Oriental Rug Cleaning

Oriental Rug Cleaning Austin Texas

2012-01-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎
812 W North Loop Blvd # 103
Austin, TX 78756
512-454-8300
http://www.Austonian.com/
Mike Reed of Austin Texas has built Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎ into one of the most prestigious Oriental Rug Cleaning Companies in the USA. In fact the Austonian reputation for excellence is so high that when developers set out to build Austin’s tallest building a 56-story luxury high-rise that is the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi they borrowed the Austonian name. So no matter if you need an 8 million dollar penthouse or the very best in Oriental Rug Washing Austonian is the name for the highest quality in Austin Texas.
Mike Reed is one of the very best Oriental Rug washers in the business. He was awarded the prestigious CRS (Certified Rug Specialist) from the RIA and a Clean Trust/IICRC MTC Master Textile Cleaner. Mike is also past Clean Trust/IICRC Vice President, Clean Trust/IICRC Instructors & Schools Committee Chairman and Clean Trust/IICRC Rug Cleaning Technician Technical Advisory Committee Chair. As such Mike Reed has been recognized by his peers as an Industry leader.
Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care is a state of the art Area rug and Oriental Rug cleaning facility. Reed has a large automated rug duster to remove the dirt (dry particulate matter) from the rugs. This “dusting” step is the key to getting the rugs clean and removing the abrasives that can cause a rug to wear out before its time. Then the rug is carefully washed to finish the cleaning process. Special care is paid to the fringe to get it clean without using bleach that can harm the foundation. Many Oriental Rug cleaners use bleach which causes the cotton to weaken so Austonian never takes these risky short cuts.
Once the rug is clean then it is put through a wringer to remove the majority of the water and then it is hung until dry. Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care takes great care to ensure a proper cleaning process.
If I were in Austin Texas Austonian Fine Rugs & Carpet Care‎
Would be my first choice for Oriental Rug washing and cleaning.

Do You Have to Clean Rugs?

2011-12-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

Do you have to clean rugs to be in the rug cleaning business? I mean it is kind of obvious isn’t it to make money in the rug cleaning business you need to clean rugs, right? Actually no, one of my clients is a large and successful rug cleaner in a major metropolitan area and he does not clean rugs at all. How is he successful if he doesn’t clean rugs at all?

To protect his privacy I am going to call my client Bob. It is not his real name but we don’t need to use his real name or city to look at how he succeeds.

Ten years ago Bob had a staff that ranged from 9 to 13 washers and repair people working in very expensive real estate in the heart of the rug district in one of America’s largest cities. Bob took a hard look at payroll costs, benefits, and the cyclical nature of the rug business and decided to fire everyone except his repair department manager and a porter. At that point his business became much more profitable and began to grow.
Bob took most of the repair and washing departments and converted it to additional retail rug space. To cover his ongoing business Bob helped his old employees go into business for themselves and then he became their best customer in their new business.
Bob works closely with his manager Eli to maintain strict quality control. Every rug is inspected when it comes in. Based on the type of rug Eli decides who to send it to. Bob tells me that depending on the type of rug the majority of rugs go to one of three washers. Not all washers are good on all types of rugs. Repair is an important profit center and the pre-inspection finds a steady stream of very profitable repair work. Many people assume that the big money in repair is in large reweaving jobs. Actually even though it is expensive it is time consuming and the small repairs are far more profitable. Rewrapping selvedges, securing ends, and fixing small slits generates far more revenue and is easy to sell in the pre-inspection stage. If a customer is having a rug washed they are usually open to small repairs if it will head off later more expensive work.
Rugs are washed before they are repaired. So they go out to a washer and then the rugs comeback and Eli inspects them. We all know that rugs after a wash may not be as good as we like. The question is who is going to make that discovery. I have been in rug shops where the rug is unrolled and both the customer and the store agree that it should be rewashed. By involving the customer in this it gives your business a black eye with the customer. What Bob has done is by using Eli to provide a vigorous post inspection most of these problems are detected before the customer sees them. Then once the rug is clean it is either returned to the customer or sent for repair.
This move has been in place and it is good for Bob’s business and it has been good for many of his former employees. Bob continues to grow his business and in good times and bad his costs keep pace with his business. Many of his former employees are still doing his work but rather than as employees they are now small business owners. Some of them have employees of their own and have built up their own clientele. Rather than worry about them as competition Bob can compete because of his superior quality control. Plus he has expanded his retail rug business by better utilizing his space and working capital. Bob is a more successful rug cleaner than ever without washing a single rug.

O'Connell's Great DC RugLover Tour

2011-12-13T08:12:00.001-08:00

O'Connell's Great DC RugLover Tour

February 10th to 12th, 2012

Friday Feb 10

10 am: Herat Oriental @ 106 South Early Street Alexandria, Virginia
Rug ID: Class will split out into appropriate skill levels.
Special Seminar on how to do Rug ID on the telephone by Dusty Roberts
Lunch
3:30 pm: ICR Certification Exam
4:30 pm: Break
Dinner

Saturday Feb 11

10:am: Hadeed Carpet @ 3207 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA
Biological Contamination Remediation
Lunch
3:30 pm: ICR Certification Exam BCS 1

Sunday Feb 12

10:00 am: Marketing with Dusty Roberts and Barry O’Connell
Lunch
2:30 pm: Textile Museum

******************************************************

COST
We want to encourage you to bring as many people from your firm to this event.

1st attendee; $600
2nd attendee; $300
3rd or more attendee; $150.

There are a very limited number of seats available for this event and you must reserve by Dec 31, 2011

Call Sue Krupp to reserve.
Chem Max Corporation
6479 Norton Center Dr
Norton Shores, MI 49441
231-798-7980

******************************************************
When reserving a room please let them know the block of rooms is setup under the Rug Lovers Seminar.

1-703-836-4700
Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria
801 North Saint Asaph St
Alexandria VA 22314

We have reserved a small block of 15 rooms for this seminar, the dates are from Thursday 2/9/12 – Monday morning 2/13/12.

The rate for these rooms will be $99.00 a night held with your personal credit card.
Room accommodations each person pays their own.
Incidentals each pays their own.
The rate is subject to applicable taxes, which is currently 11.5% room tax, and $1.00 per room night occupancy tax and is subject to change without notice.
Extra person charge over two guests per room is $20.00 per night per person.
All rates are net and non- commissionable.

