| 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.
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:
- should not be used in high traffic areas
- are easily stained
- expensive
| Silk rugs |
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| 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.
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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.
How can you clean a silk rug at home?
It’s going to largely depend on the type of dirt you are trying to remove and how large the area is.
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.
I did find a website that carries cleaning for silk rugs at http://www.rugman.com/Search/SearchCleaner.html?Category=Cleaning_Solution. It does state that it is for cleaning minor soiling. If you’re wanting to clean the entire rug, I would recommend having a professional do this.
Am going to northern India in a few months and would love to buy a beautiful rug – all silk or silk/wool. Besides the above fantastic advice on testing for real silk, can you give me any other guidance?
Many thanks!
Lucky you! Be sure to shop around so you can become accustomed to the differences in quality. Haggle. Good luck!
My new puppy urinated on our silk rug before I could catch him – I used upholstery/carpet stain removing solution on it but it seems the spot remains marked. Do you have any suggestion as to what I could use to clean it properly. It is not so much that a stain remains but that on the spot in question, the fibers seem flattened.
Grateful for your advice.
Hi Roxy,
Aside from what’s been mentioned, I don’t know of anything else. I’m hesitant what to tell you to do about the flattened spot as I don’t have any silk carpets myself. I’m hoping the cleaner you used didn’t damage the silk as it’s very delicate.
Anybody else have any experience? Feel free to chime in!
Roxy – I may be experiencing the same carpet issue. After reading all the cleaning information I may have been negligent by using a spray carpet cleaner. My stain appears to be gone, but there is a shadow over the entire area that I cleaned and the rug feels a bit stiff. I’m going to try “brushing” the carpet pile. Please let me know if you have found a solution.
My Barbara Barry designer silk and wool rug started shedding pieces of silk as soon as I started to vacuum it. I can actually pull the little strands of silk out athough most of them stay in. The rug looks like a sweater with pilling. What is the problem and how can
I fix it?
Hi Barbara,
It sounds like you’ve used a vacuum that was too rough on your rug. Silk rugs need to be vacummed gently – no brushes. I don’t think you’ll be able to fix it as you’ve probably ruined it. You could always try using one of those sweater de-fuzzers.
Roxy, My pug had a little urinary incontinence on my silk rug and I used a spray bottle with tap water, about 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 to 2 drops of dishwashing soap. I sprayed down the area to saturate, placed a towel beneath and above with a heavy flat weight for several hours. I removed it and then let it air dry. I hope this might help you.
Hi
My silk rug is appox 6’x4′ and i would like to clean the whole rug.
How do i go about this
Thanks tony
I did find a website that carries cleaning for silk rugs at http://www.rugman.com/Search/SearchCleaner.html?Category=Cleaning_Solution. It does state that it is for cleaning minor soiling. If you’re wanting to clean the entire rug, I would recommend having a professional do this.
We have 2 small iranian crapets that are silk.
I was told by a rug dealer to be careful where we take them to have them cleaned because they are are extremely valuble and may end up lost. Because of this I would like to clean them myself.
I am pretty savy because we lived in Ajerbajan and Kazakstan as well as India for years. they are too dirty to use just soda.
Please tell me how to clean them
Thanks
Diane
Hi Diane,
I would think that if you took them to a reputable cleaners, you won’t have a problem with the rugs getting ‘lost’. For heavy duty cleaning, I always recommend taking them to a professional.
i
I have a 5 by 7 foot silk carpet , while having my main carpets steamed cleaned , he steamed clean the silk carpet , now as look at it the shading is showing one half light and the other half darker .
Prior to this the shading was completly light looking in one direction and dark looking in the other , have you any suggestions as how i can return it to that
Hi Joyce,
This sounds like something you should take up with the person who cleaned your carpets. It sounds like perhaps he cleaned half the carpet in one direction and the other half of the carpet in the opposite direction, unless s/he switched cleaning products half way through, which I would doubt.
Dear Flooring Lady,
about a year ago my silk rug had olive oil spilt on it in a single stream across the length of it. (An incpomrehensible accident by an apathetic tradesperson).
I instantly plunged it into a warm bath and hand washed it. It worked for a while, however, the stain has darkened over the last few months and am wondering if professional cleaning will remove the stain.
Regards, Angela
Hi Angela,
It’s difficult to say if professional cleaning will do the trick since the stain happened so long ago. It’s worth a shot though, to save the rug.
We are doing construction and I need to roll up our silk and wool rug. Any tips for probably 4-6 month storage?
Hi Rich,
I would place tissue paper over the rug, then roll up. I don’t know where you plan to store it at, but make sure it’s climate controlled and dry.