Rug Cleaning 101: 7 Tips for Having a Squeaky Clean Rug All the Time

4 Signs You Need to Contact a Professional Rug Cleaning Service

Do you take pride in making your home look great? If so, you’re not alone.

After all, there’s a good reason the home improvement industry continues to flourish. Homeowners love to spend time and money making their interiors as beautiful as possible.

One of the best ways to add the perfect splash of style and color is with the use of area rugs. But what can you do to keep your rugs clean? Great question! Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place for help.

The article takes a look at important tips for rug cleaning. Keep reading to discover insight into how to keep your rugs looking like the day you bought them.

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1. Gather the Right Supplies

Before you get started, you’ll need to gather the proper cleaning tools and supplies. This includes rug shampoo or mild dish soap, a bucket with water, and a sponge or soft-bristle brush.

You’ll also need to use rubber gloves, a garden hose, and a wet-dry vacuum for cleaning up afterward.

Keep in mind that using the proper supplies will help make the task much easier, and will ensure that you are happy with the results. You don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive shampoos or a fancy scrub brush, but investing in quality supplies will end up making a big difference.

2. Clear the Area of any Dirt or Debris

Next, you need to take the time to clear the rug of any dirt or debris. It’s a good idea to take the rug outside to a grassy area and give it a good shake. This will remove the major pieces of dirt without making a mess inside the house.

Once you’ve shaken it off outside, take the rug back indoors and use your wet-dry vacuum to suck up any remaining dirt or debris that might be ground into the fibers of the fabric.

During this process, it’s important to be as thorough as possible. Removing dirt and debris prior to scrubbing with soap and water will help clean the fibers and increase the life of the rug.

Do you have pets in the house? If so, be sure to use the brush attachment on your vacuum to ensure that you’re able to remove any lingering stray hairs. This will reduce pet odors and help keep your rug looking as good as new.

3. Mix the Cleaner and Do a Color Test

Now you’re ready to mix the rug cleaner. To do this, you’ll need a bucket of warm water.

Take a look at the shampoo bottle and follow the directions carefully. Keep in mind that every type of product will have specific instructions listed by the manufacturer. Once you’ve read and understood the instructions, go ahead and add the proper amount of rug shampoo to the warm water and mix thoroughly.

If you don’t have any rug shampoo, you could also use mild dish soap instead. The process is the same as with shampoo. Simply add a small about of the dish detergent with the warm water and stir as needed.

It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use hot water to clean a floor rug. Why is this? Well, hot water could actually cause the rug to shrink or lead to colors that fade.

Speaking of colors, you should take a moment to test the colors on your rug. After all, the cleaning solution you’ve chosen could potentially cause the colors to run. Thus you need to test on a small area of the rug to make sure it’s colorfast so that you don’t wind up ruining the whole thing. Once you’re sure everything looks fine, you can then move on to the next step.

4. Wash the Rug

Now, you should be ready to wash the rug.

Start with your sponge of scrub brush. Dip it into the bucket of warm water, then begin working the cleaning solution into a lather on the surface of the rug.

It’s important to scrub gently. Being overly aggressive could damage the fibers or cause the colors to fade.

When you’ve scrubbed the entire surface of the rug, be sure to let the cleaner sit for a five or ten minutes before rinsing. This is because rinsing too quickly might reduce the effectiveness of the cleaning process. The cleanser will need a full five to ten minutes to effectively lift aware all ingrained dirt deep in the rug fibers.

You could also hire a professional rug cleaning service.

5. Rinse the Rug

Once you’re satisfied with the scrub job, it’s time to rinse the soap from the rug. For best results, and to prevent a big mess inside the house, take the rug out to the deck or backyard.

The best method for rinsing is to wet it down using a garden hose. You could also use a bucket filled with clean water, but the bucket will likely need to be refilled several times in order to ensure a thorough rinse.

When rinsing, be sure that all cleaning solution is removed from the rug. The key is to rinse until the runoff water is visibly crystal clear. Keep in mind that the rinse process could take several minutes.

6. Remove Excess Water and Allow the Rug to Dry

When you’ve completed the rinse, remove as much excess water as possible. One method of doing this is to ring it out, or roll it up and squeeze it. The more water you can remove the better. This will help the rug dry faster.

You could also use the wet-dry vacuum or a squeegee to help speed up the process.

Now, hang the rug or a porch railing where the sun can reach it and let it dry for a few hours.

7. Vacuum the Rub

Once the rug is completely dry, the final step in the area rug cleaning process is to again use the wet-dry vacuum. The purpose of this is to remove any remaining soap residue that might not have rinsed away.