The hotel offers shuttle service every 30 minutes from Reagan National Airport.

The standard cancellation policy if you need to cancel your room this needs to be done 72 hours prior to cutoff date of JANUARY 10, 2012.

If you try to cancel after January 10, 2012 the charge on your credit card will be one nights stay plus tax.

Don’t Let Your Carpet Cleaner Clean Your Rugs

2011-12-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Don’t ruin your fine hand-woven rugs by letting a carpet cleaner clean them in your home. Most hand-woven rugs are wool or silk on cotton and the chemicals used for carpet cleaning can cause irreparable damage. Just because you walk on rugs and wall to wall carpet don’t treat then the same.

Industry expert Stephen Dusty Roberts of RugBadger has three words to describing cleaning hand-woven rugs in the home, “LOSE, LOSE, Lose”. Wool and silk are protein based fibers and need a pH balanced cleaner that is neutral or slightly acidic. Wall to Wall carpet primarily uses manmade fibers such as nylon olefin, or polypropylene. These fibers take a very alkaline pH balance that has a pH of 9 to 13.5. When you us4e carpet shampoo with a pH above 7 the wool can lose the ability to hold its dyes. Once the pH oh the wool shifts to alkaline the dyes are no longer firmly bonded and can cut lose in water. This is called “Bleeding”. When a rug bleeds we often see it in darker dyes such as red or blue breaking loose in solution and red positing on lighter areas. Anyone who has ever washed a red t-shirt with white underwear only to find pink underwear can understand this.

Thirty or forty dollars worth of pink jockey shorts is bad but splotchy pink in the white areas of a fine hand-woven rug is a disaster.

Not all Area Rugs are wool or silk and bleeding is not the only danger. Many rugs are made of abaca (banana), coir (coconut), cotton, hemp, jute, linen as the pile and cotton or jute in the foundation and backing. Water heat and alkalinity can cause the fibers to turn brown. This is not just in the inexpensive rugs but is even more likely in the high end rugs which often use these and other exotic natural fibers. HWE or hot water extraction is one of the most common in-home carpet cleaning methods. The cleaning process is based on heat, water and highly alkaline chemicals which are exactly what is needed to permanently change the fibers and ruin your high fashion area rug.

One particular danger is that a rug can look fine after it is cleaned and then self destruct the next time it is cleaned no matter how it is cleaned. For that reason if a rug has been cleaned in the home it needs to be washed by an expert rug washer who can deal with the problems of bleeding or cellulosic browning if it occurs.
If you have wall to wall carpet you need an in-home carpet cleaner. If you have natural fiber area rugs and Oriental rugs you need a rug washer. To find a reputable qualified rug washer in your area please visit:

Guide to the Best Oriental Rug and Carpet Cleaners and Restorers

The New RugBadger Cub Contest Ends

2011-12-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Dusty Roberts announced that his new mini RugBadger has a new name. In a contest with hundreds of entries 30 people suggested the name RugBadger Cub. In a special Fly-Off to select the winner of a new RugBadger Cub Michael Smith was selected as the Grand Prize winner.

The RugBadger Cub was an outgrowth of input from industry leaders particularly the Rug Chick Lisa Wagner. Lisa felt strongly that there was a need for a smaller, lighter, quieter and less expensive RugBadger. To best meet the needs of Rug Washers Dusty listened to the advice and came up with the new machine. On Lisa’s advice plans to name the machine after Lisa were set aside opening the need for the naming contest.

Rumor has it that another company that considers RugBadger their R&D department is on the brink of inventing a compact rug duster. In some cases imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, other times it is just annoying.

For more on the RugBadger Cub see:

http://rugbadger.com/blog/news/rugbadger-mini-winner/

Is Rug Washing Bad for a Rug

2011-11-23T10:15:00.001-08:00

There is Rug Washing and then there is Rug Washing

Or Is Rug Washing Bad for a Rug

It is not unusual to hear some Oriental Rug dealers advise against washing a rug because “Rug Washing is bad for a Rug”. They will often say that rug Washing will shorten the life of a rug.

Obviously anyone who really understands Oriental Rugs knows that this advice is ludicrous. How can any intelligent person give such bad advice? Well if you understand where the idea comes from it is much easier to understand the mistake.

Take a look at one of the popular old time books that talks about the dangers of rug washing:

From Home furnishing By George Leland Hunter

Unfortunately, the price of small antiques is exceedingly high, while that of large antiques is prohibitive. This is the cause of the attempt to finish modern rugs in antique tones.

The first washing done in Constantinople was of the roughest kind. The rug was plastered with a mixture of mud, lime, and Sulfuric acid and then rolled up until the mordants did their work.

The desired effect was quickly gained and for a time some buyers were delighted at the number of large antiques on the market. But before long it was discovered that the process left to the rug only a few months of life, and many dealers had the doubtful pleasure of redeeming spoiled rugs.

This put a quietus on rug washing temporarily and would probably have ended it forever if the American demand had not continued insistent. American buyers came to Constantinople with instructions to purchase antiques at any cost, and, if necessary, to go into the interior—where most of them are about as helpless as a South Sea Islander on the Bowery—and this not through any fault of their own, but because the Oriental has ways of doing business that are distinctly un-American.

What part these American buyers took in putting rug washing on a proper basis is difficult to say. Several of those most actively concerned never mention washed rugs except in a whisper, while others say that they have merely followed the example of the pioneers.

Home furnishing: facts and figures about furniture, carpets and rugs, lamps and lighting fixtures, wall papers, window shades and draperies, tapestries, etc

By George Leland Hunter, John Lane Company, 1913

What we can see is that when the old timers spoke about Rug Washing they were really speaking about chemically antiquing oriental rugs with “mud, lime, and sulphuric acid”. Obviously this would seriously weaken a rug but today they repeat this old advice without understanding what the real issues are. A professional rug washer carefully tests a rug before applying special detergents that in no way harm a rug. In fact quite the opposite a proper cleaning can drastically increase the life, beauty, and utility of a fine hand-woven Oriental Rug. So the next time you hear some well meaning person say that rug washing is bad for a rug just realize that while they mean well they just don’t know what they are talking about.

