Dallas Morning News , TX
Oct 21 2004

Conserve, clean, repair: Keeping those carpets gorgeous

The Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., founded in 1911 by Hagop Amirkhan and
run for 30 years by his son, noted carpet expert Mirza Amirkhan, is
under the stewardship of granddaughter Ellen Amirkhan. She is a
third-generation expert on cleaning, conservation, restoration and
appraisal with a booming Texas accent. As a member of the
International Society of Appraisers (certified in Orientals), she
travels the country teaching classes on the fine art of rug cleaning
and restoration.

Grandfather Amirkhan fled Turkey during the Armenian genocide. To pay
for his passage, he worked as a rug cleaner for a cousin in
Cincinnati. After a year, he struck out on his own. He chose Dallas
because in 1911, fine rugs were already plentiful and experienced
cleaners were not.

In addition to rug cleaning and repair work, the Amirkhans also sell,
appraise and restore. While almost any rug can be repaired (a rug
with colors that have bled extensively is “a lost cause”), Ms.
Amirkhan is conscientious about what should and should not be done.

Repairs and restoration may mean setting in patches cannibalized from
other rugs, knotting, reweaving or remounting on a second fabric
backing. Proper technique is crucial to re-create, as closely as
possible, the original rug. Expert repair and restoration can
actually increase the value of a fairly battered rug.

To that end, Ellen Amirkhan has trained three women in the art of
knotting. “Such reweaving is charged by the job because more densely
knotted rugs are more difficult to do.” In contrast, a dog-chewed
fringe can be relatively easy to replace (about $12 a linear foot).
How best to maintain a rug? Ms. Amirkhan says that not vacuuming may
be the most damaging myth. “Eighty percent of the soil in rugs is dry
particulate matter. If you don’t vacuum, it’s like walking over
sandpaper and wears the rug out.” She also suggests going easy on
over-the-counter spotting agents: “They leave residue in the rugs.”

Finally she says, don’t think that because a rug has been sitting in
the formal living room and walked on only twice in 20 years that it
doesn’t need cleaning. “Moisture needs to be introduced,” she says,
“and it’s to places where it’s quiet that moths tend to gravitate.”

Barbara Rodriguez