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Silk Rugs
Silk rugs are made all over the world. Your silk rug may be from Qum (or Qom, in Central Iran), Turkey (also known as Kayseri or Kilims, depending on the region of Turkey), Persia, and Kashmir, among other places. Silk rug and carpet cleaning requires a bit of care, but can be done at home. Maybe a fiber blend rug is your thing; wool and silk rugs as well as cotton and silk rugs are viable options for you. Oriental silk rugs are an investment, and may be one you decide on.
Silk doesn't seem to be the strongest material you can think of for flooring, but you'll be surprised to know that it definitely has its advantages.
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The silk fibers that were obtained from the the cocoon of the "silkworm" (more accurately the Bombyx Mori) originated in about 2600 BC in China. Others say that the place of origin was India.
A silk rug from the Sassnid Dynasty, called "Spring of Khosrows" was the oldest found silk rug before the finding of the Pazyryk carpet. This silk rug was often used in the winter months by Khosrow I, the King of Persia (531-579 AD), in order to remind him of a springtime garden.
Silk is a highly regarded fabric in India, and is incorporated into spiritual rituals. Silk Kashmir rugs making has been taught by families in Kashmir India for many generations.
The silk itself is made of fibrous protein composed of a number of amino acids which have been shown to be five times stronger than steel and twice as strong as Kevlar (of the same weight). Silk is also highly resilient when stretched. It can be stretched out thirty percent longer without breaking.
And there are more advantages:
- light and smooth texture
- can be combined with other materials
- great for decorating
You might want to note that silk rugs:
Silk rugs are highly regarded as luxury items in decorating a home. The soft and light texture is ideal for intricate patterns and designs. In fact, many Oriental rugs are made with silk, sometimes in a combination of wool and silk. And while a lot of homeowners like to use silk area rugs around the house, they can also use them as wall hangings as well, to display the art for the design.
Take caution though when buying silk products because sometimes other fibers are passed off as silk. A few tests to help you evaluate the silk of your carpet are:
1. rub it and feel if the fabric gets warm or stays cool; silk gets warm
2. burn a small clipping; if it melts or smells like burning paper its not silk because burnt silk smells like burnt hair
3. dissolve it with a special chemical formula; a test that's best left to professionals.
Because of the delicate nature of the silk, you may find that removing stains from silk rugs is difficult. But if you attack the stain as soon as it occurs, you may be able to reduce the damage. Having a blend of wool and silk rugs will help because wool repels most liquids.
Remove any solid that may have been a part of the stain, and then gently blot any excess liquid. If you choose, some club soda can help to release any remaining stain, but do not use heat to dry it. Let the area air dry.
Because the silk rugs are delicate and expensive, it is not recommended that these be used in higher traffic areas. Especially in the case of hand made silk carpets, the weave is thick, but you do not want to chance loosening any of the embroidery or patterns.
A silk carpet is a beautiful addition and investment in your home's value. And while you may decide that silk rugs belong on the wall instead of the floor, you know that you're buying something that will be passed down through your family.
Comments
Hello, I have a very large Chinese silk carpet which needed cleaned. I contacted a professional in my area and sent the carpet off at my own risk. Came back with some areas a lighter red than the original - looks like some colour may have been lifted. Any suggestions on restoring this?
moira at August 21, 2009 01:09 PM
Moira,
We don't have personal experience with coloring silk rugs so can't advise there. I urge you to hire a professional with experience and references, in working with silk carpets/rugs.
The Flooring Lady at August 24, 2009 10:07 AM
Hi,
Unfortunately one of our dogs was ill and has made a bad brown mess on the Chinese silk carpet, which is probably not hand-made. We have washed off as much as possible with water. What do you advise us to do now ?
Best regards, Roy
Roy at August 31, 2009 09:01 AM
Roy,
If the rug is something you treasure or is expensive I suggest having it professionally cleaned. If you would like to continue trying to get the stain out yourself I recommend using StainSolver and a rag. Scrub gently to help remove the stain, let the solution sit, and then dab up the solution and then rinse lightly, blotting gently! The least amount of liquid the better!
The Flooring Lady at August 31, 2009 03:07 PM
I have a gorgeous silk rug but was told that one shouldn't vacuum it as the threads will break from the brushes. What maintenance or sweeper should I use for normal day to day cleaning? don't they all have brushes?
carole at September 17, 2009 01:16 PM
Hi Carole.
That is correct. Silk rugs need to be vacuumed gently - no brushes. You could try using one of those sweater de-fuzzers for light daily cleaning.
In fact we have a comment on this board from one reader who says "My Barbara Barry designer silk and wool rug started shedding pieces of silk as soon as I started to vacuum it". They do require gentle care.
The Flooring Lady at September 21, 2009 07:00 AM
My dog piddled on our new silk/wool last night and I cannot get the droplet stains out of the carpet. What should I do? I have used carpet cleaner for pet stains, and I have used my Shark steam floor cleaner on it and it still shows up as little droplets. Please help. Thank you, Patricia Jacobson
Patricia Jacobson at October 7, 2009 04:39 PM
Patricia,
I would try using club soda on the spots and see if that helps to release the stains.
The Flooring Lady at October 9, 2009 12:17 PM
wat is sweater de-fuzzers?
i hv several silk carpets which i sent for professional cleaning every few years.
in between i wld like to do some light cleaning...could someone share advice here? tx so much.
lina at October 24, 2009 08:12 AM
Lina,
The sweater de-fuzzers are just lint brushes that are sold to help remove lint from clothing.
You can usually find them in the laundry section of department stores.
Some of our readers have made some great suggestions through the comments for this article. You may want to read through some of those also.
The Flooring Lady at October 26, 2009 09:08 AM
