Silk rugs make your home decor look stunning. To sustain this beauty, you must learn to clean and maintain silk rugs appropriately. This material can be easily damaged while cleaning due to excessive stretch, heat, and other unobserved reasons. This article will guide you towards the sustenance and cleaning of silk rugs.
Five Steps of Cleaning Silk Rugs
Step 1: Pre-Inspection
The first step is to pre-inspect the optimality of your rug sustaining the cleaning process. Also, the type of stains and dust is a considerable measure. Different rugs need to be cleaned differently. Pre-inspection helps figure out the best cleaning method for your silk rug.
Step 2: Dry Clean and Vacuum
Dry cleaning is a commonly used solution to the problem of contamination in silk rugs. It is safer since it does not involve getting the rug wet. Dry cleaning your silk rug should only be entrusted to a reputable company with years of experience.
Compressed air dusting is better than vacuums while dry cleaning your rug. It removes pounds of dust and small particles from the rug without pressurizing the fiber.
Step 3: Wash and Rinse
You should only decide to wash your rug when the dirt is extreme. Usually, it should not be more than once or twice a year. The brooming and vacuuming are still a must before washing silk rugs.
We recommend you use the appropriate soaps for silk rugs, which can be found online or in specialty stores. The soap should be non-toxic and formulated specifically to treat silk rugs. You should never use any sort of bleach to clean silk rugs.
After washing your rug, let the water rinse naturally in a controlled environment. Do not tangle or fold silk rugs for rinsing purposes as it may damage the fiber and damage the designs.
Step 4: Speed Dry
If you do not dry your rug fast after washing, it may get a musty odor and fungus.
Natural sunlight is best for drying silk rugs.
However, If you do not have the option or space to dry the rug outside, you should use a fan instead.
Just make sure that air can travel free across both sides for ideal dryness.
Step 5: Use Fiber Protector and Insect Repellent
Silk rugs need special after-wash care. Once the rug is dry, you may use a fiber protector and insect repellent spray. Fiber protector forms an invisible surface around the rug that can protect rugs from getting fungus and prevent fiber damage.
Moth infestation can damage any type of rug. Adult moths can lay eggs, hatch into larvae, and may eat silk fibers. After you wash and dry your rug properly, an insect repellent may keep the moths away.
Tips to Maintain Silk Rugs
It is better to take preventive measures to protect your rugs rather than going through the process of cleaning frequently.
Rug Placement
You should place your silk rug on a hard flooring surface such as wood, tile, or marble. A silk rug usually suits any corner of your home. However, it is recommended to place the rug in a place where it gets access to air and sunlight.
Limit Foot Traffic on Your Rug
On silk rugs, it is best to limit foot traffic, particularly from pets and children.
Besides, it is a lot easier to have people take their shoes off before stepping on the rug than to clean the dirt off the silk rugs.
Take Care of Stains Immediately
You should clean up immediately if spills or stains occur. Immediate measures will prevent your rugs from getting permanent damage. It also helps to obstruct blemishes.
Vacuum More Frequently
You should vacuum your silk rugs regularly so that the fiber does not sustain permanent dust. The vacuum must have appropriate tools. It is always best to vacuum area rugs in the pile direction.
Vacuuming the back of the rug may damage the fibers. Keep your vacuum running on a low suction while dusting silk rugs.
Baking Soda & Vinegar Fix
Baking soda and vinegar provide numerous carpet solutions. You can prepare the solution by mixing it with water. After you have assorted them well, sprinkle the mixture around your silk rug. This solution can keep the insects and fungus away.
Steam Cleaning
To steam clean a rug, you first need to put a rug pad underneath your silk rug. This method should only apply when your rug needs a deep cleaning.
Flip The Rug
You should also make sure that your rug has proper sun exposure to keep the fiber flourishing. To ensure exposure, you can rotate parts of your rugs repeatedly.
Endnote
To conclude, our goal is to ensure safe, comprehensive cleaning procedures restore the refreshment and beauty of your rug. Thus, you no longer need to replace your expensive rug. You may carry it from generation to generation by following the proper process of maintaining and cleaning your silk rug.