Barry O’Connell

Professional Rug Cleaners for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

2011-11-21T07:25:00.001-08:00

Professional Rug Cleaners for New York, New Jersey, Connecticut

Preserve Your Investment Contact Our Experts 1-877-784-3463
Museums, interior designers and private rug collectors trust the professional rug cleaners at Nazmiyal to handle regular cleanings, intensive stain removal procedures and all their antique rug care needs. Our team of rug cleaning experts has spent years developing techniques to clean and restore irreplaceable rugs and investment pieces. For the past 30 years Nazmiyal has been one of the best and most trusted professional carpet cleaning companies in New York City with a team specializing in antique rug care, vintage rug cleaning and semi-antique pieces. At Nazmiyal’s specially designed rug cleaning facilities, our expert conservators carefully evaluate each rug to determine the ideal cleaning method. Factors that affect how your rug will be cleaned include its size, geographic origin, construction techniques, fiber content, age and dyes. Once these parameters have been established, the professional rug cleaning process begins with dry dusting to physically remove dirt from deep within the rug’s structure. Depending on the fiber content and dye types, old rug cleaning procedures include a full immersion in an aqueous cleansing solution or an application of specially formulated dry cleaning solvents that gently remove dirt from the surface of the fiber without causing dye bleed, fading and other vintage rug cleaning problems. Our professional rug cleaners are well versed in antique rug care methods with techniques and cleaning formulas to handle vegetable dyes, synthetic colors and sensitive fibers, so darks remain dark and light colors remain pure and unaffected by color bleed and washout. Our professional rug cleaners handle each rug with care while adding experience, knowledge and attention to detail to produce the best possible results for each client. Prices for this professional antique rug cleaning service start at $3.50 per square foot. Convenient pickup and drop off service is available to many customers in New York City and the surrounding areas. If you live outside the NY, NJ, CT area, contact us about sending in your carpets for a professional rug cleaning. Contact Our Experts 1-877-784-3463 / Or Simply Email Us

Joe Hadeed 3 Million a year and growing fast

2011-10-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Joe Hadeed can differentiate the 800 regions of Hamadan rugs

Posted on Oct 26,2011

Photo by John Arundel
Joe Hadeed runs the carpet cleaning business that his father founded Joe, Sr. founded.

By John Arundel

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - After feeling that his walks and outside playtime were not appropriately long enough for an English Labrador of his stature, my dog had expressed himself one too many times on the living room rug.

So there I sat recently in the lobby of Hadeed Oriental Rug Cleaning at 3206 Duke Street, with this cheap area rug we bought years ago at Lowe's.

I felt appropriately embarassed when a well-dressed chap in a German-made sports car came in toting this gorgeous Iranian rug, seemingly turning his nose up at me and my machine-made "Oriental rug," which was in fact probably mass-produced in some plant in Dalton, GA. I grabbed some old magazines, hoping to cover up the tags containing its origins

"This is an Imperial Farahan dating to the 1920s which I got years ago on a trip to Lebanon," the man pronounced regally, acting as if he were some Lepidopterist who had stumbled upon some rare and wondrous butterfly. "It's worth, like, $20,000 and I need it cleaned properly."

Joe Hadeed looked at the rug and politely identified the rug as something else. "What you have there, sir, is a Hamadan region rug from Iran," he said politely, as the man quickly deflated. "There are 800 different regions of Hamadan, and that looks like it's from the Malair city of Iran."

Photo by Connie Dale
Mike Hadeed, Joe Hadeed and Chamber of
Commerce President Tina Leone at the
Chamber Awards. The Hadeeds won
Alexandria business of the year.

Hadeed, 42, acknowledged that the rug was worth about $3,200 and that he would take care of it appropriately. Hearing this, I felt less deflated about having a rug from Lowe's.

Hey, it does the job.

The Hadeeds have been in the carpet business for nearly a century and know their stuff.

This led to the decision by members of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to the success and community service of Hadeed Oriental Rug Cleaning with Alexandria's Best Business of the Year Award.

The Hadeeds have come a long way. Michael Hadeed Jr. set up shop here after a stint in the U.S. Army and a job learning the rug cleaning business at the old Hinkel Rug Cleaning Co. Their father, Michael Hadeed, Sr. arrived at Ellis Island in 1905 and fought for the United States Army in World War I. He had also been involved in the rug business, having immigrated from the Middle East.

"I learned the business from the bottom up, starting in the rug drying room," said Michael Hadeed, who turned 81 recently and lives in the Rose Hill area.

Another son, Michael M. Hadeed, was a criminal defense attorney in Springfield and now works at the business, and a sister, Mary, lives in Sterling. "I am proud of my son for carrying on the family tradition," Michael Hadeed said.

The senior Hadeed and his brother Teddy, who died in 1981, started the business on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on April 13, 1955 with his brother Teddy, at the location which is now Al's Steak House.

"It was a little mom and pop business until I bought it in 1990," said the younger Hadeed, who borrowed $300,000 from Burke & Herbert Bank and grew it into a bustling $3 million a year business with 32 employees. "I started here when I was 19 years old. My uncle Teddy taught me the business."

After college at Radford and a short stint selling cars at Sheehy Ford, Joe Hadeed bought the business from his dad and embarked on a massive expansion. "I was living at the Alexandria House and I noticed one day that the dry cleaners were picking up from the front desk clerk," he recalled. "That seemed to me a great way to expand the business."

Joe Hadeed moved the business to Duke Street and embarked on a massive expansion, adding trucks and advertising the service they provide. With a fleet of nine trucks doing pickups and deliveries, Hadeed cleans, repairs or restores the gamut, from Chinese rugs to hand hooked or hand woven rugs to fine Persian and Oriental rugs. Even my Lowe's special.

A trip to the back rooms of the facility revealed a hardy crew of workers proudly rebuilding tassels, patching, deodorizing, stitching, repairing and meticulously cleaning rugs to their former glory.

Recently they worked feverishly during a three-day period to clean a massive, $4 million Oriental rug from the George Washington Masonic Temple. Hadeed supervised the work himself, flanked by a crew of armed security guards. The average employee works about seven years for the Hadeeds, while several have been with them for 20 years or longer.

"Advertising in the local newspapers and selling Oriental rugs in a showroom next to the cleaning facility grew our business about ten-fold," he recalled. "Then we graduated to radio and now TV."

