As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all classes and events are subject to rescheduling, postponement, or cancellation if ARCS or the host member determines the circumstances are unsafe to hold the class or event. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility in these difficult and unusual times.

2022/06 - Discover Rug Cleaning (Portland, OR)
Regular price $250.00Date: June 18, 2022
Location: Renaissance Rug Cleaning, Portland, OR
IICRC Continuing Education: 7 credit hours
Pricing: Member Price: $250; Non-member Price: $250
All skill levels welcome! Come spend the day learning how rugs can be washed. The class is entirely hands-on and we’ll explore techniques from the most basic procedures to some advanced spotting and color run removal. ARCS one-day wash class covers all aspects of cleaning rugs. Various sizes, fiber contents, concerns, and cleaning processes are demonstrated at Randy Hyde’s wash facility in Portland, OR. This hands-on cleaning course is intended to facilitate learning by doing. Cleaning techniques are demonstrated for those just starting out as well as those who have some automated equipment. The goal for both veteran and new rug washers is to increase your knowledge and expertise in the art of cleaning rugs. No prior knowledge of rug cleaning is necessary.
We anticipate this class being a heavy hands-on cleaning course and they should come prepared to wash on the wash floor. You should bring attire appropriate to get wet and should bring your own Wash boots to the class.
No prior knowledge of rug cleaning is necessary.
Randy Hyde; Owner of Renaissance Rug Cleaning, Inc. established in 1999 in Portland, Oregon. He started in the rug business with Atiyeh Brothers in the late 1980s. In 1996 Randy accepted a job with rug dealer, author, and tribal rug expert James Opie in part to manage the wash plant but also to sell rugs. Randy purchased the cleaning end of the business in 1999 and changed the name to “Renaissance Rug Cleaning”. Today Renaissance provides cleaning and service to most of Portland’s dealers and collectors. From 2015-16 Randy served on the ARCS board of directors and as ARCS President from 2016- to April 2018.
Renaissance Rug Cleaning Inc

2022/07 - Discover Rug Cleaning (Indianapolis, IN)
Regular price $250.00Date: July 23, 2022
Location: Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis, Indianapolis IN
IICRC Continuing Education: 7 credit hours
Pricing: Member Price: $250; Non-member Price: $250
All skill levels are welcome! Spend the day learning how rugs can be washed. This class is entirely hands-on! We’ll explore techniques from the most basic procedures to some advanced spotting and color run removal. ARCS one-day wash classes cover all aspects of cleaning rugs. Various sizes, fiber contents, concerns, and cleaning processes are demonstrated at Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis.
Oriental Rug Cleaning is a medium-sized washing operation that began professionally cleaning rugs in 2013. Get up and close and personal with using a tumble duster, centrifuge, hanging tower & hands-on washing on the wash floor. See what cleaning rugs in a medium-sized rug cleaning business really looks like!
The goal for both veteran and new rug washers is to increase your knowledge and expertise in the art of cleaning rugs. No prior knowledge of rug cleaning is necessary, all are welcome to attend!
This will be a hands-on cleaning course and you should come prepared to wash rugs. Wear appropriate attire to get wet and bring your own wash boots!
For safety and accordance with the CDC health guidelines, we will be following all local mandates at the time of the event.
If you have any questions, please contact info@rugcarespecialists.org.
Jordan King; “Jordan is the operations manager at Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis and Sani-Bright Carpet Cleaning. Since joining the business in 2009, Jordan’s passion for service has helped fuel their rapid growth. He is a certified Master Rug Cleaner and holds the CRS designation. Jordan has always had an entrepreneurial spirit; through high school and college, he owned & operated a successful recording studio as well as a lawn care business. He has found the networking, education, and friendships formed through ARCS events & classes to be highly valuable. It continues to give him and his team the edge they need to bring a 5-Star experience to their clients.”
Oriental Rug Cleaning of Indianapolis

2022/08 - Intermediate In-Plant Rug Cleaning (Dallas, TX)
Regular price $1,800.00Date: August 10-12, 2022
Location: Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Dallas, TX
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
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.
Member Price: $975; Non-member Price: $1800.
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
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Persian rugs
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Copies of Persian rugs
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Designer rugs
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Flat-weaves
Overview of Cleaning Process
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Review of the steps in a “best practice” rug cleaning as outlined in ARCS’ Industry Guide & Recommended Practice for Rug Cleaning
Rug Intake
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Pre-inspection and documentation, inventory control & prewash stabilization
About Rugs & Fibers
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A review of the most commonly encountered rug fibers and construction techniques and what their implications are for the cleaning process.
About Soils & Cleaning
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Review of the types of soils found in rugs What are they? How do they accumulate?
Rug Washing
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Getting our hands dirty cleaning the host plants inventory. Topics will include:
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How to generate a cleaning plan
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How all the host’s “toys” work and how to scale the operation up and down to meet the demands of each student
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What to do if a rug starts to go south
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Drying Theory
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Discussion of drying theory and its effects on the cleaning process.
Results
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Evaluating results and discussing the next steps. Discussion, how clean is clean enough? weighing risks vs rewards.
Finishing Processes
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A survey of the non-wash processes that go into a rug cleaning
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Grooming
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Fringe Correction
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Post-wash treatments
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Cosmetic Touchups
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Checkout procedures
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Recording and reporting results
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Spotting techniques
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A discussion of the techniques for removing common spots such as rust, paint, wax, etc.
Discoloration Remediation
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How the products work and how they differ from spotters.
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Risks and how to manage them
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Discussion and demonstrations of common applications and techniques
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Urine Stain removal
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Floor Stripping of Dye
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Dry stripping of Dye
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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.
Oriental Rug Cleaning Co. - Dallas, TX

