ABC MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

 May 2017

Welcome to Our Monthly Newsletter!

We hope you will enjoy this month's articles.  

This month's topics are:   

Tabriz Oriental Rugs

Carpet Cleaning at ABC

 Tile & Grout Cleaning at ABC

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If there is a topic you would like us to cover in one of our upcoming newsletters, please call us at  607-272-1566 or contact us by clicking here.

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TABRIZ ORIENTAL RUGS

Tabriz oriental rugs are woven in Tabriz, the 2nd largest city in Iran. It is the capital of the East Azerbaijan Province in NW Iran and is located close to the Turkish border.

Rug weaving in Tabriz has had a long history. It is actually one of the oldest weaving centers and has been a center of rug production longer than any other city in Iran.

The peak of the Tabriz weaving production was in the 15th and 16th centuries and its weavings were highly sought after both in Europe and the West.

The second half of the 19th century saw another surge in outstanding Tabriz rug production.

The 1970s evidenced the introduction of the Taba Tabae, also known as the Taba Tabriz.

After 1980, a different style of Tabriz rugs began to be produced which is completely different and finer than the Taba Tabriz.

The task of identifying Tabriz oriental rugs can be very difficult due to the staggering diversity of the designs, construction, and materials that make up Tabriz rugs, as well as the varying quality of the rugs.

This can be explained by the sheer enormity of the rug making industry in this region. For example, the pile can be thick or thin and the design geometric or floral. They can be found in almost any size. In addition, the quality of these rugs spans the gamut from very bad (low knot density) to some of the finest rugs in the world.

TABRIZ ORIENTAL RUG IDENTIFICATION

To help identify Tabriz oriental rugs, we have found this task easier if we look at the rugs from 3 time periods, the antique Tabriz, the 1970s Taba Tabriz, and the Tabriz of the 1980s to the current time. The last 2 are more easily identifiable.

The Tabriz rugs have many similarities and some differences as well:

Knot & Foundation

The knot in all Tabriz oriental rugs is the symmetrical or Turkish knot tied onto a cotton foundation consisting of 2 shoots of cotton wefts (side to side threads) and depressed** warps (up and down threads that from the fringes).
 
In the rugs from the 1980s to current, dark gray or black wefts may be used and the warps may occasionally be silk.

(**Depressed warps occur when the wefts are pulled tightly from either side rather than put in with minimal tension. This will displace the warps into 2 levels which may or may not be visible from the back of the rugs. This results in a more dense weave and can be found in many city rugs, especially Persian).

Pile

Antique Tabriz Rugs used short, fine clipped wool pile.

1970s Taba Tabriz used dry, coarse local wool.

1980s to Current Tabriz rugs use wool and some silk outlining, small areas of silk pile or a combination of wool and silk. Some of the finest rugs can even be found with 18 or 24 karat gold threads woven into the foundation. The signature of the weaver can sometimes be found woven into a part of the rug's border as well.

Note: Weaving Defect!

In Tabriz oriental rugs, as well as most Persian rugs woven at least since the 1980s, the wefts (side to side foundation cords) do not wrap around the terminal warps (top to bottom foundation cords), causing the overcasting on the sides to pull away from the body of the rug.

This is why one can often find vinyl strips sewn on the sides of the rugs at the edge to protect the side cords from separating. Unfortunately, even with the vinyl strips, the overcasting is subject to separating from the body of the rug.

SIDES

To find out more about the construction of Tabriz rugs along with photos and videos, please continue reading here.

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CARPET CLEANING at ABC

Carpet Shampooing

Before 1982, carpet cleaning in this area was known as 'carpet shampooing.' Well-meaning professional carpet cleaners would bring their portable shampoo machines into our homes and offices and 'clean' our carpets to the best of their ability.

Unfortunately, though these professionals were doing the best they could with the equipment available at that time, many a carpet was ruined from too much soap resulting in a soapy residue, over wetting, and lack of sufficient drying.

Consumers blamed the carpet cleaners and came to the conclusion that 'once you had your carpets cleaned, they would get dirtier faster.' And, they were right! The soap residue left in carpets after cleaning attracted dirt very quickly. The mold and mildew from over wet carpets and lack of sufficient drying caused too many problems to mention, from allergies to deterioration of the backings of the carpets and damage to the floors underneath.