Hadeed hopes to expand the business so that he's cleaning rugs up and down the Mid-Atlantic, from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. He plans to expand his current facility from 8,500 square feet to a larger facility of 60,000 square feet, adding about 90 new employees if all goes right.

"This will be a $25 million business by the time we're done," he predicted. "I just love this business. I'm here six days a week."

Hadeed Oriental Rug Cleaning
3206 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA. 22314
(703) 241-1111

Oreck Offers two Speed Vac for Oriental Rugs

2011-10-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

In a move to cater to the Oriental Rug owner Oreck is offering a two speeed Oreck Upright Vacuum. The vacuum has two speeds, one is a slower gentle speed for delicate Oriental and Persian rugs. Most rug washers see no harm in regular upright vacuumes but this is an interesting move to cater to a niche market.

"The Oreck XL Pilot vacuum is great for picking up dirt, dust, dander and pet hair. Its 360° Glide tilts and pivots for incredible maneuverability. It features a powerful, pile-lifting roller brush that easily moves through carpet, a HEPA inner bag and two speed settings (high speed for carpet, with a low speed that is gentle enough to clean delicate Oriental and Persian rugs). It weighs about 10 pounds without the cord."

Original Press release:

Oreck Corporation and hhgregg See Bright Future Ahead Together, Leading Regional Retailer to Offer Oreck Upright Vacuum, Canister Model and Steam Cleaner

Press Release

Posted on 10/28/11 at 3:22am by Webmaster

Oreck Corporation, a leading manufacturer of quality products in the homecare industry, announces the introduction of Oreck's select upright vacuums and its ultra versatile steam wand in more than 190 hhgregg stores.

Nashville, Tenn. (PRWEB) October 28, 2011

Hhgregg is one of the nation's fastest growing retailers of home appliances and consumer electronics. All hhgregg retail stores will now offer the Oreck XL® Pilot™ upright vacuum, Oreck Quest® Pro canister vacuum and Steam-It® all-purpose steamwand. Oreck is well known for offering products that are easy to use, lightweight, powerful and durable.

“Oreck is excited to offer its product in hhgregg retail stores. We welcome the opportunity to bring three of Oreck's most popular products to the consumer through this respected retailer,” says Jeff Collins, Vice President, Sales, Oreck.

The Oreck XL Pilot vacuum is great for picking up dirt, dust, dander and pet hair. Its 360° Glide tilts and pivots for incredible maneuverability. It features a powerful, pile-lifting roller brush that easily moves through carpet, a HEPA inner bag and two speed settings (high speed for carpet, with a low speed that is gentle enough to clean delicate Oriental and Persian rugs). It weighs about 10 pounds without the cord.

The Oreck Quest Pro canister vacuum is designed with performance, ease-of-use and maximum cleanability in mind. It provides 1500 watts of cleaning power, yet is remarkably quiet.
It comes with a complete set of onboard tools, including a six-foot hose, dusting brush and a crevice tool. The power nozzle adjusts for different carpet pile heights. HEPA filtration and disposable filter bags come standard.

The Oreck Steam-It all-purpose steamwand uses steam to remove dirt and grime and is an easy way to get a deep down clean without the use of chemicals or detergents. It has a unique vapor chamber making it easy to clean above the floor without spilling. The Steam-It heats up in less than a minute, creating a high-temperature, low-moisture dry steam that quickly removes dirt and deep cleans hard floor surfaces, windows, kitchen and bath fixtures, tile and grout.

About Oreck
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Oreck Corporation is a leading manufacturer in the homecare industry, offering a variety of vacuum, air purification and other cleaning products. Oreck sells its products in hundreds of Oreck Clean Home Centers, as well as through phone and online direct sales. The company distributes products in the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.oreck.com.

Rug Care Simplified by Kevin Pearson

2011-10-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Tips for keeping your rugs looking great for years

While your favorite carpet cleaner might do a wonderful job cleaning your carpet, they simply can not clean a rug properly with the same chemicals and equipment used to clean your carpet. Chemicals made for cleaning synthetic wall-to-wall carpeting could damage a natural fiber rug. A professional rug cleaner will use chemicals that are safe for wool or other natural fibers. It would be impractical to bring the rug dusting and washing equipment that is necessary to properly clean a rug into a home environment. Also, many times it is necessary to test the colors in a rug for 24 hours to make sure they are stable. When cleaning a rug it is nearly impossible to remove pet odors from any rug without a full immersion cleaning. This can only be done in a rug cleaning plant. A wet wool rug could then take up to 24 hours to dry in a controlled environment. After the rug is cleaned and dried then the fringe will need to be cleaned and a final grooming done on the rug before it can go back to the customer.

If a rug is going to be stored for any length of time, it should be cleaned first. Never roll up and store a dirty rug. Rugs should be stored in a climate controlled environment and be wrapped in plain brown paper or in Tyvek. Never wrap a rug in plastic. Since wool can hold 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry to the touch, wrapping a rug in plastic would not allow the rug to breath. So condensation could form in the plastic and cause the rug to mold or dry rot.

It is also not a good idea to ever set a potted plant on top of a wool rug. This can cause permanent damage to a rug by over watering the plant or just by the humidity that is absorbed into the rug from the potted plant. This can result in color loss, mold, or dry rot.

About Kevin: Kevin Pearson is a Master Cleaning Technician with The Clean Trust and has been in the cleaning and restoration industry since 1992. Kevin was elected to the Board of Directors of The Clean Trust in 2011 and presently working on a committee to rewrite the carpet inspector standards in our industry and has previously served on the carpet cleaning standards revision committee. He also serves on two other committees at The Clean Trust and is on the Board of Directors of the Professional Cleaning and Restoration Alliance. He has also been featured on Fox News in Houston. For more information Call Pearson Carpet Care at 281-548-7200 or visit our website http://www.pearsoncarpetcare.com.

