Originally published in Installation & Cleaning Speacialist magazine.

The most important step in cleaning oriental rugs occurs before the actual cleaning process begins. Identifying and documenting conditions ahead of time helps prevent misunderstandings between the cleaner and customer.

David Letterman has his "Top Ten List," but I have a Top 50 list of potential problems that can be encountered when inspecting a rug. I can't cover my entire list at this time, but I will discuss some of the most common items.

If you are a single owner-operator, and you are picking up the rugs from a home or office, do a basic inspection before removing them. This will save a subsequent telephone call to the owner to explain the extent of the rug's problems (before they become your responsibility). If the rug is rolled when you arrive, or crew technicians are doing the pick up, it is critical that a complete inspection be performed before cleaning begins.

When the rug is picked up, immediately attach a waterproof tag to it. This tag should include the owner's name, job number, etc. Tags equipped with rust-proof wire are best because they rarely come off and do not damage the rug. You will also need an inspection report/work order form to note problems, customer name, rug size and so forth.

A rug may have natural characteristics that may be mistaken by the novice cleaner as damage. bring all unusual characteristics to the owner's attention. Look carefully at the face of the rug, particularly if it's very soiled, to determine whether a dye-lot change occurred within the yarns. This feature, described by the Persian word "abrash," refers to variation in the shade of a single color that appears as a horizontal line in the rug. the customer my accuse you of "bleaching" such a rug if you do not point out this condition prior to cleaning.

If you do inadvertently bleach a carpet, it will never appear in a perfectly straight line like abrash does. Unfortunately, I have met several cleaners who have purchased customer rugs with abrash because they unwittingly believed they had damaged them. Abrash is a characteristic of hand-woven textiles and does not, in itself, increase or decrease the value. In fact, some manufacturers purposely weave abrash into their machine-made rugs to give them a hand-made look. Remember, oriental rugs are one-of-a-kind hand-crafted textiles, which is what makes them so unique and valuable.

White knots are also characteristic of hand-tied oriental rugs. When the loom is set up by the weaver and the wrap yarns (the foundation running the length of the rug) have tension applied to them, it is common that some wrap yarns break during the weaving process. These broken yarns are simply tied together by the weaver and trimmed to fit below the rug pile.

Over time, the pile wears to the point where these knots become visible. Often, they are obscured by soil. But after cleaning, several white "spots" may appear on the rug. Again, your customer may think that you have bleached the rug. Pointing out the white knots to your customer before cleaning will save some frayed nerves (no pun intended) for both of you.

Because many cleaners choose to price by the square foot, each rug should be measured. This practice also gives you an opportunity to note if the rug is irregular in shape. Such irregularity could be the result of previous cleaning, irregular tension on foundation yarns during weaving, or any number of other causes. Be particularly careful when cleaning a tribal rug with a wool foundation. If the rug is not irregular or puckered when you start, there is a great likelihood that it will be by the time you are done. (Setting up a tack-out floor to correct this problem will be discussed in a subsequent article.)

When locating damage, looking at the face of the rug will tell you what the rug weaver achieved through his/her craft, but viewing the back tells you how it was achieved. The back will reveal the true colors of the rug, whether the face fibers have faded, and whether the rug has been chemically washed (more about this subject in a future article).

Also, look for animal stains that may not be visible from the front. Inspect the foundation yarns for dry rot, and to see if the rug was reduced in size. When a rug has excessive wear in one part, it is common for the owner to have the worn part cut out and the item sewn back together. This type of repair may be hidden by soil on the front. On the work order, note these and any other unusual characteristics.

Inspect the face of the rug for stains due to water, rust, urine, feces, and vomit (sorry, but that's an occupational hazard of being a cleaner). With these types of difficult stains, including red dye, it is best to merely clean the rug and not attempt to correct the stain. When used on wool, rust removers and strippers more often then not will further damage the dyes in the rug. Let your customer know, up front, that such stains will not come out with cleaning. However, if the rug is machine-made and the face fibers are synthetic, you can proceed with applications of stain-treatment chemicals.

Other things to look for during your pre-cleaning inspection are excessive wear (examine the ends and sides, too), moth damage to the wool fibers (they eat only protein - cotton will remain intact), pile reversal (a problem particularly with contemporary Chinese rugs), soap residue from previous on-location cleaning, holes and so on. Inspect the rug as if you are taking a very close look at fine upholstery, and try to identify all potential and existing problems.