Silk carpets

Silk Carpet Cleaning, Silk Carpet Cleaning, Silk Wool Carpet Cleaning, Piece Silk Carpet Cleaning, Silk Carpet Cleaning provides services to clients in renovation, repair, deep cleaning, revitalization, antibacterial and disinfectant protection, impregnation of natural carpets according to your wishes in top quality according to our internal company standards, IICRC™ guidelines and standards and expertly implemented PERSIAN® system.

the PERSIAN® trademark defines the Carpet Service® branded technology concept of expertly executed carpet service companies focused on the regular maintenance, cleaning, revitalization and impregnation of synthetic, natural, wool and silk carpets, textile and leather sofas, chairs and upholstered materials. This branded concept delivers the utmost professionalism in full synergy with maintaining ethical, environmental and quality performance standards, including a contractual guarantee of the services provided by the contractor.

Silk carpets fall into the category of more expensive to expensive carpets and their maintenance is not easy and above all, should be carried out by a qualified contractor. If your Persian carpet at home gets a lot of use, it may get to a state where you cannot get rid of the dust and dirt by just vacuuming and therefore it is always best to have your Persian carpet professionally cleaned. Proper cleaning techniques can keep your carpet in great condition.

Silk Carpets – The History and Science of Carpets

Silk carpet captivates with its unique color scheme, premium quality, elegance and precision craftsmanship. Hand-knotted from pure silk and carefully crafted, an oriental rug will always give your rooms a cosy and inimitable atmosphere, whether it is decoratively attached to the wall or lying on the floor. The precision weave of the Ghom, Hereke and Kashmir carpets, for example, is exquisite and is created by meticulous handwork over several months. Whether it is the precious Ghom carpet knotted in India and Iran or the Hereke carpet produced in China and Turkey with approximately 1,000,000 knots per square metre: you can conveniently buy exquisite and luxurious silk carpets in our online shop!

What makes silk carpets special and what makes them so unique?

Carpet manufacturing has a thousand-year tradition. Even before the birth of Christ, the peoples of Central and East Asia decorated their tents with these woven works of art. In the late Middle Ages, shahs, nobles and sultans set up court manufactories where the techniques of Oriental carpet weaving were further perfected. In addition to the areas already mentioned, these products are generally produced in Tibet, the Caucasus, the Maghreb and Pakistan. Silk carpet is extremely rare not only because of the use of pure silk but also because of the number of knots per square metre. The denser the knots, the more complex the production process, which gives the oriental carpet its exclusivity and, last but not least, its durability. Moreover, the value of such a work of art depends on the following factors:

• Age
• Origin
• Colour and pattern
• Type of binding
• Material
• Pure silk carpet weave density

Knotting density is the number of knots per square metre. However, this varies depending on the country in which the carpet was made. For example, the number of knots in China is based on different conditions than a hand-knotted silk carpet from India. You should therefore be aware that there are different knot density marking systems depending on the region. Here you will find the finest quality oriental rugs from Turkey, China, India and Iran. Without exception, our exclusive one-of-a-kind silk carpets are characterised by a particularly high knot density and the use of high quality silk – another sign of the exclusivity of our products that you can expect when buying our silk carpets.

What are the distinctive features of silk carpets?

Pure silk carpets are renowned throughout the world and are considered the finest and noblest carpets of the Orient. Unlike Persian carpets, which often have bold colours, most of our silk carpets are finished in soft pastel shades. However, bold colours such as red, or natural tones such as sandy shades, can be used to create distinctive colour accents in a silk rug. Such products have an extremely long life and are often even inherited, as, for example, a hundred years of use is not unusual. The high knot density of a silk carpet and the vibrancy of the colours make a silk carpet a special work of art with a unique flair. Particularly noble and unique silk carpets are also signed. The signature records the binding of Turkish and Persian silk carpets.

What is silk anyway?

Silk is an all-natural product produced by the silk moth, a butterfly native to China. 30 days after birth, it begins to pupate and over the next three days produces a fine filament about 2,800 meters long. To give you an idea, it takes one tonne of silk cocoons to produce 115 kg of suitable raw silk for further processing, which requires 50 000 caterpillars. Because a single cocoon fiber is too fine for carpet silk production, six to eleven fibers are made into raw silk thread at a time. The spun silk is boiled in a soapy solution to remove the silk slime that the caterpillar produces as a binder and to make it pliable. Both the production of the cocoon and the breeding of new caterpillars and the processing of the silk cocoon are very time consuming, which is why carpet silk is so valuable.

With Ghom, Kashmir and Hereke Carpets we present the best of the silk carpet world.

The Persian city of Ghom is located 150 kilometres south of Tehran. The weaving of genuine Persian carpets only developed here in the early 20th century. Ghom carpets are characterised by their noble production, in which Persian knots are often tightly knotted. The pattern of these high quality Persian carpets comes from different parts of Iran. The Kashmiri carpet is known all over the world. The motifs as well as the color combinations are very traditional and have their origin in the Moghul dynasty in the 16th century. Hereke, a city on the northern coast of the Gulf of Izmit, has been home to traditional Turkish carpet weaving for centuries. It is practically synonymous with the splendour and unique quality of its products. Hereke carpet is characterised by its traditional patterns and motifs and Ottoman ornaments.

