Silk Rug Carewhat never to do with silk and art silk rugs

Silk rugs are the ones people love most and worry about most. Our page on silk rug cleaning on Long Island explains how we wash them. This guide is about everything around that wash: how to tell real silk from art silk, what never to do at home, what to do in the first minutes after a spill, and when it is time to call.

Real silk or art silk? Find out first

Real silk is a natural protein fiber, made by silkworms. It is strong for its weight and holds color beautifully, but its shine wears off with rubbing, and many silk dyes can bleed with the wrong cleaner.

Viscose is different. It is a fiber made from wood pulp and sold under many names: "art silk", "bamboo silk", "banana silk" or just "silky". It looks like silk in the store and costs far less. The problem is water. Viscose gets much weaker when wet, the pile crushes and stays flat, and the fiber can turn yellow or brown as it dries.

So the first question is always: which one is it? Look at the label on the back. If it says viscose, rayon, art silk or bamboo silk, treat it as the most fragile rug in the house. If there is no label, we can check it for you. We take one loose fiber from the back and test it outside the house, never on the rug. Please do not try this with a lighter near the rug yourself.

How different "silky" rugs react

Here is how the common shiny fibers behave, from the most tolerant to the most fragile:

Many rugs mix fibers, with wool for the body and silk or viscose to make parts of the design shine. Those shiny parts are where trouble shows first. If your rug is mostly wool, our wool rug cleaning page explains the wool side.

What never to do with a silk rug

Most silk damage we see was done with good intentions. Avoid these:

What to do in the first minutes after a spill

Fast, gentle and dry is the rule. Our general DIY stain removal tips are written for carpet. For silk and viscose, go slower and use less:

1. Lift solids. Use a spoon or a dull knife. Do not press anything into the pile.
2. Blot with a dry white towel. Press straight down, lift, move to a dry part of the towel and repeat. Never rub.
3. Put a dry towel under the spot. If you can lift the rug edge, a towel underneath stops the liquid from spreading and wicking back up.
4. Use very little water, if any. On real silk you can dab a little cool water and blot again. On viscose, stop after dry blotting.
5. Dry it fast. Point a fan at the spot. Slow drying is what turns viscose yellow.
6. Call us the same day for pet accidents, wine, coffee or anything with color. Our stain removal team can tell you over the phone what to do next.

Pet urine on silk needs a professional sooner than on other rugs, because it changes the fiber and the dyes. Our pet stain and odor service explains how we handle it.

Everyday care that keeps the shine

• Vacuum once a week with suction only, moving with the pile, never against it.
• Keep the vacuum off the fringe. Shake or brush the fringe by hand.
• Turn the rug every six months so sun and traffic wear both ends evenly.
• Use a rug pad so the rug does not slide or fold.
• Keep plants, pet bowls and drinks off the rug.
• Close the blinds in rooms with strong afternoon sun.

Signs it is time for a professional wash

Silk rugs do not need cleaning as often as a wool rug in the hallway, but they do need it. Call when the colors look gray or flat, the walking path has lost its shine, a spill left a ring, there is a smell, or the rug feels gritty. Our guide on rug cleaning methods explains why one method does not fit every rug. Here is how the choices compare for silk and viscose:

How our crews clean silk and viscose rugs

Most silk and viscose rugs are picked up and washed off site, where we can control water, temperature and drying.

1. Identify

   We confirm the fiber, check old repairs and point out any damage before we start.

2. Test

   Every color is tested, so we know how much moisture the rug can take.

3. Gentle wash

   Dry soil comes out first. Then a pH-neutral, low-moisture clean made for the fiber.

4. Dry and groom

   Fast, controlled drying, then the pile is hand groomed so the shine lies in one direction.

Pickup rugs are a big part of our week. This October, for example, our crews picked up area rugs for off-site washing from homes in Greenport, Lynbrook and Massapequa. A silk or viscose rug gets the same pickup, but a slower and gentler wash. The whole process usually takes one to two weeks. Our guide on how long rug cleaning takes explains why drying cannot be rushed.

Silk rugs in Long Island homes

Two things hurt silk rugs here more than anything else: sun and damp. Sunrooms and south-facing living rooms fade silk fast. Summer humidity, and finished basements close to the water table, keep viscose damp underneath, which is how yellow marks and musty smells start.

If the same house has wall-to-wall carpet that needs work, see our carpet cleaning Long Island page. For other hand-made rugs, see oriental rug cleaning and Persian rug cleaning, and for a very old silk piece, read our guide on antique rug care.

What it costs

Silk and viscose rug cleaning is priced by size and fiber after we see the rug, because a small viscose rug can need more care than a large wool one. You get the price before we start, and booking online takes $20 off. Our guide on what rug cleaning costs on Long Island explains what changes the price, and our rug cleaning page covers every type of rug we clean.

Around Long Island

Our crews pick up silk and viscose rugs all over Nassau and Suffolk from our shop in Deer Park, in towns like Manhasset, Roslyn, Cold Spring Harbor, Rockville Centre, Northport and Southampton. See every town on our service areas page, or read more about Long Island carpet cleaning.