Silk rugs
Silk rug cleaning.
Silk is the most beautiful fiber in a rug and the least forgiving. It loses its sheen if scrubbed, its dyes are often unstable in water, and it weakens quickly under the wrong chemistry. We clean silk slowly, by hand, and only after testing.
Why silk needs a different approach.
Why silk differs
Silk fibers are smooth and fine, which is what gives a silk rug its light and its detail. The same qualities mean that dirt abrades them more quickly, that rough handling crushes and 'blooms' the pile, and that alkaline cleaners, the kind used in most carpet cleaning, can strip the fiber's natural luster permanently.
Many silk rugs are also dyed with colors that move easily in water. A wash that would be perfectly safe on a wool rug can cause reds and blues to bleed into an ivory ground within minutes.
Finally, not every rug sold as silk is silk. Mercerized cotton and viscose ('art silk') look similar but behave very differently when wet, and must be cleaned accordingly. Identifying the fiber is the first step.
How we clean a silk rug.
Method
Each rug is examined front and back, the fiber is identified, and every color is tested for stability before any water is used. Where dyes are fugitive, they are set first or the rug is cleaned by a method that keeps them still.
The rug is dusted gently to remove dry soil, then washed by hand in cool water with a neutral, silk-safe solution. We work with the direction of the pile, never against it, and never with rotary machines. Rinsing is thorough, since residue left in silk attracts dirt and dulls the sheen.
Drying is flat, slow and controlled, so that the foundation relaxes evenly. Once dry, the pile is groomed by hand to restore its lie and its light.
Silk rugs often arrive with small splits, worn areas or loose ends. These are best repaired at the same time, in matched silk, before they spread.
Fiber identification
Silk, wool-silk, mercerized cotton or viscose.
Color testing
Every dye tested before any water is used.
Hand washing
Cool water, neutral solution, no machines.
Controlled drying
Flat and slow, then groomed by hand.
Looking after silk between cleanings.
Care
Silk rugs are best kept out of heavy traffic and strong sunlight. Vacuum gently without a beater bar, rotate the rug periodically, and blot spills immediately with a clean white cloth, never rub. If a spill is sugary, colored or oily, call us before attempting to treat it yourself; well-meant home remedies are the most common cause of permanent damage we see on silk.
Frequently asked.
Questions
- Can you tell if my rug is real silk?
- Yes. Fiber identification is part of our assessment, and it determines how the rug is cleaned. Viscose and mercerized cotton need a different approach from true silk.
- Will cleaning dull the sheen?
- Correct cleaning restores the sheen rather than dulling it. Harsh chemistry and machine agitation are what strip silk's luster, and we use neither.
Related reading
Searching for rug repair near me? What to ask before you hand it over
Not every shop that says rug repair does the work in house. Six questions that separate a conservator's studio from a drop-off counter.
Antique rug restoration steps, from intake to return
What actually happens between the day a rug leaves your floor and the day it comes back: seven stages, in the order a conservator works them.
Inquiry
Have a silk rug assessed.
Send photographs of the front, the back and a close-up of the pile. We will confirm the fiber and quote in writing.