RE: Your experience!

["Ellis, Shirley" <shirley.ellis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mary,
The initial treatment of this rug was carried out by another conservator (10
years ago). I was involved with the stabilization.  

This is the procedure he followed:
The 7' X 4'rug was composed of a wool pile on a jute foundation.  It was
vacuumed when "evidence of a moth infestation" was found.  At this time it
underwent a makeshift fumigation by placing the rug in isolation with a
paradichlorobenze "bomb".  The bomb exhausted withing 24 hours but the rug
was left in isolation for one week.  When it was removed it was re-vacuumed,
then put back into isolation with naphthalene crystals for one month.  After
this period it was wet-cleaned in deionized water using a 0.2% Orvus anionic
detergent solution.  The wet-cleaning procedure followed the usual presoak,
wash and numerous rinses.  Blotting with towels and drying was carried out
using fans.

It appeared as if the eradication was successful and stabilization began.
Within a very short time live larvae were noticed (I can only speculate that
there were eggs present that then hatched following all of the above).  At
this time arrangements were made to take the rug to a museum to undergo
freezing at -30'C for two days.  Success at last!

With regards to the wet mopping, if all the insect bits and eggs have been
collected with the mop and properly disposed of I suppose that would
adequate.  However, since I have had no direct experience with this I am
only speculating. 

Shirley

Please note NEW area code of 780
Shirley Ellis, MAC, CAPC
FSO/Conservator
Department of Human Ecology
B-20 Human Ecology Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N1
ph (780) 492-7678  fax (780) 492-4821
email:  shirley.ellis@xxxxxxxxxxx
www.ualberta.ca/~hecol/txcons.htm


-----Original Message-----
From: Mary W. Ballard [mailto:BallardM@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 1:28 PM
To: Ellis, Shirley
Cc: texcons@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Your experience!


Shirley--I would be very interested in a fuller/detailed description of the
nonlethal interaction of an aqueous solution of sodium lauryl sulfate
(Orvus) and an insect infestation! Then would your your experience
(experiment) suggest that wet mopping floors is not adequate as well? Mary
Ballard