00:00 This is a rare Persian rug that's appraised at an estimated $12,500, and it's about to
00:10 get its first cleaning in more than two decades.
00:14 It's a delicate job, and not just because this antique is so valuable.
00:19 It's also a family heirloom, and the clients are trusting the team at Rosati Rugs to deep
00:24 clean it carefully.
00:25 The goal is to remove the accumulation of dirt and stains without harming the rug's
00:31 coloring.
00:32 Ali Rosati inspects the fibers carefully to determine how the rug was originally dyed.
00:37 This key detail will determine how he'll complete the job without causing any damage,
00:42 so his clients can continue to pass down this treasure for generations.
00:46 So my client's aunt had this rug for about 20 years, and she was very hesitant to have
00:51 it cleaned because she was afraid that it would get ruined.
00:53 I know this is a 1940s rug because they used vegetable dyes.
00:58 In comparison to a 1960s, like this one here, there's a specific process to cleaning vegetable
01:05 dye rugs.
01:06 I know that I can use a deep wash because the dyes won't run.
01:10 This is the pool that we have the rugs clean, and we have a drain right here.
01:18 It's built on an angle so that when we put a rug on either side, the water will just
01:22 go right through directly into the drain.
01:27 One of Ali's team members begins the cleaning process by applying browning treatment to
01:31 the stains.
01:33 This works to remove tannin-type stains like urine, fruit juice, beer, or soil, as well
01:38 as general discoloration due to age.
01:42 This 1940s Sheikh Masha'ahi rug has collected stains from various family gatherings throughout
01:48 the years, but that's not all that makes this Tabriz rug unique.
01:52 What makes it so special is not only the technique of weave and the fine weaving on the back,
01:59 but also the design and the color combinations that are used as well.
02:03 After letting the browning treatment sit for 15 minutes, he hoses down the rug and applies
02:08 shampoo.
02:11 Next, he agitates the fibers with a scrubber, which loosens up the accumulated dirt and
02:21 brings it to the surface.
02:23 So the scrubber or the buffer is used to help scrub and expand the use of the shampoo throughout
02:32 the rug, and it does it in a fast and efficient way.
02:36 So if you were to actually hand do this, not only would you get tired physically, but it
02:40 wouldn't be as effective.
02:43 Ali estimates that the original weaver made only a few hundred of these rugs decades ago.
02:49 The coloring also dates back to a time when master weavers used different techniques.
02:55 This rug is made with vegetable dyed wool, which means the coloring came from natural
03:00 materials like plants, fruits, or tree bark.
03:03 This method is more labor intensive, which adds to the rug's value.
03:08 Chrome dyes come from chemicals that are used and boiled to create certain colors.
03:14 Chrome dyes were used to decrease the cost of rug weaving.
03:20 So in terms of price point, they are less in comparison to rugs that have vegetable
03:26 dyes incorporated in them.
03:27 As you can see, this type of a red tone is so bright.
03:31 You only see that in chrome dyes, but with vegetable dyes, they're a little bit more
03:35 subtle in comparison.
03:38 The transition from vegetable dyes to chrome dyes in the mid-20th century brought about
03:42 a new era in rug making.
03:45 Chrome dyes offered a wider and more affordable range of hues, which revolutionized the industry.
03:51 But the legacy of those early Persian rug makers is still visible today in rugs like
03:56 this, which is why it's so important to preserve it.
04:00 The team member rinses the rug and pushes a squeegee across each section to remove excess
04:05 water.
04:06 He repeats this step several times throughout the cleaning process to remove as much water
04:11 as possible.
04:14 He runs the scrubber across the rug again to loosen any remaining dirt and then uses
04:19 the extractor to lift the stains and remove moisture.
04:23 The extractor actually has two purposes.
04:26 You can, one, just use it as a vacuum.
04:28 You just place it on the rug and you start pulling it towards your direction and it starts
04:33 extracting the water out so that the rug gets to dry faster.
04:37 Also it has another feature where if you press on the lever, not only will it extract water,
04:43 but it'll expel hot water at the same time.
04:45 And those are great for taking away stains because you could do that multiple times on
04:49 a certain area.
04:53 All the rugs are heated to a high temperature of, I'd say, about 90 degrees on average and
04:58 they're hung right here.
05:00 The rug must be completely dry before moving on to the next step.
05:04 If not, the excess moisture can lead to mold and mildew, two factors that can deteriorate
05:09 the fibers in the rug.
05:12 We'll go inside of the drying room and we'll examine it and touch the pile of the rug,
05:16 the fringes and the other aspects of the rug to see if it's still moist or not.
05:20 If we feel it is, we'll keep it in there.
05:23 The room is dry to a very high temperature and just having all the fans and dehumidifiers,
05:29 usually having a rug in there for about a day would completely dry it out.
05:34 The quality of weave on Tabri's rugs is based on something called raj, which counts the
05:40 number of linear knots every seven centimeters, which is roughly two and a half inches.
05:46 The higher the raj, the higher the quality, which also makes a rug more valuable.
05:50 So in today's market, I would estimate this value around $12,500.
05:56 You have these lines that are showing on the backside of the rug.
06:00 And when you look at those lines, you'll be able to actually count how many knots are
06:05 in between each line.
06:07 And so this specific rug is 50 raj.
06:11 On a lower quality Tabri's, you'll have a 20 raj.
06:14 This is actually a lower quality Tabri's.
06:16 You can see how big the knots are in comparison to this rug here.
06:22 These knots are a lot more tight.
06:24 This is around that 20 raj that I had mentioned earlier.
06:28 And then you have the 50 raj, which is a more higher quality.
06:32 60 raj would be very exceptional.
06:36 And then you'll have like 80 or 90 raj, which are extremely rare to find.
06:40 And those type of rugs take close to 10 years to make.
06:44 But this type of a caliber, I'd say in terms of rarity on a scale of one to 10, it would
06:50 be a seven.
06:51 So when you look at the different color combinations and designs that are used in this rug, it
06:56 seems like there's a lot of religious symbolism going on.
06:59 And that makes sense because Sheikh Masha'i was a religious man within his region.
07:05 And the predominant use of green is of Islamic religious significance because green was the
07:10 Prophet Muhammad's favorite color.
07:12 I've grown up with Persian rugs in my home, and there's a lot of deep cultural significance
07:18 to Persian rugs and the history behind it.
07:21 So I feel very akin to my culture being in this industry.
07:32 The rug looks magnificent.
07:33 It's much brighter than it was before.
07:35 And the majority of the stains have been removed.
07:39 There are a lot of other people in this industry that really don't put their heart into it.
07:44 They just clock in and clock out.
07:47 But each rug is a portion of a person's home.
07:54 And I take that responsibility to heart, that when they bring their rug to me, they're bringing
08:00 a part of their home into my life for me to take care of.
08:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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