There are plenty of ways to keep a carpet clean, but what is the best way to clean a rug after it gets dirty?
Rugs have a beautiful way of bringing a room together. They add color and warmth, and your feet are happy walking barefoot on them. Some rugs can be expensive and delicate to clean.
By learning the best way to clean a rug, you will be able to preserve their beauty and increase their lifespan. Regular maintenance and vacuuming, prompt treating of stains and spillage, and removal of dust and debris are some of the things you should do to take care of your rug.
Many homeowners make the mistake of cleaning and maintaining their rugs the same way they do their carpets. This means you use a store-bought carpet cleaner to vacuum, remove dirt and debris, and treat stains. Rugs are more delicate than carpets.
Carpets are designed to handle a lot of foot traffic and last longer, while rugs are designed to be used less, so they’re more likely to get damaged easily. That’s why it’s important to understand how to clean your rugs so that they can stay clean and fresh.
Do You Need A Rug Cleaner?
You don’t need a rug cleaner for your everyday rug cleaning and maintenance, but you can use a specific rug cleaner or a carpet cleaner for delicate materials to remove stains and dirt.
Alternatively, you can also opt for a homemade method of tackling the stains like water and white vinegar and a bit of detergent. Be careful not to use too much.
Best Way To Clean A Rug: How To Maintain A Clean Rug Every Day
Vacuum regularly
Vacuum your rugs regularly at least once a week to remove dirt and debris. To keep your area rug clean, flip it upside down and vacuum the back at least once a month. This will push the dirt trapped at the back to the top so that when you flip it to the top side, you can easily vacuum the dirt.
For wool rugs, use suction. For synthetic rugs, vacuum the front and back with the rotating brush.
Fringes and tassels are made of delicate material that can easily get damaged by the vacuum. Instead of vacuuming, fluff them by hand to remove any dirt.
Regularly rotate the rug
When you rotate your rug regularly, you help prevent foot patterns from forming and even out wear and tear. If you have furniture resting on the rug, move it regularly to reduce impressions and uneven fading of your rug.
You can even turn the rug after a few months to even out the wear and tear.
Use a solution of white vinegar and water
Using white vinegar and water at a ratio of 1:3 will help to restore the color and shine to your rug.
Use a sponge to slowly dampen the rug with the solution, then allow it to air dry. Don’t expose it to the sun as this can bleach the colors.
Use Borax to remove any insect infestation
Although shampooing and steam cleaning are very effective ways of cleaning your carpets and rugs, they are not effective in controlling insects inhabiting your rugs. Borax is very effective in destroying the eggs and larvae of insects.
Just sprinkle it on your rug for about 20 minutes, then vacuum. Keep your pets away from the rug while doing this because Borax has toxic chemicals that can irritate them.
Treat spots and stains as soon as possible
Before using any rug cleaners or shampoos, check the labels and test it out on a small area before using it on the whole rug. Before removing any stains or spots, use a damp white cotton cloth to check if the colors will run.
After cleaning, rinse out the cleaner as soap residue will attract dirt.
Blot spillage and scrap debris
Using a dry white cotton cloth, press hard from the outside towards the middle to blot out any spillage. Repeat this a few more times, turning over the cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible. To blot out spots, move in straight lines, blot by blot. Lift the cloth and move it, but don’t rub in circles. This would cause damage to the fibers and construction of your rug.
Treat your rug depending on the spill
- General stains and mud can be easily treated by blot drying and vacuuming, but serious and complicated stains need a chemical solution to remove the stains.
- If your rug gets soaked, first vacuum it to remove excess water, dry it, and then take it to the cleaners to access the water damage.
- For stains that require ammonia treatment, take your rugs to a professional. Don’t use harsh soap or ammonia on wool rugs. It will cause fibers to shrink and degrade with every wash.
- If the spill is from a perishable item, don’t use hot water. Make a solution of one part water, one part mild detergent, and three parts vinegar. Blot out the spill with a sponge. For rugs that aren’t made of wool, add some ammonia to clean and disinfect.
- To remove stains and neutralize urine odor, make a mixture of white vinegar, water, and a bit of detergent and use a cloth or sponge to blot out the stain. If the rug is discolored, repeat this process to remove any stains.
Let your rug dry
After cleaning a specific area, expose that part of the rug to as much air as possible to help the moisture to evaporate. Don’t expose your rug to the sun as it can bleach and degrade the fibers and ruin the colors on your rug. Also, don’t let your rug to dry on the floor. Make sure your rug is completely dry before returning it in your house.
Protect your rug from pets
If you’re a pet lover, choose a rug that is suitable for dogs and cats. It would be a good idea to get rugs in dark colors to hide any chew marks and scratches.
Best Way To Clean A Rug: Conclusion
Learning how to clean a rug isn’t a complicated thing. But it does require that you understand the kind of rug you have and what cleaning solution to use for a particular stain. Regular vacuuming and rotating the rug is also important to keep your rug clean and even out the wear and tear.
Remember, be careful how you clean your delicate rugs and wool rugs to avoid damaging their fibers.