Oriental Rug Washing: Does Rug ID Matter

2011-10-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

Oriental Rug Washing: Does Rug ID Matter
Recently on a message board one rug washer commented “Unless it is a cheap olefin rug”. It made me realize that when you say “Rug” I picture a hand-woven wool rug and base my answers on that. So unless you say tufted or machine made or silk or something I base my assumptions on that.
The problem is that I may recommend cleaning a rug very differently depending on what it is and how it is made. Olefin you can clean pretty much like wall to wall carpet. Tufted, gun tufted, machine tufted whatever you call it is fairly simple as long as the latex backing is good. You need to check that. With hand-woven rugs, is it going to bleed, is the foundation cotton, wool or silk. Is the pile wool, silk, silk highlights, viscose, or cotton? I was with Jerry Iskyan at Rug Renovating last Sunday and he showed me a sample rug made with all the different fibers that one manufacturer (could have been Stark) uses in their rugs. I am not kidding they are making rugs from bananas, jute, hemp, silk, soy silk, aloe and many other fibers. I never even knew you could make rugs from bananas or aloe and I had to ask what soy silk was.
My point is that the more you know the easier it gets. Time spent on Rug ID can steer you away from costly mistakes and it can also help you get more business. If you want to cash in on the rug boom you at least want to know the basics. If you took your car to the garage for a tune-up and the mechanic didn’t know if your car was gas or diesel would you trust him. Heck, would you even leave your car there?
I will be teaching a course on Rug ID for the Great DC Rug Tour next February. We will be using the Herat Oriental Rug warehouse in Alexandria Va for the rug ID session. It will include all the main types of new older and Antique Oriental rugs plus examples of everything else we see on the market. We may not see banana rugs but will have over 10,000 examples to learn from.

Urine Contamination: Send Vinegar back to the kitchen

2011-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

The old fashioned treatment for urine contamination is to wash the rug in a vinegar bath and deodorize giving rug washers anywhere from limited to very good success. One refrain often heard on the discussion boards is who needs “expensive pretreatments” while vinegar is so cheap. That lead me to ask what does vinegar do and how good a treatment for urine contamination is it.

Common white vinegar is a great cheap and common source of Acetic acid. Vinegar is a 4 to 8% acetic acid solution with a pH of 2.4 to 3.5. It does have antimicrobial properties but in the concentrations common in rug washing it has very limited affect as a disinfectant. It also dissipates fairly rapidly in the wash bath which leads to problems but let us look at what vinegar does and doesn’t do.

The key is that the acid in vinegar increases substantivity in the wash bath for the wool fibers and their dyes. Substantivity is the attraction between the dye in the bath and the wool fibers. Dye has a negative charge and an acid increase the positive charge of the wool causing the dye to stay on the fiber. Remember playing with magnets as a child, the like ends; north to north repel each other but opposites north to south stick together. By making the wool a stronger positive it keeps the negatively charged dyes stuck to the wool. This is where the problem of vinegar comes in. Vinegar is referred to as a “soft acid” meaning that it is a plant acid and it dissipated in water. So while vinegar does a great job at the beginning of the wash bath it quickly releases and stops working. So at the end of the wash bath there is nothing to help holding the dye to the wool and this drastically increases the chance of dye instability. Maybe not in this wash cycle but perhaps in the next. So for that and a few other reasons chemists began to create the “expensive pretreatment” formulations.

So vinegar is acetic acid in primarily a water solution and water is less than an ideal solution to get the acid to the surface of the wool fiber. So most manufacturers use acetic acid primarily in alcohol which does a much better job of getting acid to fiber. They also increase the amount of acid in the solution. They cannot go too high since at about 25% the acid would destroy the cotton foundation. But if it were straight acetic acid in the solution we would still have the problem of the dissipation of the soft acid in the wash bath. So what they do is add a hard or mineral acid which does not dissipate. Then they add a surfactant to increase the effectiveness of the pretreatment. That is why you probably noticed that pretreatment is sudsy. This is the way that just about everyone makes their urine pretreatment. The exception is Chem Max which does all of this but adds a special deodorizer. Paul Lucas told me that for 22 years he made chemicals but never made urine pretreatment because he would just be copying everyone else. Then one day he came up with the idea of adding one more ingredient that has made a fantastic difference. The downside to Paul’s Urine Pretreatment is that his requires gloves, goggles, and vigorous flushing. The vigorous flushing is not a big deal since all the treatments involved a hard acid which has to be removed from the rug.

Keep in mind that vinegar has a limited antimicrobial capability the way we use it but the pretreatments have an effective antimicrobial affect because of the higher concentrations and the two acids. Urine is sanitary in a healthy animal when it is first sprayed and it is also acid. But it is rich in food for living organisms and can quickly foster a breeding ground for fungus, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms. It takes about 5 days for urine in a rug to shift from acid to alkaline and then over time the alkalinity can go as high as a pH of12.5. By that point the damage to the fibers and the health risk can be severe.

Today’s rug washer is faced with choices. They can continue to use vinegar which is not consistently substantive through the wash cycle, has limited penetration, and is not an effective antimicrobial agent. Or they can switch to urine pretreatment with consistent substantivity, better penetration to get the acid where it is needed and a safe sanitizing treatment of a rug. Today’s rug washer has to decide whether to save a few cents and take the risk of long term damage to the clients rug as well as long term risk to the health and well being of the client. For the sake of a dollar or two. Effective modern urine pretreatment can

Then there is the question of speed and effectiveness, on a badly urine contaminated rug it is not unusual to see Rug Washers I know wash a rug more than once to deal with urine odor. Does it make sense to wash a rug once and spend an extra $25 in chemicals or wash it two or 3 times for the same money and save $25. It really comes down to how busy you are, how much your time is worth and how important the end result is to you. What does it say about your reputation if the urine odor returns on humid days? Personally I would rather decrease total man hours and turn out a better profit. If you are at $3 per square foot and you have to wash it twice you are at $1.50 a square and at three times. Additionally many Rug Wasters are charging an additional dollar a square foot for urine treatment. At that point instead of a decrease to the profit margin it becomes a profit center.

There are many great prod ducts on the market today. Personally I would choose ChemMax Urine Pretreatment if I don’t mind the goggles and gloves otherwise I would use Bridgepoint’s TCU Neutralizer. For faster more effective cleaning with greater profit I think it is time to send vinegar back to the kitchen.

A major point that I forgot to mention about Bridgepoint’s TCU Neutralizer. I chose it because it includes solvents that can break down the Lipids in urine. Fats, Oils, Waxes, and even excess Vitamins can be a major problem in sever urine contamination. TCU has the power to break them up and make the job much easier. No matter how well TCU works I don’t expect to use it again. Watch for a special wool balanced replacement very soon.

