How to Maintain the Beauty of Silk Rugs

Purchasing a silk rug can be considered an investment. The beauty and grace that the rug adds to the home are incomparable, but the price definitely reflects the fact that these rugs are made with an expensive material and that they are timely to make. Silk is a more delicate material and therefore has to be handled with care when weaving it into a rug. Silk requires more knots and more detailed designs.

All of these reasons make it imperative that your rug lasts a long time. To ensure that your rug will be beautiful for years to come, you will need to take good care of it. Smart Choice Rug Repair & Restoration wants you to be able to enjoy your silk rug for decades, if not a whole lifetime. That is why we put together this article to help you maintain the beauty of your silk rug.

Location is Key

Unlike wool, the protein that makes up silk is very similar to human hair. It can be damaged much more easily than a wool, cotton, or synthetic rug. In order to protect the more delicate silk fibers, you want to avoid placing your silk rug in a high traffic area. This will keep the silk fibers from eroding. Your rug should also be rotated at regular intervals to prevent wear on one side or area.

To help protect the colors of your rug, you want to avoid placing it in direct sunlight. The sun’s rays will bleach the dye out of the fibers giving you a discolored or faded looking rug even after just a short amount of time.

Cleaning up Spills

While it would be better to avoid placing the rug in an area where spills are likely, it is still possible that something may be spilled on it at some point. Before you can go about cleaning up any spills, it is important to know exactly what and how your rug was made.

Some silk rugs are actually a silk and wool blend. This blend will make it more resistant to spills and stains because wool is naturally water resistant. If you spill something on your rug and notice that the liquid is beading, you likely have a silk and wool blend. Try to soak up the spill, the wool may prevent it from penetrating and there will not be a stain.

Before adding any water to clean the stain yourself, you will want to ensure that your dye is colorfast. Many rugs are made with vegetable-based dyes that will bleed when water is applied. If you have a rug that is not colorfast, you won’t want to attempt cleaning this yourself. Instead, contact a professional to take care of it.

If your rug is colorfast, then you can attempt to clean the spill with a 50/50 mix of cool water and club soda. Try to only wet the area directly affected by the stain. If a large area is affected or the stain is something very dark, like red wine, you may still want to contact a professional instead of attempting the cleaning yourself.

A silk rug is a beautiful addition to your home, and you will want to appreciate its beauty for a long time. Take good care of your rug, and it can adorn your halls for years to come.