How kilims are cleaned, and why they bleed and warp

What is different about a flatweave

A kilim has no pile; the design is the weft threads themselves. So the soil sits in the weave rather than a foundation and the rug looks dirty sooner; water and solution pass straight through, so a dye that runs on the front runs to the back and sideways into the next color at the same time; and the weave is held square only by the tension it was woven with, so a kilim dried carelessly comes back rhomboid.

Why hosing it off goes wrong

Warm water, alkaline soap, both faces wet at once, slow drying on a deck: the four conditions for a red motif to bleed a pink halo into the ivory ground and for the corners to pull out of square. We see it every summer from beach houses with dhurries.

What the plant does

1. Dye test on both faces, in several places, because a color can be stable on one face and fugitive on the other.
2. Gentle dusting, both faces up in turn.
3. Cold wash with a stabilizer, both faces, brushed softly along the weft; short contact time for dhurries and overdyed modern pieces.
4. Rinse until clear on both faces.
5. Blocked flat dry: the rug is laid flat, pulled gently square, and pinned or weighted along the edges so it dries to its true shape.

Special cases

Soumaks have loose floating threads on the back and are washed and dried face‑up on a mesh. Navajo weavings are hand‑washed cold with minimal contact and dried pinned on a frame with the selvedge cords straight. Aubussons and needlepoints are treated the same way as fine flatweaves.

At home

Suction only, never a beater bar (it tears the slits); a thin rubber pad, because flatweaves slide more than any other rug; and blot spills dry. A kilim in a family room needs a full wash every one to two years.