The Persian Rug Cleaning Company

Nick & Dasos Gonnella, Directors

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PreInspection

We carry out a thorough pre inspection of every rug before it is cleaned. Pre-Inspection is very important as it brings to our attention anything which we may feel needs to be mentioned to the client prior to cleaning and also allows us to adapt our cleaning process depending on what is discovered. Below are a few of the more common existing conditions found in many rugs which we document in our inspection reports.

Abrash

Many hand knotted rugs will show an inconsistent dying pattern known as abrash. This is due to the rug pile being knotted with wool which has been dyed in different batches. These batches will have slight irregularities in the way they are dyed and so colour variations occur. Abrash will always show in straight horizontal sections. It may not be visible when the rug is dirty as the soil disguises the subtle variations in colour however if it is present it will show once the rug is cleaned. Abrash must not be considered a defect in the rug making process and does not devalue the rug. It is a natural characteristic of the rug which many people would argue actually enhances its beauty. In fact some machine made rugs are now given a false abrash look to give them added charm and a more natural appearance.

White Knots

White knots are another pre-existing condition which can sometimes become more apparent after cleaning. The foundations of most natural fibre rugs are made of white cotton. The foundations consists of warps running the length of the rug and wefts running horizontally. As wool or silk is knotted on to this foundation and tightly packed the cotton can sometimes break. As these warps and wefts cannot be replaced they have to be cut and tied which results in white knots. These knots are cut down so that they are hidden among the face fibres. As the rug wears down these white knots can begin to appear although they are sometimes not visible if the rug is dirty. If they appear after cleaning they can usually be spot dyed to hide them.

Pile Reversal

Also known as shading or pooling, this is a condition which causes variations in the direction of the pile in the rug. Light will reflect differently depending on the direction of the pile and so shaded areas will be visible. The reason for pile reversal is still unknown and also affects wall to wall carpet. It is more common in longer pile carpets such as Chinese wool rugs. We can sometimes correct pile reversal or improve it by thoroughly grooming the rug after cleaning and before the drying process.

Urine Damage

One of the most serious conditions possible in a natural rug is urine damage. Unfortunately urine can cause stains which can become permanent within minutes of contact. They must however be professionally neutralised and rinsed otherwise they will cause further damage to the fibres. Having rugs treated with a fabric protector treatment will decrease the likelihood of a permanent stain as it will allow you time to absorb the urine before it is able to penetrate the fibre.

Painted Foundaton

Some unscrupulous rug dealers will sell rugs which have had the foundation painted to disguise worn areas. These dyes are not stable as they have not gone through a setting process and so they will usually bleed if exposed to water. These rug sellers will often tell the unsuspecting purchaser that the rug should never be cleaned to hide the fact that they have been painted. If a rug is found to have been painted then it will not be properly cleanable. These rugs can usually only be professionally dusted to remove dry soil.

Dye Bleed

Bright red dye has bled into white area

Many rugs which we receive will have pre-existing dye bleed or colour run problems. There are two main causes of dye bleed:

• First wash after rug weaving: After a rug is weaved it is usually given an initial wash which can sometimes cause darker dyes, such as the deep reds, to bleed into the lighter areas of the rug. This is most commonly seen in village and nomadic rugs where quite often the excess dyes were not properly removed from the wool before the rug was woven. Sometimes the water being used to wash the new rug is too alkaline causing it to break the acid bond between the dye and the wool fibres.
• Incorrect previous cleaning: It is common for us to ph test a rug in our pre-inspection, and to find it to be very alkaline. This is usually due to the rug being previously cleaned incorrectly by another company. A rug which is highly alkaline can bleed as soon as it comes into contact with water as the acid bond between the dye and the fibre has been destabilized.