealer always had a rug out on the sidewalk for passersby to walk on. Perhaps that's one of the reasons I fell in love with them...and realize how sturdy they really are.
Linda C

Before you wipe down a rug with a weak vinegar solution....know what the dyes are. One of my rugs a Hamadan, is made with vegetable dyes ( at least I think that's what they are) that run when wet. Before you do anything, take a damp cloth and wipe one colored spot to see if any dye comes off on the white cloth.
Perhaps my rug has been redyed? Don't know...
Linda C

I take mine to a professional rug launderer - very rarely. Otherwise just vacuum and spot clean with plain water. Occasionally I spot clean with a Stainmaster rug cleaning kit but not very often. I have dark patterned rugs for a reason - so they don't show stains.