Detail of a silk Persian brocade rug. Notice how vibrant the colors are.
Silk is actually a very strong fiber. It is used in Persian and Oriental rugs because it is also elegant and alluring. When cleaning a silk rug, the problem is not so much with the material as with the dyes. You need to be careful that the dyes do not bleed.
The best way to care for your silk rug is by regular light cleaning and spot cleaning when necessary.
It is also important to know that silk rugs stain easily, so you want to avoid putting the rug where there is a lot of foot traffic. Also, if there is a lot of walking on the rug, the color could fade and the embroidery could be damaged (you may, therefore, want to hang a Persian/Oriental silk rug on a wall). Once the damage has occurred, there is no way to repair it. You also want to avoid using any abrasive cleaner on the rug, which can damage it as well.
You can dust this type of rug with an ordinary broom or vacuum. If you use a broom, however, you want to sweep lightly over the rug to avoid damage. When using a vacuum, use only the head without a brush. Again, a brush may cause damage to the rug.
If you spill something on the rug, you need to clean it up as soon as possible. If the stain is allowed to dry, it may become impossible to get out. If there is solid material on the rug, watch that you do not scrape too hard to remove the material, as this could harm the rug also.
To remove a liquid spill, use a clean, white cloth and blot the stain to remove as much of it as you can. Then use a gentle cleaner to take care of the rest. Some people use club soda on their rug to remove stains. To do this, pour the club soda onto the rug, and then blot it dry. Another cleaner that can be used is a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water.
You also want to keep the rug away from anything hot, as this may harm the rug. You shouldn’t use a hair dryer to dry any liquid on the rug, and avoid using hot water when cleaning the rug. And you should never use chemical cleaners on the rug, which can damage the color and texture.
To give your silk rug a thorough cleaning, which should be done regularly, you need to take it to a professional rug cleaner. They have the knowledge as well as the specialized equipment and cleaners to properly clean the rug without damaging it.
If you have silk Persian or Oriental rug you need cleaned, we urge you to bring it to a professional Persian/Oriental rug cleaner. Contact Persian Rug Cleaner of Dallas at 972-447-9600 for more information.
Image by Sialkgraph (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