Special news on the NYC Rug Tour Oct 15th

2011-10-02T19:25:00.001-07:00

Jason Nazmiyal New York City's leading Antique Carpet dealer will be putting on a special presentation of Antique Oriental Rugs. The presentation will include the best of Antique Tabriz Rugs - Antique Oushak Rugs - Antique Sultanabad Rugs and Antique Khotan Rugs.

Carriage Trade Rug Washing: The Talk

2011-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Some terms in the world of Oriental Rugs words get used that are not common in every day speech or take on a special meaning in regards to rugs. Here are a few of my favorites;
Atelier; among rug washers there is a great debate about the place where you wash and repair your rugs. Do you call it a plant or a shop or do you go with the more female friendly Spa, or Salon. My dear friend Harold Keshishian referred to his work shop as his Atelier. An Atelier is the French word for workshop. Atelier has the connotation of a workshop of an artist or master craftsman. Under Harold he shop was very much an Atelier.
Extant: meaning complete. When a rug is as it was when cut from the loom it is considered extant. A rug is always worth more extant then if reduced.
Reduced: less than whole. With rugs it has the connotation of being almost extant or complete but missing something. If a rug is reduced at one end or reduced at both ends it means that there is loss to the pile often extending into the outer guard borders. If the rug is reduced on 4 sides or very far into the rug it is not reduced it is a Fragment.
Fragment; a part of a rug. It may have uneven borders and holes or it may be rectangular and in good shape except that it is reduced on all 4 sides. It should always be valused at a lower price than if it were extant but keep in mind some fragments can still command astronomical prices.
Polychrome; more than one color. Most oriental rugs are polychrome in that they are more than one color. One color is monochrome and more than one is polychrome. This usage is common in auction catalogue descriptions.
Accessioned: bought, acquired. Many great rug collectors don’t use buy or sell in regards to their rugs. Rugs are either accessioned (bought) or de accessioned (sold). To use buy or sell would be too plebeian.

Is Sapphire Scientific in Play Again?

2011-09-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

Is Sapphire Scientific in Play Again?
No sooner than it is announced that RPM bought Sapphire Scientific then I get the word that RPM is up for sale. RPM who earlier sold 3 brands including Bondo to 3M is now rumored to be ready to sell all of RPM to 3M. My source tells me that the “Due Diligence” paperwork is in process and if legal and financial depts clear the sale RPM will become part of 3M.
Hard to tell just what that means for Sapphire but my source tells me that 3M may sell Sapphire and Chemspec to SEM who is looking at entering the Carpet Cleaning arena. SEM is said to want to expand into carpet since they are a major player in automotive interihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifors especially auto carpet.
Add to this that some of the big boys took a look at MasterBleed but their shrinking slice is too small to attract any interest. At the same time another very small chemical manufacturer with truly innovative products may end up with a major distribution deal very soon. The cream rises to the top while the sludge falls to the bottom.
Best wishes,
Barry O’Connell

Rug Chick Lisa Wagner Announces New Training

2011-09-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Rug expert Lisa Wagner and fine fabric expert Jim Pemberton have collaborated on a new training program to develop the next generation of textile specialists in those respective fields.
This program was quietly announced to the readers of Lisa’s Rug Chick blog, and 40 companies were chosen from more than 125 applying companies from across the US, Canada, and UK vying for a spot in this first group of graduates.
“We have a serious deficit in specialists in the fields of rug and fine fabric care because the current training model in our industry is broken. This is our way of fixing this problem through a multi-faceted training process,” shared Jim.
The Textile Pro program is a three phase training process that expands over six months incorporating on-line basic textile training, in-person advanced training, as well as strategic marketing, busihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifness development, and technical support.
Lisa added, “Becoming a rug pro is way beyond taking a sit-down class and passing a scantron test. It’s a combination of truly understanding this craft from the ground floor up, not just technically but also from a business standpoint. What good is getting a patch on your sleeve if it is not bringing jobs through the door? Our plan is to create not just another group of rug cleaners, but the next group of highly successful Textile Pros who are the best in their region.”
The next group of Textile Pro companies will be chosen as the first group finishes their curriculum in January 2012. For more information about the Textile Pro program, you can visit www.RugChick.com.

A Supercharged catalyst for creativity!

2011-09-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

40 Words To Awaken The Entrepreneur Within by Dave DeBlander,
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
A Supercharged catalyst for creativity! It is not about what Dave DeBlander says or how well he says it. This is about what it made me think. I started this book on a jet back from Las Vegas and within the first chapter I had to borrow a pen and start making notes of all the things I need to do, stop doing or fix. This book broke the damn of ideas and became a lens though which I could focus on my problems. If you are successful you need this book and if you are not there yet you really need this book.
Deblander is a succesful carpet cleaner who really speaks to us!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Dave+DeBlander+&x=21&y=17

Big Profits in Rug Repair

2011-08-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Besides dirty rugs as a Rug Washers you see many rugs in need of repair. Even if you are not equipped to do repairs it is a great opportunity for profit.

Let us take a fairly common repair, a softball size hole. That is a 4 inch across hole with pile and foundation missing. The standard repair is to take the hole out to a square (See Peter Stone’s Oriental Rug Repair) for a 16 square inch (4 by 4) reweave. (Non-square repairs take a master restorer and cost more.) Replacing the foundation is the toughest part of the job and takes the most time. Once the foundation is in place the pile is fairly simple. Then it is trimmed and finished. In an old Persian Sarouk rug this is about a 3 to 4 day job.

For Rug Washers and Oriental Rug Dealers Wade Shehady has a wholesale program on repairs. Using the 4 inch hole I called a much respected “Big City” repair shop to get their retail price on the repair. Here is what I found:

“Big City” shop; $1600 to $2000 to reweave.
Shehady Oriental Rugs Wholesale; $400 to reweave

Wade recommends that his clients double the price (Keystone Pricing) plus shipping for their customers. This means that you can make $400 for shipping a rug. Smart guys are going to do the market research and find out what the going rate is in their area. In many areas marking the repair up two and a half to three times is very realistic. Evan at 3 times plus shipping you are still under the low estimate of the “Big City” shop.

Run the numbers on a 9 by 12 painted Sarouk rug..
Washing at $3 a square foot $324
Repair 4 inch hole $800
Total $1124 plus shipping, to the customer.
Net to the washer $700 before you sell the first extra such as moth treatment.

