How to clean a Persian and a silk rug at home

Everyday care step by step

1. Vacuum Regularly, under furniture too. In dark places a wool rug is more at risk from moths.
2. Turn the rug From time to time turn it so that people walk on different parts and the rug wears evenly.
3. Protect it from the sun Light dries the fibres and fades the colours. The part of a rug that lies in direct sun can fade faster.
4. Protect it from moisture High humidity can damage fibres and make dyes bleed. Do not lay the rug in a damp room and do not leave it on a damp floor.
5. Move it properly Do not carry the rug by one edge and do not drag furniture across it.

If something is spilt on the rug

1. Blot at once Press a clean, absorbent cloth on it lightly and do not rub, because rubbing pushes the stain deeper.
2. Press down and let it dry When the excess liquid has been blotted up, put a clean, dry cloth on it and press it down with something heavy until the spot has dried.
3. Wine on a Persian rug Blot and lightly dab with a cloth dampened in cool water, without soaking. On silk even clean water can leave a mark, so for silk only blot.
4. Blood on a Persian rug Cold water only, never hot, because heat sets the stain.
5. Products Test any product on a hidden spot first to see whether the colour bleeds.

Can a silk rug be washed

A silk rug should not be washed at home, in a bath or in a washing machine. Silk is a natural fibre, and its main risks in moisture are water marks and dye bleeding. Without controlled moisture and complete drying, the rug can be left with patches or a bled pattern.

Before you act, make sure the rug really is silk. Rugs sold as “bamboo silk” are usually viscose. Wet viscose becomes much weaker, can turn brown, and the pile can flatten, so it has even stricter limits: it must not be rubbed or steamed.

What not to do with a silk or Persian rug

Fringe, moths and storage

In a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the ends of the warp threads, not a sewn-on trim. So do not pull the fringe, do not cut it off and do not carry the rug by it. If it is loose or broken, that is repair work, not cleaning.

If the pile of a Persian rug is wool, keep moths in mind: clothes moth larvae feed on wool. They avoid light, so the places under furniture and rugs kept in the dark suffer most. Washington State University advises vacuuming these places regularly and cleaning the rug before storing it. If there are live moth larvae in the rug, it is a pest control job.

For storage, do not fold the rug but roll it in the direction of the pile onto a wide tube, cover it with unbleached cotton fabric or acid-free paper, and keep it off the floor. Some sources advise airtight packaging, others a breathable cover; in both cases the risk is a damp place. More: how to store a rug.

When to have the rug professionally cleaned and what it costs

If the rug is greyish across the whole area, if a stain is large, old or has already been treated with some product, if there is urine or smell, or if the colour has started to bleed, home care no longer helps. Silk and hand-made rugs need controlled wet cleaning and complete drying, which a living room floor cannot provide.

In Riga and the Riga region, silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up) cost from €15/m², the price is given from a photo. Example: a 2 × 3 m silk rug costs from €90, plus €10 for pick-up and return; the final price is given from a photo. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. More: Persian and oriental rug cleaning and silk rug cleaning.