Just when you thought it was safe......

About the time we thought the flood rugs had come to an end, we had an inundation (literally) of rugs from folks that have finally gotten around to checking on their self storage units and found that things have been wet now for about two weeks. These are mildewing, moldy, partly wet/ partly dry, discolored and SMELLING like something else again. Depending on the degree of damage some are still salvageable and some are sadly, not.

Don't try to correct this problem at home, this is best done by experienced professionals, a lot like those car ads on TV where they drive in improbable situations and get out smiling...........

Most mold, mildew and fungus removal products commonly available over the counter have a chlorine bleach component. Did you know that protein fibers like wool and silk DISSOLVE in chlorine? Do we see a potential problem here if the product is in the hands of a neophyte?

The best place to start remediation is just with a thorough cleaning and complete drying to remove any viable spores. Drying and dehumidifying is extremely important to kill the fungus.

There are commercial products available that will kill the fungus associated with the mold/ mildew however the black staining that comes along with the territory is probably here to stay.

A trip to the ozone machine can often help the smell BUT as they say, only you can judge
what you're willing to live with. Oddly enough, having your cleaned rugs and textiles treated with fluorocarbon based products (soil resist treatments) can help inhibit the growth/ return of fungus spores by reducing the amount of food available. Maybe they slide off Teflon too.....

Check out the helpful tips at the University of Georgia.

Other than that, not a very eventful day. Just trying to help the accountants get 2008 closed,

last quarters tax filings, closing January (glad it's over!)......I noticed leaving for work at 6 am that it's already getting light earlier and I've realized that I'm ready for Spring.

Hot rug news, but not much about rug cleaning in Seattle today

I don't know about anyone else but this seems like a perfect opportunity for that long awaited trip to London! Shah 'Abbas opens next month at the British Museum in London and includes the Cyrus seal - the first declaration of human rights. Very cool and perhaps the beginning of better relations with our Iranian friends.

Dr Khosrow Sobhe of Rug Idea in Los Angeles has successfully passed the first part of the Restoration Industry Association's Certified Rug Specialist course! The test is comprised of a written and visual identification component, then a separate written paper with something rug related as the topic. It's quite comprehensive.

I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Sobhe speak last July in Atlanta GA at the Oriental Rug Retailers Association meeting about Gashgaii weaving and he is a great addition to our association.

Hope to see him in March in Palm Springs CA at the RIA convention. After all of cruddy cold weather (snowing again by the way) some sun and warmth will be quite welcome.

Blog 0 Rama - keeping busy in an economic slowdown

Well! I never thought that I would be complaining about being too busy, especially now, but the horrid weather of December is the savior of January.

We were not only inundated with snow and rain, but when it all melted it had to go somewhere......

like homes, businesses and the local antique mall.

Especially after the Corps of Engineers decided to release a bunch of water without noticing how ligh the water levels were already. Obviously a governmental agency. Check out the video Barry O'Connell made the day after rugs started coming in. So no time to blog when you're up to your armpits in alligators, as it were.

Rugs started coming in on Friday night, we worked on just getting the water out of rugs and drying them all day Saturday, Sunday and finished up on Monday. Barry was a great help as we needed all the hands we could muster. They all still need to be cleaned, but now we're waiting on insurance adjusters.

SO between regular work and dealing with wet soggy rugs, el-bloggo has been neglected and I need to get back on track.

Here's some other interesting things that have been going on: The global economic slowdown is affecting carpet making in Iran. Here's the latest from Tehran Times....

Anyone besides me remember Gulistan rugs? Here's a great history put out in the Armenian Reporter..... Gulistan's were beautiful rugs and we still see them occasionally.

Here's some humor on a lighter note, I really despise the romance novel genre HOWEVER the cover pictures can really get me going laughter wise. This creative and innovative man has gone where no one has dared before and put much, much better titles on these schmaltzy books. Remember folks, these aren't mine.

Emmett Eiland, well respected rug scholar and over all nice person is publishing his new novel in serial form on the internet. Check it out...

If you love San Francisco, check out the tribal arts and textiles show Feb. 12-15, 2009. The San Francisco Rug Society will also have some activities going on around this as well. You'll also find on their homepage the sad news of ACOR being cancelled this year.

That's all for now, back to rug cleaning here in Seattle.

IT'S BAAAACK!

No that's not just SNOW on the TV screen, guess what little weather surprise came back this afternoon? You guessed it, SNOW. It's coming down right now like a fiend with up to six inch accumulations expected, POSSIBLY turning to rain by tomorrow (that also menas possibly NOT!). Ummmmmm. We're still digging out in our neighborhood, with lots of trees the old snow has been lingering.

Too bad, work had finally started get back to normal after New Years.

Friday and Saturday saw a steady stream of things coming in for cleaning, which is good.

If the bad weather keeps you inside, brighten your day by cruising the Iran National Carpet Center's pages.

Kawasaki Syndrome, carpet cleaning and media hype....

Happy New Years all, I hope that this finds you healthy and moving into the New Year with renewed vigor. This is a really poor segue into a touchy and controversial subject, but one that needs to be addressed and rather promptly. I'll most likely fail, but I hope to be reasonably sensitive to the feelings of others.

I was saddened to hear yesterday of the loss of Jett Travolta. He had suffered for many years with a condition known as Kawasaki Syndrome amongst other things.

Years ago Kawasaki Syndrome somehow became associated with carpet cleaning and this morning, a long time client phoned sweating bullets about whether having the carpet cleaned was a bigger risk to her new grandbaby than the dog feces tracked in from the bad weather. HHmmmm. Dog poop or carpet cleaning........

We all have legitimate concerns about the health of our loved ones. The best we can do in this world is to try to make informed decisions based on real information, not knee jerk reactions fueled by the media playing on our emotions. The Carpet & Rug Institute based in Dalton Georgia is an independent, science based organization well respected throughout the industry as a research and testing entity. If you want to know about carpet and rugs, this is a great place to get information. I would like to share with you their research regarding Kawasaki Syndrome and carpet cleaning.

If nothing else, I hope this will spur you to find out more about this rare condition.

Another excellent resource is the Restoration Industry Association and the well respected researcher Dr Steven Spivak who is on their staff.

I hope this helps.

Thea