Home - Talisman Oriental Rug Cleaning for the greater San Francisco Bay Area

Analysis I

A careful analysis is done of every rug and textile to identify the fibers, dyes, type of weave, repair, touch up, and condition. These factors determine the strategy - or strategies - that will be followed in cleaning. A log sheet is utilized for noting the basic characteristics of the rug so that the condition can be monitored during and after cleaning. (Here a transitional Navajo rug is being examined.)

Testing colors on an Oriental rug before cleaning

Color tests taken from a modern Oriental rug before cleaning

All dyes are tested in three solutions to determine their wash fastness. Edge cords, any repairs, labels, ink marks or touch-up are tested. Rugs - or parts of rugs - are cleaned accordingly in order to avoid any bleeding of the color.

Area of Pre-Columbian mantle that was not repaired at Talisman

1) Microscopy is often used to verify authentic, repaired or counterfeit material. Here is a rough old repair of a Peruvian mantle. The wefts appear to have disappeared - leaving only the warps and a “shredded” look. The “warps” are couched to a backing cloth.

Alpaca fibers of a Pre-Columbian textile

Cotton fibers of a Pre-Columbian textile repair

2) A closer look at the fibers reveals that the original body of the manta is woven from alpaca fiber (first photo), while the repair was done with cotton fiber (second photo to the right). The cotton yarns simulated the look of the textile and were simply laid against a backing and sewn. This repair gave the impression that much of the textile was still there - when, in fact, it was missing and there was only a large hole.

Computerized photography of an Oriental rug

The condition of all textiles and rugs is documented. Here a camera mounted overhead is being controlled on a computer via a USB connection. A Gabbeh Oriental rug can be seen on the screen. It is being photographed to document special aspects of its condition.

Examining a textile before cleaning by Talisman

Our Wild M650 surgical microscope is useful for many applications. In this photo it has been tethered to a monitor. Precise work can be observed and recorded with photos or videos. Here removal methods for glue are being tested on an early sampler.