Using area rugs throughout your house help to make your home feel warm and inviting. Area rugs help absorb noise and add pops of color to complement your decor. How do you keep rugs clean and smelling fresh? It can be a challenge.
While regular vacuuming is important, you'll want to deep clean your rugs periodically, especially if you own pets. Here's a cheap and effective rug-cleaning method I use.
This cleaning method works well for me with both wool rugs and polypropylene rugs.
In my experience, good-quality wool rugs can also be cleaned using this method. Just be sure to test for colorfastness before you begin. I have wool rugs in my family room, dining room, and living room. These are heavily used rooms so it has been helpful to clean those rugs using this method, too.
Thoroughly vacuum your rugs and pre-treat any spots. Check the front and the back of the rug for spots and stains. This is especially important if you have a pet. Try this really good spot treatment.
Rinse the rug with spray from your garden hose, soaking the rug completely. As an aside, I use this Fireman's spray nozzle on my hose and it is the best! This is an important tool, so you may want to invest in this nozzle. You'll want to rinse and rinse again.
Scrub the rug with a mixture of water and Oxy Clean for your polypropylene rugs. Follow the directions on the Oxy Clean box to make your cleaning solution. Use Woolite for your wool rugs.
Scrub with a sturdy brush and your bare feet. I like to start with the brush and finish with my feet. Make sure you have distributed the soapy water well and worked the soap into the fibers of the rug.
Rinse each rug well, spraying a strong stream of water from your hose.
Roll the rug and stand it on its end to drain. This will remove a lot of the water from the rug. You may need help in rolling larger rugs.
Roll the rugs out flat and rinse each rug again using the hose.
Roll the rugs again and stand them on their ends to drain. Get help again for larger rugs. Leave the rug to drain for a couple of hours.
Open the rug and spread it over a railing or lay it flat to dry. You'll want to lay the rug flat for most of the drying time so it doesn't get any annoying lumps in it. I like to lay mine over my deck railing for a day and then lay them flat to finish drying.
Check your rug periodically to monitor the drying process. Sometimes I flip the rug over to help the back to dry.
Admire your work. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours your rug should be dry enough to bring back inside.
How to Clean Your Area Rugs
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| Cheap and Effective Rug Cleaning |
This cleaning method works well for me with both wool rugs and polypropylene rugs.
I've cleaned polypropylene rugs like I have in my front entry hall and large, 8 x 10-foot wool rugs like I have throughout the rooms in my house.
Polypropylene rugs are workhorses and take a beating. That's why polypropylene is a good choice for the entry location. Good quality wool rugs are also workhorses and my preferred choice for my home. Good quality wool rugs can be pricey, making them an investment decision for many.
In my experience, good-quality wool rugs can also be cleaned using this method. Just be sure to test for colorfastness before you begin. I have wool rugs in my family room, dining room, and living room. These are heavily used rooms so it has been helpful to clean those rugs using this method, too.
The Keys to Rug Cleaning Success
Don't attempt to clean rugs with a canvas or cotton backing. Check the backing on your rug. In my experience, the cotton backing shrinks and the rug will never lay flat again. I won't buy a rug with a backing for this reason.
Clean your rugs outdoors. You need enough space to lay your rug flat. When cleaning outdoors, first make sure you have a space that is large enough to accommodate your wet rugs for two to three days. It will take that much time for the rugs to dry.
Clean your rugs outdoors. You need enough space to lay your rug flat. When cleaning outdoors, first make sure you have a space that is large enough to accommodate your wet rugs for two to three days. It will take that much time for the rugs to dry.
Check the weather forecast. This method is weather dependent. You will need a three-day span of dry, sunny weather for large rugs. You'll also want to be sure no rain is expected until the rugs are dry.
Recruit help. If you are cleaning a large rug it will be difficult to move them once they are wet. So, you'll want to recruit some help for moving the wet rugs.
Don't rush the process. It will take a couple of hours to get the rugs cleaned and a couple of days for them to dry. The hardest part is moving the wet rugs around. They do get heavy. You'll definitely want help with a rug that is 8x10 feet large or more.
A sturdy stiff-bristled brush
A hose with a spray nozzle
Oxy Clean Powder
Don't rush the process. It will take a couple of hours to get the rugs cleaned and a couple of days for them to dry. The hardest part is moving the wet rugs around. They do get heavy. You'll definitely want help with a rug that is 8x10 feet large or more.
Rug Cleaning Tools You Will Need
A bucketA sturdy stiff-bristled brush
A hose with a spray nozzle
Oxy Clean Powder
Woolite
The Steps to Clean Your Rugs
The steps for cleaning your rugs are the same for polypropylene and wool rugs. The only difference is using Woolite versus Oxy Clean as the cleaning solution.Thoroughly vacuum your rugs and pre-treat any spots. Check the front and the back of the rug for spots and stains. This is especially important if you have a pet. Try this really good spot treatment.
Rinse the rug with spray from your garden hose, soaking the rug completely. As an aside, I use this Fireman's spray nozzle on my hose and it is the best! This is an important tool, so you may want to invest in this nozzle. You'll want to rinse and rinse again.
 |
| Rinse with the Garden Hose |
Scrub the rug with a mixture of water and Oxy Clean for your polypropylene rugs. Follow the directions on the Oxy Clean box to make your cleaning solution. Use Woolite for your wool rugs.
Scrub with a sturdy brush and your bare feet. I like to start with the brush and finish with my feet. Make sure you have distributed the soapy water well and worked the soap into the fibers of the rug.
 |
| Rug Cleaning Tools |
Rinse each rug well, spraying a strong stream of water from your hose.
Roll the rug and stand it on its end to drain. This will remove a lot of the water from the rug. You may need help in rolling larger rugs.
 |
| Roll and Drain the Rugs |
Roll the rugs out flat and rinse each rug again using the hose.
Roll the rugs again and stand them on their ends to drain. Get help again for larger rugs. Leave the rug to drain for a couple of hours.
Open the rug and spread it over a railing or lay it flat to dry. You'll want to lay the rug flat for most of the drying time so it doesn't get any annoying lumps in it. I like to lay mine over my deck railing for a day and then lay them flat to finish drying.
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| Drying the Cleaned Rugs |
Check your rug periodically to monitor the drying process. Sometimes I flip the rug over to help the back to dry.
Admire your work. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours your rug should be dry enough to bring back inside.
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| The Cleaned Rugs in My Entry |
Small rugs can be washed using a similar method in your bathtub or kitchen sink, depending on the size. Some rugs can even be washed in your washing machine.
However you choose to clean your rugs, you'll find the effort worth your time. Cleaning your rugs using any of these methods takes some effort but you'll know they are clean and fresh.
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