IICRC Rug Cleaning Technician (RCT)

The most reliable way to confirm that a rug is hand-knotted rather than hand-tufted is to:

• ACheck whether the pile feels soft on the surface
• BLook at the back — a hand-knotted rug shows the design mirrored on the reverse with no gl…
• CInspect the fringe for a serged finish
• DCount the colors used in the field

A rug technician sees a fabric backing glued to the underside of a rug, concealing the structure of the pile yarns. This rug is most likely:

• AHand-knotted Persian
• BHand-tufted with a scrim and latex adhesive
• CKilim flat-weave
• DMachine-woven Wilton

Knot density in hand-knotted rugs is most commonly expressed in:

• AStitches per inch (SPI)
• BKnots per square inch (KPSI) or knots per square decimeter
• CPicks per centimeter (PPC)
• DThreads per square millimeter (TPSM)

The asymmetric knot (Senneh knot) is most strongly associated with:

• ATurkish village rugs from Anatolia
• BPersian city and tribal rugs
• CTibetan loom-cut rugs
• DMachine-made polypropylene rugs

The symmetric (Ghiordes) knot is most associated with which weaving tradition?

• AIranian city rugs such as Kashan and Isfahan
• BTurkish and Caucasian rugs
• CChinese closed-back rugs
• DIndian Bhadohi production

Tibetan and Indo-Tibetan rugs are most often produced using:

• AA symmetric Ghiordes knot tied on cotton warps
• BA continuous loop wrapped around a temporary horizontal rod, then cut to form the pile
• CHand-tufting with a tufting gun and scrim
• DJufti knotting over four warps to reduce time

A 'jufti' knot, sometimes found in Khorasan and older Mashhad rugs, is a:

• AVariant in which the knot is tied across four warps instead of two, reducing labor and de…
• BMethod of double-knotting to increase pile durability
• CSpecial silk-only knot used only in Hereke rugs
• DKnot used exclusively in kilim flat-weaves

A kilim is best described as:

• AA hand-knotted pile rug of moderate KPSI
• BA pileless, flat-woven rug produced by slit-tapestry or interlocked-weft techniques
• CA hand-tufted rug with cut-and-loop texture
• DA machine-woven Axminster carpet

When inspecting a rug, the technician identifies cotton warps and wefts with a wool pile and asymmetric knots at roughly 200 KPSI. This profile most strongly suggests:

• AA Persian city rug from Kashan, Tabriz, or Isfahan
• BA Turkish village kilim
• CA Chinese closed-back rug from the 1980s
• DA modern hand-tufted Indian rug

A rug has a silk foundation (warp/weft) and a very fine silk pile, with KPSI well above 400. This is most consistent with:

• AA Bhadohi handloom from India
• BA Hereke or Qum silk rug
• CA Tibetan 60-knot wool rug
• DA Belgian machine-woven Wilton

Chinese closed-back rugs of the 20th-century 'Peking' / 'Tientsin' tradition typically have:

• AAn open back where the design is clearly visible knot by knot
• BA tight, closed weave with cotton foundation, carved/sculpted pile, and asymmetric knots
• CA pileless slit-tapestry construction
• DA glued scrim hiding tufted yarns

Which feature most reliably distinguishes a machine-made rug from a hand-knotted rug on visual inspection?

• APresence of fringe at both ends
• BA perfectly straight, machine-uniform back with even rows and often a serged or overlocke…
• CUse of wool pile
• DA medallion design

On a hand-knotted rug, the fringe is best understood as:

• AA decorative trim sewn on after weaving
• BAn extension of the warps that protruded from the loom at the top and bottom of the rug
• CA row of wefts that have been cut and tied
• DA separate piece of cotton tape attached to hide the foundation

Why is a cotton foundation usually preferred over a wool foundation in hand-knotted rugs?

• ACotton dyes more brilliantly than wool
• BCotton has high dimensional stability and high tensile strength, helping the rug lie flat…
• CCotton is cheaper than wool, lowering the rug's value
• DCotton resists moths better than synthetic fibers

A rug technician finds a fine, silky-looking foundation under a wool pile. Compared to a cotton foundation, a silk foundation usually indicates:

• AA lower-quality rug from a village workshop
• BA finer, higher-end rug capable of supporting very high knot densities
• CAn entry-level Tibetan rug
• DA machine-made rug imitating handwork

Which knot count range is generally considered 'fine' for a hand-knotted wool rug?

