2025 - CRS Course & Test (Dallas, TX)
Regular price $3,300.00
To complete the CRS Course & Test, you must be a Member of ARCS.
To register - email your company name, the person attending, email address, and phone number to info@rugcarespecialists.org
Date: January 20-25, 2025
Location: Dallas, TX; Class and test given at Oriental Rug Cleaning Co.
Instructor: Ellen Amirkhan & Robert Mann
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
Member Price: $3,300
Single Day Audits: Member Price: $250/day; Nonmember Price: $600/day
The Certified Rug Specialist class is a five-day, advanced rug identification seminar. Aimed at those who are already competent in basic rug ID and looking to take the next step, this class arms students with the tools to improve and expand their readily apparent rug identification skills, as well as provide them with the skills to identify those rugs which may not be so obvious.
In addition to identifying the rugs' origins, the class covers the practical uses for that knowledge, such as common pre-existing conditions, cleaning considerations common to the rug type and conversational knowledge with helps to distinguish oneself in the marketplace.
While this class is the primer for the rug identification portion of the CRS exam, it is also of value to anyone looking to improve their rug knowledge or "shake the dust" off existing rug ID skills. Class fees includes five lunches, handouts and a copy of A Comprehensive Guide to Oriental and Specialty Rug Cleaning, which serves as the class manual. While there are currently no specific prerequisites for this course, students must be cleared by the ARCS education committee to ensure they have the adequate background knowledge to benefit from the material presented.
The CRS class is for students with a good foundation of experience in cleaning and rug identification, the ability to readily identify commonly encountered rugs and looking for a program to take their skills to the next level. Participants must be ARCS members in good standing. No specific prerequisites are required, but all applicants for the class are encouraged to speak with the head of the Educational Committee, Robert Mann, or the class instructor, Ellen Amirkhan, for final approval.
MONDAY - January 20th
Armen: Cleaning Chemistry 2 hours
Ellen: Machine-Made Rugs 1.5 hours
Lunch
Ellen: Review
a) History of Oriental Rugs
b) Dyes
c) What is an Oriental Rug
d) Four Categories of Oriental Rugs/Traditional Persian
e) Where Oriental Rugs Get Their Names
f) Construction
g) Knots and Grading Systems
h) End Finishes
i) Side Finishes
j) Chemical Wash
k) Design Components
h) Dating Rugs
i) Components of Identification/Technical Analysis
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs
a) Iran: Heriz, Sarouk, Kashan, Kerman, Mahal, Tabriz, Meshed, Joshagan, Serab, Bijar, silk rugs
TUESDAY - January 21st
a) Finish Persian rugs from Monday
b) Six Persian single-wefted rugs: Hamadan, Malayer, Senneh, Bakhtiari, Karaja, Lillihan
c) Tribal Rugs: Baluch, Turkoman, Bakhtiari, Afshar, Shiraz
WEDNESDAY - January 22nd
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t
a) Afghanistan
b) China
c) India
d) Pakistan
e) Romania
f) Tibetan
g) Turkish
THURSDAY - January 23rd
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t (if necessary)
Caucasian & Navajo Rugs (taught by Robert Mann)
Hands-On Technical Analysis—divide into groups
Appraisals—Power Point
FRIDAY - January 24th
Review for written test
Practice rug Identification in the plant with rugs not previously seen
Mock Rug Identification test
Questions, Answers, Problems
SATURDAY - January 25th
9AM-12PM
Written test
Hands-On Identification Test
Ellen Amirkhan: Ellen Amirkhan is a graduate of Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor of Science degree and Southern Methodist University with a Master of Liberal Arts degree. She is President of Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Inc., in Dallas, Texas, a business started by her grandfather in 1911 that specialized in cleaning, repairing, appraising, and selling oriental rugs.
A past president of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR) - now the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Ellen develops and teaches oriental rug schools for the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and other recognized groups across the United States and England, and is a co-developer of the Master Rug Cleaner Program.
In addition, she consults and serves as an expert witness for the legal profession. Ellen holds the designations of Certified Appraiser of Oriental Rugs from the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and the Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA) and Certified Rug Specialist (CRS) from the Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS).
Ellen's awards include the RIA Dr. Steven Spivak Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Textile Industry, The ASCR Helen Bradley Distinguished Service Award and The North Texas Chapter of the International Society of Appraisers (NTISA) Ellen Amirkhan Distinguished Service Award.
Robert Mann: Robert owns and operates Robert Mann Rugs Inc. in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1978, RMR Inc. provides cleaning and repair services to retail and wholesale clients throughout the United States, as well as outsourced restorations services provided by its sister company, ATC, in Izmir , Turkey. Robert spent for over 25 years working as a technical consultant in modern rug productions in nearly all the major rug producing countries.
Chuck Koshgarian, Koshgarian Rug CleaningEllen Amirkhan and Robert Mann are truly world class individuals who love this industry and are working hard to help others continue to grow their own passion for rugs.
