The country of Pakistan was formed from the northwest area of India in 1947. This also marked the beginning of its rug weaving industry.

Emmanuel’s Rug & Upholstery in Seattle is one of the oldest and most respected rug-cleaning companies in the country. It is a fourth-generation family owned and operated business, with the fifth generation now working there as well.

This month, let's look at the most common repair your customer will need: end or fringe work. Oriental rugs are made with at least several wefts at the ends. These are essential to lock in the top and bottom rows of knots. There are, however, many variations in the treatment of ends made by the weaver.

Consumers and government agencies are not the only ones who are driving the interest (or requirement) of using products and systems that are environmentally preferable or "green." Look at the success of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) Program. If you are cleaning Class A commercial buildings, your customer may want to quality for this program, and you will need to use green products and procedures to help them achieve that certification.

In past pre-cleaning inspection articles we discussed the potential to make costly mistakes when working with the expensive rugs of your clients.

Who would you call to clean your museum collection of Navajo rugs, or a newly discovered pre-Columbian textile? Recently, I began a series of visits to unique rug plants around the country. This month we are going to profile two very specialized companies - Robert Mann Oriental Rugs in Denver and Talisman in Santa Cruz, Calif. Both companies specialize in cleaning museum-quality textiles.

It was 10 years ago when I first discussed with Howard Olansky, the co-founder of ICS Cleaning Specialist, the idea of doing a column on rug cleaning. He gave me the green light, and I appreciate your interest in reading "The Rug Cleaning Specialist" during the past decade.

In a previous article we discussed the pre-cleaning inspection of specialty rugs. This time we will look at potential problems with hand-knotted rugs.

Occasionally, The Rug Cleaning Specialist turns its attention to some of the premier rug cleaning companies around the country, visiting several plants to see what makes them successful. This month we take a look at Oriental Rug Cleaning Co. in Dallas.

The rug-cleaning specialist is a person who works with customers who tend to have valuable home furnishings. This customer is more affluent, better educated, and concerned about health and safety issues.