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Thick silk rug
fredgrower Offline
#1 Posted : Saturday, February 20, 2010 1:16:29 PM(UTC)
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This rug I bought several years ago (used), it used to be perfect, but the dog threw up on it and I washed it in the bathtub...the pile faded and didn't have the luster as before. I next took it in to have it cleaned professionally, I told them I thought it was silk (on cotton) because with the burn test, it smells just like burnt hair and balls up. The guy didn't even really look at it and said, "It's wool, I see a ton of these"...it came back smelling like mildew and not any nicer than my wash job. Now it is time to clean it again, is there any difference in the way people wash silk rugs compared to wool rugs? This rug is unusual in the way it is made (just like a wool rug) but with silk (I'm convinced it's silk), even trimmed very thick (almost 1/2"). The back has become fuzzy from the last 2 washings and just wanted to know if anyone had an opinion on this rug or how I should care for it. The size is 2'3"x4'6"...also, any comments on age, value or price I should pay to clean it would be nice.


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Little-Persia Offline
#2 Posted : Wednesday, May 12, 2010 6:24:52 AM(UTC)
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fredgrower wrote:
"It's wool, I see a ton of these"...it came back smelling like mildew and not any nicer than my wash job. Now it is time to clean it again, is there any difference in the way people wash silk rugs compared to wool rugs? This rug is unusual in the way it is made (just like a wool rug) but with silk (I'm convinced it's silk), even trimmed very thick (almost 1/2").


Not sure if you'll still be looking at the this or not but from the front pictures it doesn't look like silk. It may be what they call in Afghanistan/Pakistan Mori (They make Mori Jaldar and Mori Bohkaras with "silk touch" which is actually treated wool that gives it more of a shine). It could also just be good wool with a real sheen off it, unfortunately we don't see enough of that these days.

Real silk rugs do not tend to be made with such a low know count, and I'm always suspicious if the pile is silk but foundations cotton, it would be like putting a 100bhp engine under the hood of a Ferrari (I like my car analogies when it comes to rugs). It could also be some sort of artificial silk, very popular in Chinese rugs but most of these smell like burning paper rather than hair. There is a chemical silk test that you could carry out but it's probably not worth the effort unless you're attempting to sell it.
fredgrower Offline
#3 Posted : Monday, September 19, 2011 9:41:26 AM(UTC)
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Hi, thanks for the tip on dry cleaning kits...some say don't use dry cleaning chemicals...but having dogs means accidents that need cleaned off fast, I tossed it into the bath tub with mild shampoo. It turned out a little fuzzy, but no worse than the "professional" cleaning I got here in Town. I know most don't think it's really silk (being on cotton and thick) but it is, in fact I found another smaller one too, so I guess they are not that rare (I do have a couple art. silk, which are really common, those smell like burnt paper and are cold to the touch). Silk clothes can be hand washed, why would silk rugs be different? Silk is pretty durable (but not to bleach!!)
Rugfirm Offline
#4 Posted : Monday, September 19, 2011 10:03:50 AM(UTC)
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To me, this looks like a Chinese rug with artificial silk, and as for the cleaning, I still recommend you have it done professionally rather than doing it in your own bathtub.
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