2023 - CRS Course & Test (Dallas, TX) Overview
Regular price $3,300.00To complete the CRS Course & Test, you must be a Member of ARCS.
Date: 2023
Location: Dallas, TX; Class and test given at Oriental Rug Cleaning Co.
Instructor: Ellen Amirkhan
IICRC Continuing Education: 12 credit hours
Member Price: $3,300
Single Day Audits: Member Price: $200/day; Nonmember Price: $550/day
For safety and accordance with the CDC health guidelines, a mask will be required and social distancing will be practiced for all live events.
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
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
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
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t
a) Afghanistan
b) China
c) India
d) Pakistan
e) Romania
f) Tibetan
g) Turkish
THURSDAY
Countries Producing Oriental Rugs, con’t (if necessary)
Caucasian and Navajo Rugs
Hands-On Technical Analysis—divide into groups
Appraisals—Power Point
FRIDAY
Review for written test
Practice rug Identification in the plant with rugs not previously seen
Mock Rug Identification test
Questions, Answers, Problems
SATURDAY
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!

Effective Communication for Rug Cleaners Course (On Demand)
Regular price $200.00Location: Digital On Demand
IICRC Continuing Education: 4 credit hours
Don't forget to fill out the registration form after checking out - you must complete the form in order to receive your credit hours!
On demand videos can only be viewed from the ARCS website and are available on your account page for 30 days after your date of purchase.
If you have any questions, please contact info@rugcarespecialists.org.
This class consists of two 2-hour sessions and will cover all of the important steps that can make or break your customer experience:
- Learn about your company and what you offer
- Elevator Pitch
- Common Pre-Inspection Conditions
- Terminology: How to Convey Technical Explanations in Layman’s Terms
- Help new customers navigate the rug cleaning process
- How to Make Repeat Customers Continue to Feel Valued
- THE IMPORTANCE OF DOCUMENTATION
- Managing Customer Expectations
- Dealing with Complaints
- Proper Phone Etiquette
- Proper In-Person Etiquette
- Inter-Office Communication
Jennifer Colaco: joined Oriental Rug Cleaning in Dallas, Texas as office manager in 2010, becoming the fourth generation of her family to be involved in the flooring business. Prior to this, she worked in textile project management. Jennifer is Vice-President on the Association of Rug Care Specialist Board (ARCS), a Certified Rug Specialist, and Master Rug Cleaner.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Jennifer and has spent the majority of her professional career interfacing with customers. Her focus on delivering excellent customer practices for her team led her to create and teach “Effective Communications for Rug Cleaners”, currently offered through ARCS.

Introduction to Rug Care (On Demand) Non-Member
Regular price $225.00Location: Digital On Demand
IICRC Continuing Education: 6 credit hours
The Intro to Rug Care course is an online class taught by fourth-generation cleaner Armen Dohanian of Oriental Rug Cleaning in Dallas, Texas. The class consists of four 80-minute sessions designed for new employees or those new to the rug cleaning industry. Some of the topics covered include the cleaning process, fibers and chemistry, rug construction and basic rug ID. Give your new employees a crash course in the rug cleaning process.
Member Price: $150; Nonmember Price: $225
Don't forget to fill out the registration form after checking out - you must complete the form in order to receive your credit hours!
On demand videos can only be viewed from the ARCS website and are available on your account page for 30 days after your date of purchase.
If you have any questions, please contact info@rugcarespecialists.org.
Session One – The Cleaning Process
Reviews the basic steps in a “best-practice” rug cleaning, why we do them and some of the most common prevailing methods in application today. While pros and cons of each method are discussed, editorial content is kept out.
- Pre-cleaning Inspection – Why some consider it the most important step in rug cleaning and some of the most common conditions encountered in area rugs.
- Dry soil removal – Why it’s important and ways to do it.
- Washing – From dry cleaning methods to full saturation washing. Each method is discussed covering the why and how as well as the pros and cons.
- Drying – Surveying the most common methods in use today
- Finishing processes – Grooming, browning correction, color correction, etc.
Session Two – Fibers and Chemistry
Covers the basics of the most common fibers and chemicals encountered in area rug care. Topics are discussed generically, avoiding favoritism and bias.
Fibers
- Wool – Why it is the most common rug fiber. How we go from sheep to rug yarn.
- Cotton – Production and application
- Silk – It’s advantages, disadvantages and production
- Bast Fibers – production and uses
- Plastics – Nylon, Olefin, etc.
- Rayon – production and it’s many other names
Chemistry
- Soil – most common types, how they accumulate and implications for cleaning
- Solvents – Polar and Non-polar, volatile and non-volatile and applications for cleaning
- Detergents – what they are and how they work
- The PH scale – What it is, why it’s important and the general PH of specific substances
- Sinner circle
Session Three – Rug ID – Tufted Rugs
A general discussion of tufted rugs and their specific cleaning needs and concerns is followed by a survey of the most common types of tufted rugs encountered, how to identify them and their specific cleaning needs and concerns.
- Tufted rugs – What they are and how they differ from other area rugs
- Tufted rugs made in China
- Tufted rugs made in India
- Custom-tufted rugs
- Machine-tufted rugs
Session Four – Rug ID – Non-tufted rugs
Picks up where we left off. We start with Machine-made rugs and cover how to tell them from hand-made rugs. While hand-made rug ID is not discussed, students are introduced to the basics of where they are made, different construction techniques and the terminology used, building a foundation for future classes. We wrap up with a discussion of some of the most common specialty rugs you will encounter.
- Wilton construction – both traditional and face-to-face variants
- Axminster – both tradition and the Karastan® variants
- Hand-made – piled and non-piled construction, terminology and how to tell them from machine-made rugs
- Specialty rugs – Skins, Shags, craft rugs, etc.
Armen Dohanian: A fourth-generation rug cleaner, Armen's 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.