Cleaning Silk Oriental Rugs

Cleaning Silk Oriental Rugs

While silk Oriental rugs or simply silk rugs are sturdier than they look, they are more delicate than a wool area rug. Therefore any discussion of professional cleaning silk rugs needs to start with tips on how you should care for the rug.

Even the gentlest of shampoos may be too abrasive for a silk rug.

Read below for some more tips regarding keeping the rug clean:

• Because silk rugs can get stained easily, it’s best not to place them in spots where they will endure a lot of foot traffic.
• That being the case, many owners of silk rugs prefer to hang them on walls to showcase their gorgeous designs and protect the silk weave.
• You should sweep a silk rug gently or vacuum it (lightly). If you vacuum the rug, use only the machine’s brushless suction head because the vacuum’s roller brush could damage the silk. A stationary brush is better, but it’s still best to use the suction head only.
• Should you spill something on the rug, clean it up ASAP. This helps keep the stain from setting in to the rug’s fibers, thus making the stain almost impossible to remove.
• Scoop up food spills with a spoon (be careful not to scrape the rug itself).
• If you spill liquid, press a clean, white, absorbent cloth gently against the spill to absorb as much liquid as possible. Once you’ve removed most of the liquid, get another clean, white, absorbent cloth and gently blot up as much of the remaining liquid as possible.
• It’s best to avoid heat of any kind on the rug. So let the rug air dry and make sure you keep it far from heat wall vents, and portable heaters during its day-to-day existence.
• If the rug is still stained, avoid chemical cleaners. The silk fibers are just too delicate.
• When you eventually decide it’s time that rug have an overall cleaning, don’t use shampoo on the rug. Even a gentle shampoo will have chemicals that are just too harsh for the rug.

At Behnam Rugs we hand wash Persian and Oriental silk rugs the traditional Persian way.  This is why it’s imperative that a professional Oriental silk rug cleaner clean the rug. A professional silk rug cleaner will clean your rug thoroughly and safely, ensuring the rug comes back to you in better shape than when you brought it in.