For information on getting started in the Wholesale Rug Repair Program call Barry at 570-580-0709

Meet me at Connections in Vegas

2011-08-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

I will be speaking this year at Connection in Las Vegas September 7 – 9. If you are going to be at the show look me up and introduce yourself. All members of my best Cleaners List will have a chance to do a short video with me for inclusion on the list. The list is a great tool but the list with video increases results dramatically. I will also be interviewing Industry Leaders and looking at the very best in Rug Cleaning Equipment.
You will be able to find me at the Rug Badger display booth and demonstration. My old friend Dusty was kind enough to invite me out and has promised to show me around. I will also be talking about the secrets of cleaning Oriental Rugs. I bet that you think that since I will be in an equipment booth it will be about buying more expensive equipment that will make you rich. Trust me it isn't. New equipment can be a help when you really begin to need it but the most important things are First and Foremost
GET THE RUGS CLEAN.
Then secondly it is to build the business to generate the rugs to clean. So the real secret is first come rugs, then comes money, then comes equipment. I bet you won't hear that very often at the show.

Minimizing Risk, Maximize Profit with Repairs

2011-08-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Minimizing Risk, Maximize Profit with Repairs
Pre-inspection is a crucial time in the Rug Washing and Cleaning process. Your customer shows you a rug and wants your expert opinion. You need to ID the rug with at least measurements and determine the problems. It is at this exact moment that you can substantially increase your profit while decreasing your risk. The fine points of Pre-Inspection are outside the bounds of this article but I want to focus on damage, wear, and repair.

Obviously a loose selvage can get caught in a rotary brush and rip which would be a distinct liability to you. You need to note that damage prior to washing on your work order. But at this point you have the option to offer repair service to your customers. Before you say to yourself thatyou do not do repairs and click away think about the potential profit of booking your repair work and jobbing the work out to a qualified repair service. Your key to profit can be as simple as saying, “You have a problem starting here, shall I have my repair department take a look at that.” If your customer says no you merely note the problem on the work order and when they sign you are protected. However if they say yes as a good percentage will you can make a nice profit on someone elses labor.

Wade Shehady 3rd generation Pittsburgh Pa. rug restorer tells me that many of his jobs are from rug washers and carpet cleaners who find work and then email the images to him for an estimate. As Wade told me, “Barry it is simple, they lay a ruler across the damage, snap a few pictures and email them to me, and I can be back to them in a few hours.” Wade runs Shehady's Oriental Rugs on Freeport Road in Pittsburgh, Pa. Wade is a master restorer and he has a staff of 5 other restorers, Staff hmmm maybe better described as a family rather than s a staff since Wade works with his 5 sisters. They were brought up in rug repair by Wade Shehady Sr. a very dear friend of mine who passed a few years ago.
The key for Rug Washers is to learn the simple lingo so that they can talk repairs. Whether you use Shehady in Pittsburgh or someone else you should never tell your customers that you are out-sourcing the job. It is best to say that you will give it to your repair department. Once you start Shehady’s becomes your repair department.

This doesn’t mean that Wade has to do all your repair work. The most profitable work is the easiest such as fixing selvages and stabilizing ends. Wade is glad to help you getting started doing your own work. If you can increase your profits by doing your own then you only have to job out the work that you cannot do in-house. Using a service such as Shehady Oriental Rugs can add thousands of dollars of profit to you bottom line at the end of the year,

Dave Yoakum Royal Carpet Cleaning Lincoln Nebraska

2011-08-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Dave Yoakum Royal Carpet Cleaning Lincoln Nebraska
We Recommend Mr. Dave Yoakum of Royal Carpet Cleaning of Lincoln Nebraska. We know his reutation as a good carpet cleaning in Lincoln NE and his Carpet Cleaning in the greater Lincoln Nebraska area.
Best wishes
Barry O’Connell
www.SpongoBongo.com
www.PersiancarpetGuide.com
www.OrientalRugTalk.com

NYC Rug Tour October 15th

2011-08-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen touched walked on a $100,000 rug? Now you have the chance to see some of the best in the world with a group of Rug Washers from across the country:
The tentative plan for the Rug Tour October 15th in New York City:
10 AM Hagop Manoyan’s 38 E. 32nd ST New York’s top dealer of small high-end collectable rugs and Tribal trappings. Hagop will open his store special for us and show the group what the small collectable market is like. Hagop is one of the best restorers in the world.
11AM across the street to 31 32nd ST to Nazmiyal’s they are closed on Saturdays but Jason will open the store and put on a show for us. Jason is the top antique rug dealer in the world according to Hali magazine.
12:30 Lunch at the Waldorf Astoria.
Christie’s Auction preview by 2 PM
Richard Rothstein the big Philadelphia dealer will be coming and will offer his special insights at Christie’s.
Done by 5.
It will be a great chance to get an inside look (and touch) of the top of the market. Nathan Koets, Scott Kentfield and Paul Lucas are driving in from Michigan. Dusty Roberts is coming in from Canada. Wade Shehady is flying in from Pittsburgh. Mark Keshishian is coming up from DC. It will be a mix of the newer Rug washers as well as some of the 3rd generation crowd.
No body is making a nickel on this. It started when some friends wanted to go to the Christie’s Auction Preview with me and it is growing fast. We each pay our own expenses so in the city it is lunch and subway fare. We may do something Sunday but that is still up in the air. It is for rug washers and I am not inviting collectors or rug dealers. Outside of me and the soap impresario it is all real rug cleaners.
Best wishes,
Barry O’Connell
JBOC@SpongoBongo.com

Oriental Rug Repair: Painting Rugs

2011-08-02T14:47:00.001-07:00

Oriental Rug Repair: Cut and Shut Rugs

2011-08-02T14:43:00.001-07:00

Oriental Rug Repair: Cashmereing and Patching

2011-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Oriental Rug Repair: Reweaving and Repileing

2011-08-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

In Rug Washing of Oriental Rugs a crucial first step in the pre-inspection. No rug washer should ever start on a rug until they know what they are getting into. It is at this step that problems in the rug become apparent. Since not all washers are also restorers I am reviewing common restoration techniques that every rug washer should be familiar with. I am also trying to explain some of the pertinent considerations:
Reweaving Rugs

