Textile protection through conservation and restoration

Abstract

It's not easy to keep the textile product for a long time or to isolate it from the environment, preventing destructive operation of the oxygen from the air or sunlight on one side and bacteria, fungi and insects on the other side. Cleaning is usually the first step of many processes in a protection through conservation work. It is also one of the most difficult operations undertaken when preserving textile artefacts. Since the benefits of cleaning usually outweigh the drawbacks are, another it can enhance the long-term preservation of textiles by removing soiling. Now it is recommended to avoid using mechanical methods for cleaning textile articles. In recent years, a number of new methods for textile cleaning. Laser has been considered to be a promising cleaning technique for artwork conservation due to the fact that laser is highly controllable and a monochromatic energy source which can remove the surface contaminants precisely and selectively. The advantage of laser cleaning is to remove the surface contamination layer by layer. Laser cleaning is an effective cleaning technique of textile artefacts since it provides a high degree of control that allows fragile objects with a considerable amount of surface detail to be effectively and safely cleaned. This study aims to evaluate the process of cleaning and preparation of significant textile items for the protection a longer period of time as well as using the laser cleaning technique for cleaning dirty, historic or archaeological textile materials and products as a precondition for lasting future protection.