• A20–60 KPSI
• B60–100 KPSI
• C120–350 KPSI
• DAbove 1,000 KPSI

A 'Bhadohi' or 'Mirzapur' style rug is associated with which country?

• AIran
• BTurkey
• CIndia
• DNepal

Which of the following best describes 'Soumak' construction?

• AA pileless flat-weave produced by wrapping weft yarns around groups of warps in a herring…
• BA high-pile hand-knotted style typical of Bhadohi
• CA hand-tufted cut-loop rug
• DA machine-woven jacquard carpet

Wool is the dominant fiber in hand-knotted area rugs because it offers all of the following EXCEPT:

• ANatural soil resistance from the cuticle scales and lanolin content
• BExcellent resilience and pile recovery under foot traffic
• CInherent flame resistance compared to most synthetics
• DComplete resistance to alkaline cleaning solutions

The typical safe pH range for cleaning solutions on wool rugs is approximately:

• A2.0–4.0 (strongly acidic)
• B4.5–8.5 (mildly acidic to mildly alkaline)
• C9.0–11.0 (alkaline)
• D12.0–13.0 (strongly alkaline)

Silk pile yarns differ from wool pile yarns in that silk:

• AIs a cellulosic fiber and tolerates strong alkalis well
• BIs a protein fiber that is finer, smoother, more lustrous, and more sensitive to abrasion…
• CIs naturally flame retardant but heavy and dull in appearance
• DCan be cleaned aggressively with hot alkaline solutions without risk

A 'silk-like' fiber that is actually regenerated cellulose, weak when wet, and prone to texture distortion and yellowing during wet cleaning is:

• AMulberry silk
• BViscose rayon / 'art silk' / 'bamboo silk'
• CMercerized cotton
• DWorsted wool

The safest cleaning approach for a confirmed viscose rayon area rug is to:

• AFull-immersion wash with hot alkaline pre-spray to maximize cleaning power
• BUse low-moisture cleaning methods, avoid wetting through, and warn the customer that some…
• CHot-water extract aggressively until all stains release
• DSteam-clean with very high pressure

Cotton in rugs is a:

• AProtein fiber sensitive to alkalis
• BCellulosic fiber generally tolerant of alkaline solutions but prone to cellulosic brownin…
• CPetroleum-based synthetic fiber
• DRegenerated cellulose produced from wood pulp

Mercerization of cotton refers to:

• AA heat-setting process to lock cotton dyes
• BA treatment with concentrated sodium hydroxide under tension that increases strength, lus…
• CA bleaching step to make cotton fringes white
• DA flame-retardant chemical finish applied to cotton wefts

Jute is most commonly encountered in rugs as a:

• APile fiber for high-end Persian rugs
• BFoundation or backing fiber, especially in tufted rugs and natural-fiber flat-weaves
• CSilk substitute in pile
• DSynthetic stain-resist treatment

When a wet jute or cotton backing is left to dry slowly with insufficient airflow, the most likely problem is:

• APermanent dye loss in the pile
• BCellulosic browning, where natural plant tannins/lignins wick to the surface as brown dis…
• CMoth damage as moisture attracts insects
• DStatic electricity build-up causing soil attraction

Wool's cuticle scales contribute to which laundering hazard if a wool rug is mechanically agitated in hot water with alkaline detergent?

• AStatic charging
• BFelting / fiber shrinkage as the scales interlock and ratchet together
• CSolvent-induced shrinkage
• DPhoto-oxidation

Which fiber is MOST susceptible to clothes-moth damage?

• ACotton
• BJute
• CWool
• DOlefin (polypropylene)

Olefin (polypropylene) rugs are most often encountered as:

• AAntique tribal wool rugs
• BInexpensive machine-made indoor/outdoor rugs
• CHand-knotted Persian rugs
• DHand-tufted silk rugs

Two common fiber-burn test indicators for wool are:

• ABurns slowly, smells like burning hair, leaves a crushable black ash
• BBurns quickly, smells like burning paper, leaves soft gray ash
• CMelts and drips, smells sweet, leaves a hard plastic bead
• DDoes not burn at all and chars without smell

The cellulose burn signature — burns quickly, smells of burning paper, leaves a fine gray ash that crumbles to dust — is shared by:

• AWool and silk
• BCotton, jute, and viscose rayon
• CNylon and polyester
• DOlefin and acrylic

What does dye 'fugitivity' refer to in rug cleaning?

