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.

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.