WEBVTT

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Many rugs marketed today as silk
are, in fact, artificial silk

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rugs made of viscose fibers.

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Rugs made of viscose,
or technically viscose

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rayon, present several
unique problems for those

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who own and clean them.

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If you own a viscose rug,
it's important to understand

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the advantages and the
drawbacks of this type of fiber.

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Viscose is made of wood
pulp and cotton byproducts.

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Viscose is also called faux
silk, art silk, made-made silk,

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fake silk, rayon, banana
silk, bamboo silk, lyocell,

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and ramie.

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Today, designer rugs labeled
as man-made silks are often

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viscose artificial silk.

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These are sometimes
sold at prices

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that make consumers believe
they have bought the real thing,

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and sometimes viscose is used
as a filler or silk substitute

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to make lesser-quality rugs
that are often still labeled

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as real silk.

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The advantage of
viscose is that it

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can be made into fibers
that are incredibly soft.

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No other fiber feels like
viscose, and for this reason

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it is popular with
many designers and rug

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manufacturers.

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However, this
softness is achieved

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through chemical processing
that makes the fibers very weak.

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Despite its great look, it is
one of the most fragile fibers

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on the market today.

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It's important to know about
four major drawbacks that

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make viscose a bad
choice for everyday use.

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First, viscose rugs can shed.

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Since viscose fibers
are so weak, normal,

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everyday traffic
can break the fibers

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and leave the rug
looking as though it's

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been clawed by a cat.

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These fiber pulls can
be trimmed or shaved

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by an experience
rug-care professional,

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but the problem
will likely reoccur.

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If these rugs are vacuumed with
a strong vacuum or a vacuum

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cleaner with a beater bar, it
will make the problem worse.

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Second, viscose fibers
don't hold dye well.

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Dyed viscose fibers tend to
bleed if you get them wet,

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and this can be from improper
cleaning or from spills.

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And because of
this, it's important

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that viscose rugs are thoroughly
tested prior to washing.

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This testing will identify
when a viscose rug

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may need to be surface cleaned
instead of immersion washed.

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It's important that you use
an experience rug cleaner

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if you own a viscose rug.

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Cleaning this type of rug is
considered an advanced cleaning

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procedure, and it's
important that you only

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use an experienced
rug cleaner to deal

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with this type of fiber.

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Third, viscose rugs become
yellow with moisture.

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And again, this can happen
from spills or from cleaning.

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It's important that your rug
cleaner use proper chemistry

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and get the rug dry as quickly
as possible to minimize this.

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It's common for viscose
rugs to yellow over time,

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and for viscose rugs
in high-humidity areas,

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this yellowing
happens even faster.

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Finally, viscose rugs can
become matted and stiff

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after they've gotten wet.

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This can be from an
improper cleaning process

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or from spills in the home.

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An experienced rug
cleaner will use

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special brushes and
hand-grooming techniques

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to soften and raise
the nap after cleaning.

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There are two common
scenarios where

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you're likely to find
viscose used in rugs.

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No other fiber is
as soft as viscose,

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so sometimes in spite
of the disadvantages

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of this type of fiber it
is very deliberately chosen

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to achieve a certain
look or effect.

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Another common use of viscose
is as a filler or substitute

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for real silk.

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Viscose is often
blended with silk, and

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many times these drugs are still
sold and often priced

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as though they're real silk.

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This can lead to disappointment
if rug owners find out

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their silk rugs
aren't the real thing.

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The takeaway from all of
this is that viscose rugs are

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manufactured to
achieve a certain look,

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but viscose is a tricky
fiber to own and to clean.

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These are not rugs that will
stand up to regular daily use,

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so a family room is not the
place for a viscose rug.

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Cleaning viscose should only be
attempted by an experienced rug

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cleaner that is familiar
with the unique challenges

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of viscose.

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And even with an
experience cleaner,

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no viscose rug will ever look as
good as it did when it was new.

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If you have any questions about
viscose rugs or any other rugs,

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give us a call and
we'll be happy to help.

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And please let us know
if you like this video.