Truck-Mounted Hot Water Extraction

In 1982, ABC purchased our first Truck-Mounted Hot Water Extraction unit (also known as steam cleaning) and a step van to house it.

This revolutionary carpet cleaning method changed professional carpet cleaning in our area and eventually all over the county, and has proven over the years to still be the first choice of cleaning for the majority of carpet.

With the purchase of our machine came several responsibilities:

• Our technicians had to be trained and re-trained on a regular basis.

• The machine had to be properly maintained and upgraded.

• We had to change our cleaning solutions and methods.

• We had to join and be active in additional cleaning organizations to keep abreast of the latest developments in the industry.

• Most important of all...We had to educate each and every customer on the benefits of our system vs. the 'shampoo' system.

We took on those responsibilities with gusto! Today, with the latest equipment and materials, we are the most trusted and most recognized carpet cleaning business in this area.

How to Choose a Reputable Carpet Cleaning Firm

Not all carpet cleaning firms are alike. In fact, the difference in the quality of service from one cleaning service to another can be astounding.

With so many claims, counterclaims, and diversity of equipment and technology available, how do you go about choosing the right carpet cleaning person or firm? It can be difficult because there are usually many choices available.

The following are a few guidelines to follow that can help you make the correct choice:

• Schooled & Trained Professionals
• Association With Professional Organizations
• Customer Reviews & Recommendations
• Beware the Low End Cleaner

Why Choose ABC?

• Our technicians are schooled & trained professionals.

• We are founding members of ARCS (Association of Rug Care Specialists) and subscribers to all the major service magazines and Facebook groups.

• We continually maintain and update our cleaning equipment and supplies according to the latest developments in the field.

• We can provide you with a list of satisfied customers in your area upon request and would be happy to do so.

We appreciate any opportunity to visit with you and look forward to serving you and we stand behind the work we do. Our intention is to give you an experience you will be happy to repeat the next time your carpets need cleaning.

Articles for Further Reading...

Please click here for articles to answer your Carpet Cleaning FAQs.

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TILE & GROUT CLEANING at ABC

CERAMIC TILE CLEANING

What Types of Rugs Can Be Repaired?

At ABC, our specialty Tile & Grout Cleaning refers to ceramic Tile & Grout cleaning and Grout Sealing.

Tile and grout cleaning is a service that can really be a lifesaver for customers. Because ceramic tile takes so much time and care to clean properly, it can quickly become the hard surface in a home that may get the least care.

Cleaning Tile vs. Vacuuming & Sweeping

You may think mopping your tile surfaces is doing as good a job as vacuuming a carpet or sweeping a floor. But, simply mopping to clean your tile surfaces may be doing more harm than good. Your mop's dirty water can push around contaminants that can stain the grout between your tiles. That's not to mention the stains that inevitably come with every day life that can also change your tile and grout surfaces for the worse, especially if you are just mopping them.

When it comes to tile and grout cleaning, the equipment requirements more than double than for any other hard surface. Now we must get out the mop and mop bucket, a sponge, scouring pad, fill the bucket, change the dirty mop water, dump the final dirty water, clean the mop, clean the sponge and scouring pad, clean the bucket and put it all away again.

It's no wonder that today's busy homeowners and apartment dwellers wait until the condition of the floor is no longer tolerable before tackling that messy job!

Addressing the Grout

But wait...we haven't even addressed the grout yet! Not many of us are willing to get down on our hands and knees to use a small brush (and possibly toxic chemicals) to scrub each grout line in our tile floors.

If you are one of the lucky few who have had their grout sealed at the time of the tile installation, you are in luck with this particular part of the cleaning. But it is the case with about 90% of new tile installations, that because newly installed grout usually needs at least 72 hours to cure before it can be sealed, this very important step if often skipped by contractors.

The reasons for this are easy to understand. Busy contractors may find it difficult to return to a job site 3 days after an installation and the additional man hours and material costs may also be prohibitive.

What Happens When Grout is not Properly Sealed?

For the answer and more, please continue reading  here.

As always, if you have any question, please call our office at 607-272-1566. We will be happy to help you.

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