Jordan King, Oriental Rug Cleaning of IndianapolisDon't miss out on this course! It will only be available every other year, you don't want to spend the next 2 years wishing you would've jumped on board sooner!
2025/05 - Intermediate In-Plant Rug Cleaning (Dallas, TX)
Regular price $1,800.00Date: May 5-7, 2025
Location: Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Dallas, TX
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
Price: Member Price: $975; Non-member Price: $1800
The class consists of three intensive eight-hour days taught primarily on the work floor of an operational wash plant. Topics covered will be cleaning chemistry, spotting, rug identification, learning to ‘read’ and identify rug construction, rug intake assessment, rug washing, drying theory, and finishing after wash. Hands-on portions of the class will demonstrate the practical application of all that theory on an active wash floor in real-time. The hands-on training will focus on wet cleaning; students will wash a lot of rugs and have the opportunity to try a range of techniques and observe the results. More than just an opportunity to work and learn on a high production wash floor, students will gain a broader understanding of the cleaning process and how it applies to their own businesses. The fee for the class includes lunch for the three days, handouts, and all teaching materials. A short test will be given at the end of the class session. You will need to bring wash boots.
The Tools of Rug Identification – Grouped in a linear and methodical progression, students learn how to read a rug’s construction to identify its origins. Material progresses from easily discernible traits to more nuanced variations using the most commonly encountered area rugs as teaching material. Students come away knowing the covered material as well as how to advance their skills outside of class.
Survey of hand-tufted, machine-made, and specialty rugs
Hand-knotted Rugs – a brief history, nomenclature and introduction to structure, the tools of rug ID
-
Persian rugs
-
Copies of Persian rugs
-
Designer rugs
-
Flat-weaves
Overview of Cleaning Process
-
Review of the steps in a “best practice” rug cleaning as outlined in ARCS’ Industry Guide & Recommended Practice for Rug Cleaning
Rug Intake
-
Pre-inspection and documentation, inventory control & pre-wash stabilization
About Rugs & Fibers
-
A review of the most commonly encountered rug fibers and construction techniques and what their implications are for the cleaning process.
About Soils & Cleaning
-
Review of the types of soils found in rugs. What are they? How do they accumulate?
Rug Washing
-
Getting our hands dirty cleaning the host plants inventory. Topics will include:
-
How to generate a cleaning plan
-
How all the host’s “toys” work and how to scale the operation up and down to meet the demands of each student
-
What to do if a rug starts to go south
-
Drying Theory
-
Discussion of drying theory and its effects on the cleaning process.
Results
-
Evaluating results and discussing the next steps. Discussion, how clean is clean enough? weighing risks vs rewards.
Finishing Processes
-
A survey of the non-wash processes that go into a rug cleaning
-
Grooming
-
Fringe Correction
-
Post-wash treatments
-
Cosmetic Touchups
-
-
Checkout procedures
-
Recording and reporting results
-
Spotting techniques
-
A discussion of the techniques for removing common spots such as rust, paint, wax, etc.
Discoloration Remediation
-
How the products work and how they differ from spotters.
-
Risks and how to manage them
-
Discussion and demonstrations of common applications and techniques
-
Urine Stain removal
-
Floor Stripping of Dye
-
Dry stripping of Dye
-
Review Test - Don’t worry, it isn’t graded
Armen Dohanian: is a fourth-generation rug cleaner. His family owns a 100 + year old rug cleaning and restoration business in Boston, Massachusetts. Involved in rug cleaning from an early age, Armen is currently vice-president of operations at the Oriental Rug Cleaning Company in Dallas, TX, a 103-year-old, “full-service” rug cleaning and restoration company. Mr. Dohanian is an ARCS Certified Rug Specialist (CRS), a certified Master Rug Cleaner, and a Woolsafe North America "Fiber Care Specialist" as well as a member of the International Society of Appraisers.
2025/05 - Intermediate In-Plant Rug Cleaning (Dallas, TX) (Member)
Regular price $975.00Date: May 5-7, 2025
Location: Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Dallas, TX
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
Price: Member Price: $975; Non-member Price: $1800
The class consists of three intensive eight-hour days taught primarily on the work floor of an operational wash plant. Topics covered will be cleaning chemistry, spotting, rug identification, learning to ‘read’ and identify rug construction, rug intake assessment, rug washing, drying theory, and finishing after wash. Hands-on portions of the class will demonstrate the practical application of all that theory on an active wash floor in real-time. The hands-on training will focus on wet cleaning; students will wash a lot of rugs and have the opportunity to try a range of techniques and observe the results. More than just an opportunity to work and learn on a high production wash floor, students will gain a broader understanding of the cleaning process and how it applies to their own businesses. The fee for the class includes lunch for the three days, handouts, and all teaching materials. A short test will be given at the end of the class session. You will need to bring wash boots.