• AThe tendency of a dye to fade in sunlight only
• BThe tendency of a dye to release from the fiber and migrate when exposed to moisture, hea…
• CThe tendency of a fiber to attract soil
• DA dye's resistance to dry-soil abrasion

Before any wet-cleaning of an unfamiliar rug, the technician should perform:

• AA fiber burn test on the pile
• BA dye-bleed test on each visible color using a damp white towel and the planned cleaning…
• CA pH paper test on the floor under the rug
• DAn air-quality reading near the rug

Which color is most often the worst offender for fugitive bleeding in oriental rugs?

• ABeige/cream
• BRed (and sometimes oranges/burgundies)
• CBlack foundation accents
• DGold/yellow

Which historical dye type, first synthesized in the 1850s from coal-tar derivatives, is notorious for bleeding badly and fading harshly?

• AMadder root (vegetable)
• BAniline (early synthetic)
• CChrome (mordant) dyes
• DIndigo (vat)

A 'mordant' in rug dyeing is best described as:

• AA natural plant pigment
• BA metallic salt (e.g., alum, iron, tin, chrome) that bonds dye molecules to the fiber
• CA pH neutralizing rinse used after washing
• DA finishing agent applied after weaving

Iron-mordanted black yarns in older oriental rugs are often associated with which long-term defect?

• ABleeding into ivory adjacent areas
• BSelective corrosion / accelerated wear of the black pile, producing sunken or thinned out…
• CMass shrinkage of the entire rug
• DPhototropic color shift

Chrome-mordant (chrome-complex) dyes developed after about 1920 are valued in modern oriental rugs because they:

• ABleed easily, producing 'abrash' effects
• BOffer excellent wet- and lightfastness with consistent shade reproduction
• CAre derived from natural indigo
• DRequire no mordant at all

Vegetable (natural) dyes in oriental rugs are generally:

• ALess labor-intensive than synthetics
• BProduced from plant materials (madder, indigo, weld) plus mordants; often softer-toned, c…
• CMore fugitive than every synthetic dye
• DAlways more lightfast than chrome dyes

If a dye-bleed test on a red yarn shows clear color transfer to the white towel, the BEST initial response is to:

• AProceed with hot-alkaline full-immersion to remove the bleed-prone dye fast
• BShift to lower water temperature, lower pH (mildly acidic), and consider acid dye stabili…
• CRefuse all cleaning and send the rug to a dry-cleaning specialist
• DApply chlorine bleach to neutralize the dye before washing

Mid-cleaning, a wool rug starts visibly releasing red dye into the wash water. The single most important immediate action is to:

• AStop wetting, increase rinse-water acidity if appropriate, and rapidly remove water with…
• BAdd more high-pH detergent to dissolve the bleed
• CHot-air dry the rug face-down on carpeted floor
• DLet the rug soak longer to let the bleed fully release

Light-related fading on a rug — most pronounced on the side facing a window — is best classified as:

• ADye fugitivity from moisture
• BPhoto-fading / UV degradation, primarily affecting yellow and red components first
• CCellulosic browning
• DPile crushing

Abrash in an oriental rug is best described as:

• AA defect caused by cleaning errors
• BSubtle horizontal banding of color variation caused by different dye lots in the weaver's…
• CYellowing of the foundation
• DSevere red bleed into the ivory ground

When inspecting an aged rug, the technician notices the wool foundation feels brittle and produces dust when flexed. This is most consistent with:

• AMothproofing residue
• BDry rot / fiber oxidation from prolonged moisture, alkaline contamination, or age
• CSurface fading from sunlight
• DNormal mature wool behavior

Before any wet cleaning, the technician should photograph and document:

• AOnly the price tag information on the rug
• BPre-existing conditions including dye-bleed risks, fringe damage, dry-rot areas, holes, p…
• COnly the back of the rug
• DOnly the corners of the rug

Yellowing localized along the bottom edge of a wool rug that has sat on a damp basement floor is most likely caused by:

• APhoto-fading
• BOxidative yellowing of wool from prolonged moisture and possibly alkaline contamination f…
• CInsect frass
• DStatic charging