This conservation project is the result of a multidisciplinary approach including contributions from the restorer, curator, art historian and chemists. Scientific examination of a 19th-century Turkish Ghiordes rug was employed to reveal the cause and level of fibre degradation and the nature of the dirt, amongst which was found a considerable level of pesticide contamination (DDT). Laboratory tests were subsequently made to provide suggestions for cleaning and decontamination. A dry cleaning procedure was set and led to the elimination of between 70 and 80% of the pesticides and the total elimination of the fatty matters. The following wet cleaning treatment allowed the complete elimination of the DDT residues. After cleaning, the first stage of conservation undertaken was to consolidate the original damaged structure. Thereafter, a selective compensation of losses was undertaken on a support fabric in order to minimize the interruption created by missing areas and produce a readable unity of the rug within the limits of conservation ethics.