[Everbrite]

What is the best way to clean a silk rug with a cotton backing??

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Dry vacuum the living daylights out of the back then lastly the front. Do your colour run tests on all colours in different parts of the rug. Apply microsplitter (woolsafe one) and really work in with contra rotating brush machine like a host (with oriental rug brushes). Use a cfr rug & stair 7.5" and rinse extract with plain cold water. If you dont use the cfr tool then either dont do the rug or prepare to own it. I picked mine up from Amtech today used 400psi cold water rinse on a 100% wool  5x8 oriental. Job took just over 2 hours and about the same again to completely dry. However I did get through four and a half machine fills!!! Maybe time to change machine methinks!
I doing a 5x8 100% silk rug this evening with colour motifs within the fringe area and I'll be using the same process but probably at 100 psi to begin with. I'll let you know how I get on.

Regards
Alan

[mark_lane]

Dry cleaning solvents is the safest way ,but for the brave woolsafe m/s

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

Fantastic result on the silk rug using around 150 psi. Host a bit too aggresive so worked microsplitters in by hand and extracted off with plain cool water. Whole process cleaned and dried (using 2 blowers) in around 2 hours. Not bad for £50 M sq.

Dont take any cleaning process for granted. Do your own tests. sometimes dye's can be damaged by solvents etc.

regards
one knackered rug cleaner (4:50am)

[Everbrite]

Thanks lads will try m/s but never had any good results with them before so dont tend to use them.
Will try what you said and let you know.
Many thanks again.

[carpetclean]

hi fibre reviver suprised you find m/s hard to work with as they do work if applied right. no 3 spotter has to be one of the best all round spotters on the market. You should aggitate them straight away no dwell time you can see the dirt lifting try the no 3 on a previously cleaned patch from another system agitate and run a white cloth over it see the result .

[Everbrite]

Hi i have tried that and have used three other suppliers that deal with M/S but i always go back to what i use.
Which one do you use?

[mark_lane]

I use solutions,mechanical agitation is best

[Geoff Jewkes]

I`ve had no luck with M/S either

[carpetclean]

i use solutions  find them great

[Len Gribble]

Alan

Have you contacted anyone about that antique rug?

So you splashed out on one, bet the rugs in van paid for it

Len

[Martin S]

I always though Silk and Water was a complete no no!!

Never tried it mind.

[Alan Brooker. Aqualink Carpet Care]

That was until cfr tooling.
Len - 7.5" rug tool and conversion hose .... ready .... £404!!!!! BIIIIIIG money but oh what a tool. 150psi water on silk - and i reckon it would have accepted a lot more!

Get one
Alan

[Len Gribble]

Alan

On my shopping list the same as the wonder wand.

Len

[Everbrite]

The rug in question is from India will try yet again M/S but not holding my breath probably will end up doing it with extraction.

[woodman]

Test it first too make sure it is real silk.

Lots of these Indian pure 'silk' rugs are nothing of the sort and are in-fact a mixed wool mix.

If its a true 'silk on cotton' then it will be a high value, hypersensitive clean.In other words go carefully and charge the correct price for the privilege.Your starting price should be in the region of £110.00 for smaller sized up to £280.00 for larger silk rugs.

If this is not acceptable to the client then don't do it, this is a professional clean on a very expensive item, at your risk.

This is a definite LM clean only that should be carried out off site, you must not under any circumstances over wet.

Heavy pre-vacuum f & B,  pre-spray with Micro-Splitter No 4 then either pad off or LM tool clean. Dress pile, dry and inspect,clean again if necessary.

Better to do two cleans than try to bang it out in one go.

Texatherm is another option that works very well.

If upon drying the pile feels brittle/stiff then you over wet it but don't worry just vacuum again then towel the top of the pile with a dry clean solution, it will soften up again and dress pile. Job Done

[Mark Roberts]

At last the correct answer. Many confuse real ones with the cheap.
A lot of cleaners ruin a true silk by over wetting, using high ph etc.
High temp and strong ph will can too turn these yellow and water marking is also a common problem.
Lm all the way.

Mark

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys,

Trevor / Mark .

Can you give some clues on how to recognise a silk from a mixed wool.

I'm no expert on this but would say  a finer , shinier filament.

Mark,

Which LM method do you use?

Cheers

Doug

[Mark Roberts]

I agree doug about the look of them, silk can take on many different appearances. A raw silk fabric may fool you into thinking that it is cotton or synthetic. The more refined the silk and the smaller the yarn, the more it resembles the silky feel.

Only way for me is a burn test, burning silk will leave a powdery ash and will extinguish itself when the flame is removed, just like wool. The easy way to tell silk and wool apart in the burn test is the smell. Where wool will have the smell of burning hair, the silk will have a much more disagreeable smell and the flame might jump.

You can dry clean silk or go Lm. Sunlight rots silk so it may be weaker than you think before you get your rotary on it. You can also do a dry-wet clean, preclean with solvent based cleaner, then reclean with water based, the solvent acts as a barrier so the water based cleaner does not damage or alter the feel or drape of the fabric.

I have charly pads doug and also a dry solvent machine. I wouldnt mind trying the MS granulated powder on these.

[HolmansUKLTD]

Burn test silk will smell like burning paper