Kids and pets can be very hard on a rug! Rugs that are placed in direct sunlight can be in danger of fading. Wipe the rug gently with a clean, dry cloth. In more severe cases, you should however have the carpet cleaned by professionals. ... you can clean your carpet at home unscrupulously. However, vacuuming silk oriental rugs (minus the beater or roller brush) can pick up dirt before it is ground into the fibers. If you’re drying it indoors, open the windows and run a fan in the room to speed up the process. Silk fibers are most sensitive to damage and stretching when they’re wet. If washing at home, you may want to wash it in the bath to make the process easier. References. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Notes On Hand Washing an Oriental Rug: Silk rugs should be dry cleaned by an experienced professional Do not use chemical cleaners or commercial stain removers on silk rugs. There are two basic types of material used in Oriental rug making; wool and silk. Thus, it is best that they are not rubbed, heated or have strong chemicals poured on them. Use a vacuum cleaner that has a brushless suction head to vacuum the rug at least twice per week. To get rid of any stains on your silk rug, first absorb any spilled liquid with a clean white cloth. To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Absorb as much liquid as possible by pressing the affected areas gently with a clean, white cloth. Well, if you’re a silk rug owner, we’ve got you covered. Some Turkish rugs are made of silk and silk rugs are quite sensitive. Then, blot the stain with a clean cloth and club soda. Like every other rug, silk rugs can also become dirty as time passes. You can also use a vacuum with a brushless section head. See professionally prepared estimates for silk rug cleaning work. Then, soak the rug with cold running water in the same direction as the oriental rug pile; you can use a garden hose for this purpose. Consider placing a silk rug in a room that is used infrequently, or hang it on the wall as a decorative art piece. Allow the cleaning solution to dry and inspect the rug. With so many new materials and textiles showing up in the world, the word “silk” is still considered to be the best of the best of fine fabrics. For those who love silk rugs, it is not uncommon for them to have their silk oriental rugs scattered throughout the house in almost any traffic area. Ensure the rug has enough room to move freely during the wash. Add your detergent, but not too much. Now spray both sides of the rug with cold water. The soda can be poured onto a clean rag and then blotted against the stain. % of people told us that this article helped them. Hallways or near entryways should be avoided. Known for its ability to refract light, silk can be used to create shimmering rugs. To clean your silk rug, all you need to do is shake it outside and then gently sweep it with a broom. Pour the club soda onto a clean cloth and blot the stain. For hand-tufted and/or carpets with silk/artificial silk content, please advise your local professional per your rug washing needs. Allow the baking soda to absorb for about 1 hour. Last option if the above does not work is to use a little bit of baking soda on the spill. This method works really well for rugs that are too delicate to clean with a vacuum or a heavy-duty machine, but it can be used on any rug that’s easily transported, which excludes wall-to-wall carpets. Good luck! Don't: Clean Silk Rugs with Hot Water or Strong Chemicals Hot water will permanently damage silk rugs, so do not use water above a lukewarm temperature. Not all oriental rug retailers have this method of cleaning. Use a dry cloth to absorb any excess club soda. For more tips, including how to find a reputable professional cleaner for silk rugs, read on! These are at-home remedies in an emergency. After the area rug is completely dry, vacuum the rug thoroughly to remove any soap sediment. To remove excess water, place the wet garment on a white cotton towel. 5. Hot water, steam cleaning and harsh cleaning products can damage your silk rug. If a spill happens on your silk oriental rug, the best thing to do is to immediately take steps to remove the liquid. Upon bringing the rug back to the store, we observed that not only was wine splashed on the rug, but the rug was just generally soiled from the lounging of … With the cloth in hand, BLOT, do not rub. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. What to avoid when cleaning silk. If it is an area where people eat and there are often kids and pets, you may be better off with a more durable easy to clean rug unless you are prepared to replace the silk rug frequently. You will also want to find a specialty oriental rug cleaner where they use something called a Turkish bath. Additionally, the pile may be reduced and the entire rug may become damaged. 4 ways to clean silk rugs wikihow dark grey ziegler rug silk and wool an investment you can walk on natural silk carpet qom handmade 168 silk rug cleaning bedrosian... Read more » The following instructions are exclusively for wool Oriental Rugs. Unlike silk, wool is water resistant, so spills are less likely to damage a wool-silk blend rug. Allow your rug to dry thoroughly before walking on it again. To clean your shag rug, start with the oldest rug-cleaning method in the book – shake your … Blot clean rug Dip a sponge in the water, squeeze out excess moisture, and blot the cleaner onto the rug, working in sections until you've covered the entire surface. Composed primarily of fibroin, silk is one of the strongest natural fibers, but it loses up to 20 percent of its strength when it gets wet. Use your hands and, if you must, the smallest amount of soap to clean the spot with a clean white wash cloth. These are at-home remedies in an emergency. Rugs need less detergent than your typical laundry. Another more traditional way to get out the dirt is simply to hang the rug outside and beat it to remove the dust and dirt. If it's more of an adults/older kids only area where tracking in dirt and spills are unlikely, it will be fine. Although it can rival the strength of steel yarn, silk is still delicate when it comes to stains and dirt. This article has been viewed 122,457 times. Once you are sure of the safety of the rug, vacuum/swipe/shake the rug to remove dirt. You can also clean area rugs without a machine on a snowy day. Once you’ve got rid of the stain, leave the rug to air dry. The cost to Clean Silk Rug starts at $0.71 - $0.87 per square foot, but can vary significantly with site conditions and options. We had the, Oriental rugs have always been famous for their of color. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. To give your rug a long lifespan, place the rug in a low-traffic area. The silk fibers are too delicate for strong cleaning agents and will deteriorate, causing texture changes or holes in the rug. We enjoyed wonderful food from SF Kabob and flowers from Solano Florist! Silk is made from the silk worm, otherwise known as Bombyx mori. Before we get to how to best clean silk rugs, it is good to discuss the importance of avoiding problems from starting. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/5\/5e\/Clean-Silk-Rugs-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Silk-Rugs-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/5\/5e\/Clean-Silk-Rugs-Step-1.jpg\/aid2414866-v4-728px-Clean-Silk-Rugs-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"