Okay people, this one might be a little controversial, but who cares…right? The point here is to provide good information that people can ACTUALLY use! False or inaccurate information does nothing but misrepresent the topic of discussion and lead readers in the wrong direction because of the falsehoods written…not good…right? The topic of discussion here is about “Viscose Fibers” and are they good or bad? In short, is viscose a good choice for your home? Does viscose take foot traffic well? Is viscose easy to clean…you get the point! Let’s talk about it.

First, what is viscose? According to the internet, viscose is produced by pulping wood and extracting the cellulose. Once extracted, the cellulose is dissolved in a solvent and then extruded into long strands of viscose fiber. Then again, if you read other posts on the internet, some say that viscose is manufactured from bamboo. Furthermore, to be honest, most companies that use viscose in their products don’t even call it viscose! Most label their products with different names such as “Man Made Silk” or Art Silk” or some other name that make no sense at all! Why don’t they just call it viscose? Is viscose even the real name of this stuff? Who knows and who cares, let’s just call it “Never Buy This Junk” because it wears horribly and is “Super Difficult” to maintain! Just an FYI, I am a carpet & rug cleaning technician that has been in the industry for longer than I can remember. My point, the person writing this post is not someone that sits behind a desk on a daily basis. I have personally cleaned hundreds of rugs (made of different textiles – both synthetic and natural) for many clients. One thing I can tell you is NEVER BUY VISCOSE…EVER! This stuff is virtually impossible to clean without an adverse reaction of some kind. Such as wrinkling, buckling, color distortion and discoloration from even the mildest solutions such as PLAIN WATER…not cool! Yes, you heard it correctly, even water can distort and cause browning and issues on viscose. Honestly, viscose rugs are a complete waste of time and money! The problem is most retail stores have no clue what they are selling or what viscose even is…they have NO CLUE! Some even misrepresent viscose a being real silk and the customer typically knows no better and believes it! Viscose is NOT SILK…it’s complete GARBAGE!

At this point, your probably thinking “This Guy really hates viscose” right? The answer is YES and here’s why. First, as mentioned above, viscose is SUPER DIFFICULT to clean. If you find someone who will clean viscose, then expect an adverse reaction of some kind…especially if your rug has pet urine, vomit or feces stains from your pet. Please DO NOT expect this type of stain to be removed as it certainly WILL NOT come out! You are fortunate to get a 40-50% reduction from the stain, but that’s about it…maybe! Next, viscose is a super fragile fiber and wears terribly! Many clients have purchased viscose rugs from $500.00 up to $5000.00 dollars and within a month the rug is TOAST! Not kidding here, seriously, many of my clients have learned the hard way and ruined a $5000.00 viscose rug within the first month…it’s that stupid! The second reason, customer tried tried to pre-treat a stain and completely ruined the rug from using a detergent or solvent base. Third, is agitation from rubbing / scrubbing the stained area…a big NO NO! At this point, the rug is done, toast, throw it in the trash…money down the tubes! Not being dramatic here, I have pulled viscose rugs out of homes and seen my customer trash them from too many problems!

Here’s the deal, viscose rugs are simply not practical for active homes with kids and pets. The problem is, especially with designers (no disrespect) is that viscose has become the “cool thing to do” and sales have increased from everyone trying to “out viscose their neighbor” it’s that pathetic! The bottom line, if your home is a “Museum Piece” or a “Work of Art” with no kids or pets, then a viscose rug might be for you! Yes, I  have much more knowledge and information on viscose. The bottom line, there is NO POINT in discussing it any further. Take my advice and read the label if your going to purchase a new rug. If the label mentions any of the names listed above…DON’T BUY IT!