The 12-step silk wash
12 Steps.
One silk rug.
Sealed flat dry.
Cold-water dye test. Single-tub immersion. pH-5.5 silk-safe shampoo. 72-hour sealed flat dry. The same protocol the Karimi family has used on every Qum, Hereke and Nain since 1978.
Hand-performed steps
Each step done by a single craftsperson.
Sealed flat dry
68°F, 45% humidity, no exception.
Years on silk
Three generations on the same silks.
The process
Twelve careful stages.
Silk is a protein fiber. Every step is engineered around that.
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01. Intake & insured handling
The silk arrives at the bench. Photographed front and back, measured, condition logged. A stated value is agreed with you for the insurance rider before any work.
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02. Identify silk grade and origin
Pure silk, silk-on-cotton or silk-wool blend. Origin (Qum, Hereke, Nain, Kashan), knot count and weaver signature. The grade dictates the wash plan.
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03. Cold-water dye fugitivity test
Every color field is swabbed with a neutral solution under studio light. Silk acid dyes are the most fugitive of any rug fiber — if anything lifts, the wash plan is adjusted before submersion.
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04. Padded-table dust pass
Silk is dusted on a padded table with low-pressure air. Silk is never beaten, never hung, never put through a vibration table. Surface dust only.
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05. Single-tub cold immersion
The silk is placed in a dedicated tub on its own. Silk never shares wash water with another rug. The tub is filled with cold (under 60°F) reverse-osmosis water.
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06. Silk-safe shampoo (pH 5.5)
A pH-5.5 textile-grade silk soap is hand-applied with the nap. A single craftsman works the rug from end to end — no machine, no agitation against the pile.
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07. Soft clear-water rinse
Rinsed at matched temperature with the same RO water, in the direction of the nap, until every trace of soap is gone. Soap residue dulls silk fastest of all.
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08. Blot extraction (no spin)
The silk is laid flat between absorbent silk-safe pads and pressure-blotted. Spin extraction would shock the protein fiber and cause permanent dulling.
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09. 72-hour sealed flat dry
Seventy-two hours flat in a sealed drying room held at 68°F and 45% humidity. Slow even drying is the only way to avoid silk tidemarks.
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10. Silk fringe finish
The silk fringe is hand-detailed knot-by-knot with a silk-safe brightener. Just enough to refresh, never bleached.
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11. Pile groom & lustre check
The pile is lightly hand-brushed with the nap to re-orient the silk fibers and bring back the signature lustre. A second master inspects under studio light.
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12. Acid-free wrap, certificate, insured delivery
Wrapped in acid-free tissue and breathable paper, returned with a signed certificate of cleaning, delivered insured at full stated value.
Materials we use on silk
Four ingredients. Silk-safe.
pH-5.5 silk soap
Textile-grade, acidic, silk-specific. Generic alkaline shampoo will dull silk in one wash.
Reverse-osmosis water
Held under 60°F. Mineral-free, chlorine-free, kept cold. Warm water releases silk dye.
Lambswool brushes
Soft natural bristle, silk-specific. Worked with the nap, never against. No nylon ever.
Sealed drying room
Held at 68°F and 45% humidity for the full 72 hours. Even slow drying prevents tidemarks.
Why this beats machine cleaning
Machine washing a silk rug is a terminal event.
Silk is fibroin protein. Heat denatures the protein. Alkaline soap denatures the protein. Spin extraction shocks the protein. Each of those is a permanent change to the fiber — the rug goes dull, stiff, and loses the internal light-bending that gives silk its signature sheen.
Hand-washing silk is the opposite discipline: cold water, acidic soap, single-tub, no agitation, no spin, no heat, slow flat dry. It takes ten to fourteen business days door-to-door. There is no faster way that does not damage the rug.
Book your pickup
Twelve careful steps start with one phone call.
Tell us about your silk rug. Insured pickup within 24 hours. Written estimate before any work.