Cleaning and maintenance of silk carpets

Silk carpets with natural material require professional care. It is not advisable to attempt home deep cleaning with a steam cleaner from the back and front, as the steam cleaner is unable to clean it all and the excessive heat penetrating it damages the wool and its natural lanolin. Excessive heat can also lead to shrinkage of the natural fibres of silk carpets, which can put them at risk of permanent damage.

In a domestic environment, silk carpet can be cleaned with a small amount of water and only with special cleaning agents that do not damage the material. Always take care to preserve the texture and lustre of the carpet, as hand-knotted pure silk carpets are very delicate. If you want to clean the carpet yourself, you can treat it with special products or, if it is not so dirty, with a damp cloth. If you don’t want to take any risks, it’s best to have it treated by cleaning experts. This should always be done at a carpet cleaning company, as chemicals can attack the silk carpet. A pure silk carpet is therefore not suitable for everyday use in a home with children and pets, but as a decorative accessory it will conjure up a fascinating eye-catcher on any flat wall.

Home care of silk carpets is simple. Regular weekly vacuuming ideal with a knocking head will not harm it for decades. The natural vegetable dyes, dense weave and natural grease of virgin wool provide protection so that most dirt will not penetrate the carpet at all. Only the smallest particles of sand and dust can settle in the foundation over time. In order to remove even the smallest dust particles from the carpet, it is recommended to have the carpet deep cleaned every 2-3 years by an expert – professional natural carpet cleaner.

In everyday life, silk carpets know only two enemies: red wine and years of sunlight. Red wine stains can be treated, but cleaning is very time consuming and therefore a non-negligible cost factor. To prevent one-sided exposure of the carpet to sunlight, it helps to rotate the carpet frequently at even intervals so that both sides are exposed to similar amounts of sunlight. The sun does not necessarily lead to a reduction in the value of the carpet. Many old and antique silk carpets have only become particularly beautiful and valuable through even exposure to sunlight. Some silk carpets are even exposed to the sun for long periods of time to give the colour a brighter and more balanced sheen.

If a Persian rug only comes into contact with water, it usually just needs to be dried thoroughly on both sides. The carpet will lift for several days when wet, as the warp expands due to the moisture. Once the moisture has escaped from the carpet, the warp will settle again and the carpet will not change. Strong rubbing of water stains in dry conditions or the use of detergents should be avoided, as both can damage the Persian rug. In the case of coffee or cola stains, you should contact a professional as soon as possible. You can treat the stain yourself using lukewarm water and dishwashing liquid. However, you should seek professional advice before doing so.

Removing mould + preventing mould on older silk carpets that may smell of mould or damp smell is important not to neglect, as natural carpets have a natural tendency to retain moisture which later leads to mould. There are several ways you can get rid of unpleasant odours by cleaning your carpets:

• Leave a Persian rug in sunlight for a few hours.
• Blow dry the carpet with a fan on both sides, remembering to work in sections.
• Take the carpet to a professional carpet cleaner – this is a guaranteed way to get rid of mildew from silk carpet.

The professional carpet cleaning and the reputable silk carpet maintenance provided through expertly skilled technology brings assurance that your Persian carpet will not shrink, fade, or even show any damage.

• Most of the dirt and dust from the silk carpet is first removed by hand with gentle machinery, instead of running it through aggressive equipment that can damage your precious carpet.
• Depending on the material of your silk carpet, we will use a specialized stain remover to thoroughly remove or reduce the stain depending on the condition of the carpet.
• Depending on the material, your rug will either be cleaned in a water bath and then dry cleaned using special “WOOL SAFE” chemical cleaners.
• We will then dry the silk carpet as best we can to remove excess moisture and let it dry and turn it off.
• Finally, we thoroughly disinfect and impregnate the Persian rug and after a thorough check, we wrap it and prepare it for handover or transport to you.

How you can protect your rug from damage

• The moth larvae nesting in silk carpets are quite common and can be kept under control by regular vacuuming, leaving the carpets in sunlight for a few hours and also having them professionally cleaned.
• If you want to store your silk carpets in a warehouse, it is best to have them professionally cleaned and kept in a closed area to prevent dirt from getting on them.
• Always store your carpet in a clean, dry area, as moisture causes damage to the carpet.
• To avoid excessive pressure on the carpet, use furniture covers on the legs of tables and chairs.
• Use thick rubber pads under loose rugs to prevent them from sliding. They also help manage the weight of the furniture.

In conclusion, it’s always better to have silk carpets cleaned by a professional than to try to do it yourself. This is because the more likely a mistake is made, the more your carpet will be damaged or may become locally degraded, even irreversibly so.