[Jim_77]

I am an avid user of the Ellen Amirkhan & Aaron Groseclose guide to rug cleaning. I have used the net to search about a few things I couldn't find in there but it has served me very well.

I was wondering if anyone uses any other reference sources for rug cleaning & identification - would be interested to see what else is out there

Thanks

[Paul Moss]

And i should thinks so too Jim at the price of it. You need to read and use it weekly to get your moneys worth 

[Simon Gerrard]

Coronation Street is on

[wynne jones]

Jozan is a great site generally and has books on there from different regions etc. You can also build up a fair library from buying second hand books on fleabay.

[Jamie Pearson]

I have a Chemspec manual written by Aaron grossclose. It has a real nice slider card for ID.

[wynne jones]

What would be nice is an app where you dial in the rugs characteristics and it IDs it for you. 

The danger though would be like when people use Sat Nav when they don't know where they're going. 

[Jim_77]

Wynne I think you are right, a lot of people with no knowledge would suddenly proclaim themselves an expert and drive into the proverbial river

I think some skills are best left to learn the good old fashioned way.

Paul, how much would you sell your entire life's acquired skill and knowledge for?  I didn't pay full price for the book but would have no problems in retrospect if I had have done, it is well worth it.

Jamie, that card looks ingenious... but it's kind of the wrong way round to my mind... you'd maybe have to know roughly what rug you've got and use the card to double check it, rather than using the card to start off from not knowing anything!   Very good though I've never seen that before.

Simon I have no wish to watch your neighbours sh**ging and killing each other, interspersed with trips to the same old pub that hasn't been decorated since 1963

[Jamie Pearson]

Jamie, that card looks ingenious... but it's kind of the wrong way round to my mind... you'd maybe have to know roughly what rug you've got and use the card to double check it, rather than using the card to start off from not knowing anything!   Very good though I've never seen that before.

That's on the other side Jim! It's a great little tool.

[Steve Chapman]

I remember a seminar I went to by Lisa Wagner and her saying so many people get hung up about identifying each rug & where it's from which is nigh on impossible as there are so many .

If you follow the approach of identifying the fibres and colourfastness then it really doesn't matter as long as you understand what material you are cleaning .

Even she said she couldnt correctly identify every rug unless she was told exactly where it was from.

Just thought that was interesting 

[Simon Gerrard]

I remember a seminar I went to by Lisa Wagner and her saying so many people get hung up about identifying each rug & where it's from which is nigh on impossible as there are so many .

If you follow the approach of identifying the fibres and colourfastness then it really doesn't matter as long as you understand what material you are cleaning .

Even she said she couldnt correctly identify every rug unless she was told exactly where it was from.

Just thought that was interesting  

Then Dave Liahona comes along and tosses a bucket of water on it, scrubs the living sh_t out of it then pressure washes it. Hardly scientific, is it?
So my bible is, 'Common Sense,' and 'If you don't like the look of it - leave well alone.'  
Simon

[Paul Moss]

Simon, Dave doesnt toss a bucket of water over the rug, he very carfully pours the bucket over 

Jim your right about lifes experience and the value of it, but as one of the guys stated above cleaning a wool rug aint hard when you know what your doing its the identification thats the hardest. I can identify any rug in about 60  seconds. I just phone up Dave Lehona up and say whats this then 

Dave was telling me once that he met a guy once in the States that could tell the country of origin and region of a rug by tasting it  ,  now that would be something to see

[derek west]

Simon, Dave doesnt toss a bucket of water over the rug, he very carfully pours the bucket over 

Jim your right about lifes experience and the value of it, but as one of the guys stated above cleaning a wool rug aint hard when you know what your doing its the identification thats the hardest. I can identify any rug in about 60  seconds. I just phone up Dave Lehona up and say whats this then 

Dave was telling me once that he met a guy once in the States that could tell the country of origin and region of a rug by tasting it  ,  now that would be something to see

i think that was a different type of rug all together paul.

[Jamie Pearson]

Dave was telling me once that he met a guy once in the States that could tell the country of origin and region of a rug by tasting it  ,  now that would be something to see

I can do that with Scottish pub and nightclub carpets!

Takes years of training but I have it mastered and have now moved onto toilet floors.

[Simon Gerrard]

Simon, Dave doesnt toss a bucket of water over the rug, he very carfully pours the bucket over 

Jim your right about lifes experience and the value of it, but as one of the guys stated above cleaning a wool rug aint hard when you know what your doing its the identification thats the hardest. I can identify any rug in about 60  seconds. I just phone up Dave Lehona up and say whats this then 

Dave was telling me once that he met a guy once in the States that could tell the country of origin and region of a rug by tasting it  ,  now that would be something to see

i think that was a different type of rug all together paul.

 

[L.Doubtfire - The Blade Runner]

Jim,and Simon,well members in general,do you clean
Every rug you do on site in the customers / clients home?


Lewis  Doubtfire

[Owen R]

Wise words from Steve C and Simon G. Rug cleaning isn't rocket science.
I clean all rugs at my workshop where they are "hung" properly to dry. Just draping them over any old think makes them dry out of shape. And there's nothing worse than a rug that doesn't lie on the floor properly.

[Derek_Walker]

Jim, I don't know of any book that will come close to the amount of information in the rug guide that you have.
If you really can't watch Coronation Street and you have a few quid to spare, check out this book

Oriental Rug Repair by Peter F. Stone.  at  Amazon.co.uk


I think any money spent on education be it books or hands on training, can only enhance our ability to be better at what we do and makes us less likely to make mistakes.
As far as rug cleaning is concerned, yes it may be easy if you know what you are doing but then so is rocket science if you have read the manual. 

[Jim_77]

Thanks Derek I'll check it out, I've already ordered a couple of others mentioned elsewhere

Lewis, it depends on the situation.  Small, cheap rugs as part of a bigger job will generally be done on site using a Royal vac to back-dust and then HWE.  You simply won't get the price you want to take them away and do them off site.  All decent sized and orientals go away to my "workshop" to be cleaned, i.e. my garage and sometimes my lounge floor!  I have a rugbadger in the garage and I power wash rugs on the driveway.  I only power wash when absolutely necessary, as drying is a bit of a pain both in terms of time taken and facilities/space.  Mostly just HWE with the truckmount, which I'm sure the neighbours enjoy!

[Paul Moss]

I remember seeing a picture of Len doing a rug on his drive some years back  he has even less hair now though 

[Billy Russell]

It is a good book Jimbo, i bought mine off Dave L