The Tools of Rug Identification – Grouped in a linear and methodical progression, students learn how to read a rug’s construction to identify its origins. Material progresses from easily discernible traits to more nuanced variations using the most commonly encountered area rugs as teaching material. Students come away knowing the covered material as well as how to advance their skills outside of class.
Survey of hand-tufted, machine-made, and specialty rugs
Hand-knotted Rugs – a brief history, nomenclature and introduction to structure, the tools of rug ID
-
Persian rugs
-
Copies of Persian rugs
-
Designer rugs
-
Flat-weaves
Overview of Cleaning Process
-
Review of the steps in a “best practice” rug cleaning as outlined in ARCS’ Industry Guide & Recommended Practice for Rug Cleaning
Rug Intake
-
Pre-inspection and documentation, inventory control & pre-wash stabilization
About Rugs & Fibers
-
A review of the most commonly encountered rug fibers and construction techniques and what their implications are for the cleaning process.
About Soils & Cleaning
-
Review of the types of soils found in rugs. What are they? How do they accumulate?
Rug Washing
-
Getting our hands dirty cleaning the host plants inventory. Topics will include:
-
How to generate a cleaning plan
-
How all the host’s “toys” work and how to scale the operation up and down to meet the demands of each student
-
What to do if a rug starts to go south
-
Drying Theory
-
Discussion of drying theory and its effects on the cleaning process.
Results
-
Evaluating results and discussing the next steps. Discussion, how clean is clean enough? weighing risks vs rewards.
Finishing Processes
-
A survey of the non-wash processes that go into a rug cleaning
-
Grooming
-
Fringe Correction
-
Post-wash treatments
-
Cosmetic Touchups
-
-
Checkout procedures
-
Recording and reporting results
-
Spotting techniques
-
A discussion of the techniques for removing common spots such as rust, paint, wax, etc.
Discoloration Remediation
-
How the products work and how they differ from spotters.
-
Risks and how to manage them
-
Discussion and demonstrations of common applications and techniques
-
Urine Stain removal
-
Floor Stripping of Dye
-
Dry stripping of Dye
-
Review Test - Don’t worry, it isn’t graded
Armen Dohanian: is a fourth-generation rug cleaner. His family owns a 100 + year old rug cleaning and restoration business in Boston, Massachusetts. Involved in rug cleaning from an early age, Armen is currently vice-president of operations at the Oriental Rug Cleaning Company in Dallas, TX, a 103-year-old, “full-service” rug cleaning and restoration company. Mr. Dohanian is an ARCS Certified Rug Specialist (CRS), a certified Master Rug Cleaner, and a Woolsafe North America "Fiber Care Specialist" as well as a member of the International Society of Appraisers.
Essential Rug Repair Package
Regular price $1,000.00 Sale price $750.00Member Price: $750
Non-Member Price: $1000
Rug repair is a great add on service and revenue builder, but knowing where to start is a daunting task. Our rug repair kit is the perfect tool for your team to get initiated into rug repair. This comprehensive, one-of-a-kind kit includes the tools, videos and resources to get your company on the path to adding repair to your rug repertoire.
If you have any questions, please contact info@rugcarespecialists.org.
- Password protected access to eight informative instructional videos
- Oriental Rug Repair book by Peter Stone
- Practice rug pieces
- Wool yarn - multiple colors
- Waxed linen thread
- Poly thread
- Cardboard tube/core
- Set of tapestry needles
- 2 sets of embroidery needles
- Scissors
- Small pliers
- Tweezers
- Pin cushion
- Beeswax
- Cloth tape measure
- Knot counter
- Repair resource guide
- General pricing guide
"We love the repair kit, thanks! Very informative and easy to follow. We made our money back on one rug."
Jordan Owens - Kansas City Rug Cleaning
Essential Rug Repair Package (Non-Member)
Regular price $1,000.00Member Price: $750
Non-Member Price: $1000
Rug repair is a great add on service and revenue builder, but knowing where to start is a daunting task. Our rug repair kit is the perfect tool for your team to get initiated into rug repair. This comprehensive, one-of-a-kind kit includes the tools, videos and resources to get your company on the path to adding repair to your rug repertoire.
If you have any questions, please contact info@rugcarespecialists.org.
- Password protected access to eight informative instructional videos
- Oriental Rug Repair book by Peter Stone
- Practice rug pieces
- Wool yarn - multiple colors
- Waxed linen thread
- Poly thread
- Cardboard tube/core
- Set of tapestry needles
- 2 sets of embroidery needles
- Scissors
- Small pliers
- Tweezers
- Pin cushion
- Beeswax
- Cloth tape measure
- Knot counter
- Repair resource guide
- General pricing guide
"We love the repair kit, thanks! Very informative and easy to follow. We made our money back on one rug."
Jordan Owens - Kansas City Rug Cleaning
