CPR Textile & Document Restoration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When restoring smoke-damaged wool textiles, which cleaning approach is most appropriate for delicate fibers?
- Hot water immersion with aggressive agitation
- Dry cleaning solvent with gentle hand manipulation (Correct answer)
- High-pressure steam injection
- Chlorine bleach solution diluted 1:10
Correct answer: Dry cleaning solvent with gentle hand manipulation
Dry cleaning solvents with gentle hand manipulation protect wool fibers from shrinkage and felting that hot water or agitation would cause.
Question 2: Which document stabilization method is preferred for water-damaged, moldy paper records before drying?
- Air drying at room temperature
- Freezing to halt mold growth and allow controlled drying later (Correct answer)
- Microwave drying to kill spores quickly
- Pressing between weighted boards immediately
Correct answer: Freezing to halt mold growth and allow controlled drying later
Freezing halts active mold growth and buys time for controlled freeze-drying or air-drying without further biological damage.
Question 3: What is the primary risk of using ultrasonic cleaning on antique silk textiles?
- Color brightening from cavitation
- Fiber breakage due to cavitation energy (Correct answer)
- Excessive shrinkage from water exposure
- Permanent press creases forming
Correct answer: Fiber breakage due to cavitation energy
Ultrasonic cavitation generates micro-implosions that can sever already-weakened silk fibers, causing irreversible damage.
Question 4: When packing water-damaged books for transport to a drying facility, which material should be interleaved between pages?
- Newspaper
- Unprinted white paper towels or blotter paper (Correct answer)
- Plastic wrap
- Brown kraft paper
Correct answer: Unprinted white paper towels or blotter paper
Unprinted blotter or white paper towels absorb moisture without transferring ink or chemicals to the damaged pages.
Question 5: In textile restoration, what does 'deodorization via ozone' primarily target on fabric?
- Dye compounds causing fading
- Organic odor molecules from smoke or mold (Correct answer)
- Fabric sizing agents
- Residual dry-cleaning solvents
Correct answer: Organic odor molecules from smoke or mold
Ozone oxidizes organic odor molecules embedded in fabric fibers, neutralizing smoke, mold, and biological odors.
Question 6: Which pH range is considered safe for washing most historic cotton documents and textiles?
- 3.0–4.5 (strongly acidic)
- 6.5–8.5 (near-neutral to slightly alkaline) (Correct answer)
- 9.5–11.0 (strongly alkaline)
- 2.0–3.0 (highly acidic)
Correct answer: 6.5–8.5 (near-neutral to slightly alkaline)
Near-neutral to slightly alkaline pH (6.5–8.5) prevents acid hydrolysis of cellulose while avoiding harsh alkali degradation.
Question 7: During freeze-drying of water-damaged documents, what physical process removes moisture from the frozen material?
- Evaporation through liquid phase
- Sublimation directly from ice to vapor (Correct answer)
- Condensation and drainage
- Absorption into desiccant packs
Correct answer: Sublimation directly from ice to vapor
Freeze-drying uses sublimation, converting ice directly to vapor under vacuum, which prevents paper distortion caused by liquid water.
CPR Textile & Document Restoration 2
When restoring smoke-damaged wool textiles, which cleaning approach is most appropriate for delicate fibers?