Silk rugs. (Any photos?)

[LisaWagnerCRS]

Since this forum tends to have a lot of "long-time" cleaners, wondering if any of you have silk rug photos, or your own stories of trouble with silk - or success with it?

We wash them. But we have a roller wringer to allow for a quick clean. Qum, Hereke, Chinese - there is a detailed testing and pre-inspection, but we like to wash them.

I know some plant dry clean them.

So... I'd love to hear what some of you pros do. =)

Here's my post on silk rugs => http://www.rugchick.com/2011/05/silk-ru ... d-to-know/

Thanks for sharing any of your textile tidbits, :mrgreen:
Lisa

 

[rhyde]

Usually wash them ..can't think of any entertaining stories?

 

[Giorgio]

here's a pic i took of a silk rug in a museum once.

I'd be afraid to clean this rug for fear of damaging it.

 

[bob vawter]

i got some silk sheet stories....???

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

here's a pic i took of a silk rug in a museum once.

I'd be afraid to clean this rug for fear of damaging it.

That's cool.

If you test the dyes and they are colorfast, then cleaning it with the Upholstery Pro would be a snap. And you could charge Museum prices. :mrgreen:

I'd use the Natural Fiber Cleaner on it though... not Formula 90. :shock:

Lisa

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

i got some silk sheet stories....???

I bet you have more sheep stories than sheet stories... but I may be wrong.
:shock:

Lisa

 

[bob vawter]

i got some silk sheet stories....???

I bet you have more sheep stories than sheet stories... but I may be wrong.
:shock:

Lisa

but i have pics......... shiteatinggrin

 

[rhyde]

OK, I got one for you early 17th century silk brocade

You can use an upholstery tool on it but you'll own it if you do!

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

OK, I got one for you early 17th century silk brocade

You can use an upholstery tool on it but you'll own it if you do!

Nice! Thanks for sharing that...it's interesting that though silk and wool are both protein fibers, you can still walk on a 300 year old rug, but silk tends to disintegrate with age, even though it's quite strong.

Thanks again Randy. Was that piece in your shop?

Lisa

 

[rhyde]

it's in my shop right now for cleaning

 

[Mikey P]

top or front loader technique?

 

[Zee]

it's in my shop right now for cleaning

What will be your procedure? I guess I could've just said- howya gon' clean it?

 

[Zee]

.

 

[Ron K]

Is that the oldest piece you've cleaned Randy?

 

[rhyde]

Front loader less water ..


I'm still working on a solution it's very fragile and there's tarnished metal threads not to mention a poor consolidation adhesive on the back

I've cleaned coptic and pre-columbian textiles that where much older

 

[sweendogg]

If I HAD to touch that.. it would be getting the screen treatment or the Mann treatment.

 

[Joe Appleby]

We get plenty of wool rugs with the rayon and viscose insets/highlights. Most of these rugs are immersed with the customer's approval that there will be texture distortion. After drying we card out the hardened fibers until soft. I've played with some different ways to soften them, fabric softener, steam, etc. Has anyone found a more efficient way of softening the viscose, rayon or cotton other than just carding.

 

[Ron K]

Joe it's could be your cleaning solution, we wash them all the time no problem. Just post-vac. Or it could be you are not rinsing them enough. Do you see clear water coming out before you start any kind of drying? We do but we have air dusting and washing.

 

[Joe Appleby]

Hi Ron,

My guys do rinse until the water runs clear. It's certainly possible there could still be some residue. We use Masterblend's Oriental Rug Shampoo.

Just to clarify. Your rayons/viscose rugs dry soft. They do or do not dry with distortion?

 

[lust1kiddo]

for the record..not a fan of that saphire upholstery tool. its so heavy and does not clean the whole fiber..just surface. Kinda goes against the principal of washing a rug..no?

 

[Zee]

for the record..not a fan of that saphire upholstery tool. its so heavy and does not clean the whole fiber..just surface. Kinda goes against the principal of washing a rug..no?

:shock: :shock: :shock: Are you serious?

 

[lust1kiddo]

yup

 

[lust1kiddo]

sorry...was confusing the saphire with the hydromaster..

 

[Giorgio]

i own every other upholstery tool on the planet.

might as well get a sapphire too!

how much worse can it be than the ones i already have?

 

[lust1kiddo]

i just use my porti with the right combo of detergents and dwell time and regular spray tool...you dont need to drown couches to get them clean the chems do all the work...jmho

 

[Cameron1]

i got some silk sheet stories....???

I bet you have more sheep stories than sheet stories... but I may be wrong.
:shock:

Lisa

OMG....another classic!

 

[Desk Jockey]

That was bbbbaaaadd of you Lisa!

Jeeezzz Bawbby you gonna let her get away with that?
Or was that was so close to the truth you're stunned?


:mrgreen:

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

sorry...was confusing the saphire with the hydromaster..

I was going to say... that ain't the experience I've had with it.

Glad you cleared that up.

Lisa

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

If I HAD to touch that.. it would be getting the screen treatment or the Mann treatment.

When we handle the museum's pieces, that what we do, sandwich them between screens to hold the together as we soak and air dry them. Actually, you could also run an upholstery tool along them if you wanted - we are typically not dealing with any heavy soil so a simple wash seems fine for the antique silks, quilts, or weird stuff we get now and then like kimonos.

But again with wool rugs - wool seems to hold up really well. I'm just curious why the silk eventually splits and breaks with age. It's just interesting.

Lisa