When a rug has a hole or a missing part the best and often the most expensive solution is to reweave. This can involve replacing the warps and wefts of the missing foundation and adding in pile knots. To do this properly the new construction needs to mimic the existing rug. Properly done the warps and wefts are the same size and same material as the rest of the rug. The new knots should be the same type either symmetrical or unsymmetrical and the same size. The yarn should be a complimentary match to the existing rug and needs to reflect the same variation in color and not just the overall tone of the existing pile. What is often lost on less experienced reweaves is that in most Persian and Oriental rugs the color is not all the same tone in one knot. Even in good rug there is minor variation in a red where in one knot has some darker fibers and some that are lighter. A master reweave will mimic this by mixing shades in each knot. This is often done by taking a darker stand and a lighter strand and plying them together so that the overall effect is the desired shade but that it shows a normal variation under close examination.
On some reweaves I can spot the reweave from 20 feet, which is less than ideal. With a good reweave I can spot if on close examination especially when I look at the back. This is important because matching color is not that difficult but getting the foundation to look right is much harder. In a great repair I can’t see it but can usually feel it. There are a handful of world class restorers who can do a reweave that I cannot detect by look or by feel. That ishttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif rare. I remember seeing a repair that Hagop Manoyan did that even when he showed me where it was I could not find it.
The better the repair the harder it is to find. Some tricks to spot the repair are to use a black light to look for variations in the fluorescence in like color areas. This does not work well when all of one color has been replaced. Other ways are to compare how the color refracts light. Size and color can be duplicated but rarely can the refractive properties of the wool be duplicated because of differences in age and breed as well as average fiber diameter.

Repileing Rugs
Basically the same as reweaving except that it is only the pile that is replaced and the existing foundation is used. This is less expensive because the foundation is already in place. For considerations see reweaving.

DyeFix to Fix Oriental Rug Dyes

2011-08-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Dye Bleeding and Dye Crocking are a continuing problem for Oriental Rug owners and oriental Rug Washers. All too often the strateg is to deal with the migrating dyes after the problem starts. Very rarely does anyone try to correct the dye instability issue before the rug is cleaned. There is another option that I suggest is both practical and profitable that allows Rug Washers to better serve their clients and protect the investment in a hand woven Oriental Rug. The answer is to mordant or re-mordant the rug before washing. This option is DyeFix from Chem Max.

A prudent first step when a rug comes into the rug washer is to perform a dye test before getting the rug wet. Dye testing techniques can differ and it goes beyond the scope of this article to address the different solvent tests or the Lisa Wagner hot and wet test but whatever you use you need to detect dye instability.

When dye instability is detected before the damage has started. Let me emphasize that this is when the rug is still in good condition. A rug washer has the option of applying a Mordant/re-mordant topical solution to set and stabilize the dyes.

The only product I am aware of that can do this is DyeFix from Chem Max. DyeFix comes in liquid form in one gallon bottles. The recommended dilution is 4 to 1. Personally I prefer distilled water so one gallon of DyeFix makes five gallons of solution.
So one gallon is good for 600 square feet. The diluted DyeFix is then sprayed onto the pile surface of the rug. The key is to dampen the entire rug but not to over wet the rug. It is allowed to sit for 30 minutes before washing begins. DyeFix is most affective against Crocking and Crocking related Bleeding, It does not work as well against alkaline damaged wool. The wash process should then proceed normally. If we lived in a perfect world there would never be a problem but realistically it is prudent to wash the rug with the same care one would apply to any even slightly suspect rug. Keeping AntiDye on hand to deal with any residual dye migration is a good strategy. Besides a prudent washing that is all there is to using DyeFix.

On rare occasions there can be a shift in the tonality of the dye. Mordanting involves a number of related chemicals primarily metal salts. In Southwest Asia where most rugs are woven Alum is the principle mordant and gives the truest color. In certain areas other metal salts are added or more often naturally occur in the water. So while DyeFix is specially formulated to keep the rug at its true tonality a slight shift can occasionally occur. Since this is normally consistent across the whole rug it is a minor and rare concern. To illustrate red ranges from orange to purple it is conceivable that in rare cases for the red to be a lighter or darker. I would not expect to see an orangey red to shift to a blue red.

So why bother?

First of all it allows you to make a permanent correction to a client’s rug that helps protect them for the life of the rug. Secondly it protects you from the worst of dye crocking and Dye bleeding issues as you work on the rug.
But forgive me for being crass and discussing money but this is why you clean rugs isn’t it.
One gallon is $30.
Treats about 600 square feet Depending on the rug thickness that is about five 9 by 12 rugs or more).
The standard fee for this treatment is $1 per square foot.
So if you do one 9 by 12 rug you have about 15 minutes work and 6 dollars in chemicals for a fee of $108 in addition to your normal cleaning fee. If the rug had bled you might have had to spend far more time correcting a problem that you cannot charge extra for. So for most rug spas and plants you can make $100 extra dollars for 15 minutes work while decreasing your risk of washing that rug exponentially.

Oriental Rug Dyes Bleeding and Crocking

2011-08-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

With Dyes the terms Crocking and Bleeding are often used interchangeably. There is however a slight difference in meaning which can be subtle.

Crocking refers to when excess dye or improperly fixed dyes leaves the primary textile and attaches itself to another surface. Crocking is most commonly used to refer to dry dye transmittal usually by rubbing. However Dyes can crock wet or dry. When dyes crock in solution it is often referred to as bleeding so in some cases bleeding and crocking can describe the exact same condition.
Bleeding can also refer to other conditions. Crocking specifically covers excess or improperly fixed dyes. So when the dye was properly fixed and then damaged “Bleeding” is used to describe this condition. In a recent survey of the technical literature all usages of “Bleeding” that I saw referred to wet dye transmittal. So take for example a rug whose wool is properly dyed with an Acid Dye. Then as is common with Oriental Rugs the dyes can be damaged and their fix to the wool can be broken. Two common ways this happens is by washing with a highly alkaline cleaning solution or by soaking a rug in Urine. Since industry sources estimate that 80% of wool rugs washed by professionals involves pet accidents urine contamination is a serious issue. The two are similar because the urine turns alkaline and can cause dye instability in much the same way as an alkaline detergent. Of course many factors come into play so what I can safely say is that high alkalinity increases the odds of dye instability in wool rugs.
So when dye is transmitted by dry rubbing it is crocking but when the dye transmittal is wet it may or may not be crocking but it is bleeding.