From: Jennifer Barnett <reginatextilia@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: carpet cleaning in galleries reply
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 19:42:16 +0200
To: Judy Schwender <sister3603@xxxxxxxxx>
Dear Judy, I am sorry to be replying offline but since moving to France, the Tex.cons list server refuses my messages and no one seems to know how to solve the problem. Could you please place my reply on the disscusion list.
My message:
Dear Judy,
If the carpets are not wall-to-wall, is it not possible to have a carpet cleaning company remove them to clean in their premises. Then they can be returned when clean and completely dry. Then you can avoid the general bother and also the possible undesirable environmental effects of the extra moisture in the air.
About anti-soiling coatings, I have my misgivings about those after hearing that they can make soiling worse when they break down and soil becomes trapped between the coating and the fibre. Further applications of this type of coating then seal the trapped soil on the fibres making the situation worse. I am afraid that I have no literature references for this but the source was a well informed and very experienced interior decorator.
In any case, I consider these coatings to be quite unnecessary on wool (should these carpets be of wool) as the smooth and lustrous surface of the fibres does not trap dirt as readily as, say, cotton does, and for the same reason, soil release is very easy when cleaning.
I hope this is of some use; good luck!
Jennifer Barnett
Regina Textilia
historic textiles conservation, research and consultancy
La Goute, route de Dancé
FR - 42260 Bully
tel/fax * 33 (0)4 77 65 20 11
On 20 Sep 2006, at 16:19, Judy Schwender wrote:
Hello all,
The Museum of the American Quilter's Society is at the point where our quilt gallery carpets need to be cleaned. The maintenance staff is leaning towards Rug Doctor Steam Cleaner with Spotblock. It's a hot water system (
www.rugdoctor.com). I obtained the MSDS from their website and it appears that it would be suitable.
I plan to use box fans to increase the air
flow in the gallery overnight after the cleaning is complete to speed up the drying process.
Does anyone have any opinions about this product based on the MSDS? Does anyone have other products or systems they have used that they prefer? If you have any thoughts at all about steam cleaning gallery carpets, please respond.
Thank you in advance.
Judy Schwender
Curator of Collections / Registrar
Museum of the American Quilter's Society
215 Jefferson Street
Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 442-8856 ext. 30
Fax: (270) 442-5448
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