Washing silk rugs?

[Steve Pendleton]

I found a small, handmade Chinese silk-on-silk mat in a thrift shop. It's decorative piece in good condition. Chrome dyes, ?1990s?. I've washed many handmade wool rugs. Can I safely wash a silk piece? Technique has been "dust with vibration; long soak in cool water plus Orvis; rinse ten times; de-water with a shop vac; drip dry on a rack with fan for air circulation." Paid $4 for it, doubt that it's valuable or collectable. I normally wash new finds, however, and this is first encounter with all-silk. Other than being especially gentle, what do I do differently?

Steve Pendleton