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| Care
& Cleaning: A Wash Tour |
Pre-wash
Inspection
Each rug is inspected for any pre-existing conditions.
Many times soil can cover up dye lot variations
(abrash), fibre staining, prior dye bleeding, worn
areas, or white knots that become “uncovered”
after the wash. Some of these are weaving characteristics
(abrash and white knots), and others are damage
that can possibly be repaired or reversed.
If you bring the rug to us personally, then this
inspection takes place with you, and we will discuss
any areas of concern that you have regarding your
rugs, and your options. If we transport your rug
to our facility, our wash and repair team will inspect
your rug after its arrival and will contact you
with any work recommendations or pre-wash “discoveries.”
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Abrash
– Dye lot colour variations (especially
in vegetable dyed wool). All wool has tone
changes that range from off-white to yellow
to grey. When this wool is dyed a particular
colour, this results in a variety of shading.
When one “batch” of red wool is
used up in the weaving process, and the weaver
grabs the next “batch” from a
slightly different colour base wool, this
difference is woven into the rug. The result
is a dye lot variation that runs side to side
(left to right) and appears as “stripes”
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the rug. This is a feature rather than a flaw
in handmade rugs. It is considered as a characteristic
that, in many cases, adds depth and texture
to the overall look of the piece. |
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White
knots – Most rugs have cotton
foundations. Cotton warps run throughout the
entire length of a rug, and cotton weft threads
run left to right and are the means by which
each row of wool knots are packed into a straight
line. During the weaving and packing process,
cotton warps and wefts will break. A broken
warp or weft cannot be replaced, so the two
broken pieces are tied in a knot and the weaving
proceeds. This results in white “knots”
in the field of the rug. These cotton knots
are usually cut down shorter than the wool
face fibres, and they are “hidden.”
Over time wearing of the wool reveals these
knots and they look like freckles throughout
the rug. These can normally be blended away
with textile dye.
Asymmetry - Handmade textiles
are rarely perfectly symmetrical. Slight design
shifts in city rugs, and more noticeable design
and shape variations in tribal pieces are
expected. Some times these can be counteracted
through blocking after the wash (wet cotton
foundation fibres can “give” a
little – but not too much).
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| Dusting
- Once the inspection is complete and the
wash proceeds, the first step is dusting.
A rugs can hold up to one pound of dirt per
square foot before it “looks”
dirty. Flooding a rug with pounds of fine
grit and dirt in the foundation creates mud
… so dusting is an important first step
to the wash process. This is performed in
most instances with our 19 foot vibrating
Duster (one of only 3 in the UK) to “shake”
the dirt out of the foundation of your rug.
This is probably the most important step during
the whole process. |
Vacuuming rugs
slowly, upside down …shows dirt and
loose wool debris |
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I
thought all rugs needed to be Dry Cleaned
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Flooding
- The dyes of the rug are tested
for colourfastness. If the dyes are
not colourfast, then the rug is bathed
first in vinegar to set the dyes during
the wash process. The rug is then given
a cold water, mild shampoo bath, using
soft brushes for mild agitation. The
rug is soaked for a certain length of
time, depending on how much surface
soil and spotting needs to be gently
worked out and rinsed from the rug’s
fibres.
The rug is thoroughly rinsed with water,
and then the water is gently squeezed
from the rug until the rug is in just
a damp condition |
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Drying
- Many of our rugs are laid
out flat to dry. Hanging textiles up
when wet can lead to too much strain
on the foundation of the rugs. Air movers
are used to help facilitate drying,
without the use of high heat so there
is no worry of shrinkage.
Upon a first wash, it is typical for
a rug to shrink slightly (less than
an inch) – just as cotton and
wool clothing does in even a cold water
hand wash. And as with throwing wool
or cotton in a high heat dryer, you
know this shrinks natural fibres …
this is why some rugs are laid out flat
to dry.
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What
about in-home cleaning
of rugs?
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Fringe
Work and Finishing
Fringe tassles are washed an additional time
after the bath.
The tassles are then dried.
The rug is given a final grooming with a horsehair
brush, and then rolled and is ready to go
home.
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| We
hope that you find the cleaning tour useful and
feel that we are the company that you will trust
to clean your rugs. |
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