Silk carpets and rugs have a natural shimmer and smooth, soft texture that can’t be beaten by other materials.
Composed largely of a protein called fibroin, silk is surprisingly strong. In terms of tensile strength, silk fibres can compete with steel yarn.
However, it’s important to know how to clean silk carpets and rugs correctly.
Silk fibres lose much of their strength when they’re wet. They’re also not highly elastic (if you stretch silk, it will stay stretched) and are easily damaged by abrasion, heat and strong chemicals.
In some cases, plain water can damage silk.
Silk carpets and rugs – especially pure silk ones – are valuable, making it imperative you treat them with care.
Maintaining silk carpets and rugs
The best guideline for maintaining prized silk carpets is to keep them out of harm’s way in the first place.
Don’t situate them where they’ll be subject to heavy foot traffic or spills, which make more frequent cleaning necessary and may cause irreparable damage.
Keep silk carpets out of direct sunlight. It causes colours to fade and will weaken silk fibres.
Vacuum silk carpets frequently, picking up dirt before it’s ground into the fibres. Never use a roller brush.
Another safe alternative is to hang a silk rug outside and beat it to remove dust and dirt, while also giving it an airing.
What to avoid when cleaning silk
In terms of cleaning silk carpets, these are definite “no-no’s”.
- Don’t use enzymatic cleaners, which use enzymes to digest protein-based stains. Silk consists largely of protein, so these cleaners may break down the silk fibres.
- Don’t use hot water or steam. Heat can cause silk to shrink.
- Don’t rub, wring or scrub the carpet, to avoid damaging its fibres.
- Don’t bunch or stretch the carpet, to avoid permanently changing its shape.
- Never apply chlorine bleach to silk. It will destroy the fibres.
- Don’t soak the carpet, not even in water.
Guidelines for treating stains on silk carpets
For the odd dirty mark or minor spill, try cleaning it at home.
For any spill (even a serious one), blot up what you can as soon as possible. Even if you then enlist expert help, this can limit the damage.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to removing stains from silk carpets and rugs.
Step 1: conduct a colour-fastness test
Before tackling the stain, dampen a clean white cloth with water and lightly blot a small section of the rug.
If there’s even the slightest hint of colour on the cloth, you need a professional cleaning service.
If not, move to step 2.
Step 2: blot with warm water
Dampen a clean white towel with warm water and blot the spill or stain, working from the inside out.
Avoid saturating the carpet; excess moisture can compromise the integrity of the silk. If that doesn’t remove the mark, proceed to the next step.
Step 3: treat with a vinegar and water solution
Mix an equal quantity of white wine vinegar with warm water, and dab the stain as before. If there isn’t any vinegar in the pantry, lemon juice is an effective alternative.
Repeat the process until the stain disappears. Leave the carpet to dry.
Do NOT use dishwashing soap, or any other soapy detergent, on silk rugs or carpets. The amount of water it takes to remove the sudsy residue can do more harm than good.
How to remove oily stains from silk
Oily or greasy stains on silk pose a real challenge and demand a slightly different cleaning technique.
Before blotting or dabbling, liberally sprinkle a layer of corn starch or talcum powder on the affected area. Leave it on overnight to absorb the oil.
Once the grease is lifted, treat the stain by following steps one to three.
For professional cleaning of silk carpets and rugs
Chelsea Cleaning are experts at cleaning silk carpets and rugs. We use the most advanced cleaning and stain removal techniques at our warehouse in Wynberg to achieve optimal outcomes on silk and other delicate materials.
