That sounds pretty reasonable, and as BB says, much better than buying a new rug. Out of curiosity, what did they say the rug is made of? Wool? Silk? Cotton? My SisIL had a lovely silk carpet she had hanging in her hall that I’m not sure what happened to. H was interested in it, but my BIL may have had other plans. It was lovely and VERY soft and luxurious. She had it on a dowel and hanging, so it was pretty clean.
I haven’t taken it yet. When I do I will let you know what it’s made of. I’m guessing wool.
Let us know what kind they say it is, such as Hamadan, Kirman, and so forth.
How many knots per inch? Color: take a SLIGHTLY damp whit towel. Gently rub…if the color comes on the towel it …not as good.
The rug is now being cleaned. It’s a Persian carpet. They said probably worth 2-4K. Will cost 200 to clean it. I Just took it because I thought it was nice and would actually use it. I knew I had good taste 
Water wash by professional rug cleaning company, using large wringer-mangle at rug-cleaner plant. Don’t “home shampoo” rug. We’ve had large oriental wool carpets washed w/ great results - no fading, no stains, etc.
I have my better rugs cleaned by an oriental rug dealer who also does restoration. The process has not changed in a thousand years. The rug is hung, then beaten to remove all dust and debris. They then rinse it with a vinegar and water mixture and hang it to dry, then beat it again. The process takes several days. My rugs come back looking fantastic - vinegar will neutralize most odors without causing damage. Perhaps you can hang the rug from a clothesline and give it a through beating. Combine vinegar and water (⅓ vinegar) in a spray bottle and spray the rug liberally - spot clean any areas that are soiled. Let dry and beat again - this may take a few days.
Or, as others have suggested, take it to the cleaners.
@1214mom, when you pick it up, see if they can tell you what type of rug it is. I’m curious!
@consolation, I will try to do that. Can you be more specific? I notice you mentioned a couple of kinds above. Is that what you are talking about? Clearly I’m kind of clueless about these rugs. my biggest worry will be how to keep my cats from defacing it in one way or another.
Gourmetmom, this was exactly what my mom used to do with our living room rug (she made me beat the dust out of it though 
). The pattern looked very similar to this one (more red than green):
http://www.bukhara-carpets.com/oriental-rugs/antique-rugs/kashan-rug-D1127.html
Sure. Assuming that it is Persian, there are different styles that are made in different regions, villages, and cities. Some of ones you are more likely to encounter–off the top of my head-- include Hamadan, Malayer, Kirman, Sarouk, Bakhtiari, Heriz, Tabriz, and Josheghan. They have characteristic designs, colors, motifs, and so on. Some are more likely to come in larger sizes, like the one you have. It might also be a Bokhara, which is something else again.
A Sarouk, for example, is likely to have an all-over floral center surrounded by a border, and probably be in the maroon/pinkish red end of the color spectrum, as opposed to orangey. If you see a rug with a design that includes a lot of rectangles in the center, it’s likely to be a Bakhtiari. (These are generalizations only!)
@BunsenBurner, your link was helpful to me. This is an interesting experience. I’m wishing I would have taken a pic of the rug before I dropped it off. I can’t tell from all the descriptions what kind of rug it is, but it’s pretty simple, mostly ivory, with a lot of red/pink/maroon in it, of sort of flowery images, and pretty symmetrical. I’d not even remember if it has a “border” of a different pattern or not. It does have fringe on both ends, and the strips of thread or whatever between the wool part of the carpet and the fring are not the same on both ends. It’s pretty neutral and light (in color), not overwhelming, which is why I liked it.
^^Very nice!!
I picked up the carpet today. It seems much better. The guy tells me what I’m smelling now is just a wool smell, and it smells the same as other wool carpets he had.
@consolation, I asked him more about the carpet. He said it’s a Tabriz, Shaykh Safie design. He said its a “copy” of something called Ardabil Carpet, which is in a museum in London (I think he said London). He showed me, but I may not have gotten that exactly correct. The colors in my carpet are different, but the pattern, style, whatever are the same I guess.
your ivory background sounds like the rugs they made for their French and other European customers. Did he give you a date as to when it was made?
@bookworm, he said it was old, but not how old.
OP: take the rug to be cleaned. It’s a size that is manageable and will fit in your car.
I have an antique Kerman rug, which I have professionally cleaned by the folks who sold it to me–they sell a wide range of Persian rugs and have people who do cleaning and restoration. It’s their only business. Someone spilled wine on the rug at a party and I immediately called the owner who told me about using a spray bottle with a vinegar/water combination. It worked like magic and saved the rug.
Bromfield, she already did.
I’m slow today. 
Hope you’ll forgive a little boosterism, but there are two original Ardabil Carpets and one of them is in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was on exhibition a few years ago and it is spectacular.