Area rugs are incredible, as they help to warm up floors, provide an outstanding pattern into a space, inject color, and create wonderful zones in your living quarters. However, area rugs are prone to debris and stains, making it important for you to understand how to clean them. This article provides in-depth information on how to clean the different types of area rugs.
Basic Maintenance Practices for Area Rugs
Area rugs can be quite expensive. Therefore, it is a good idea to go through the instruction tag prior to doing any intense cleaning. If there are any listed cleaning recommendations, be sure to stick to them. To clean your area rug, you will need tools like a bucket, rug shampoo, water, and a soft brush. You might also need a garden hose, rubber gloves, and a wet-dry vacuum.
Follow These Steps to Clean Area Rugs Yourself
Set Up a Work Station
The first thing you need to do is create a serene working environment. The best place to clean your rugs is outdoors. Therefore, you need to pick a day when it is sunny and clear to set up your station. When doing this, you need to pick a hard surface, probably one that is cemented. The main reason behind this is that you do not want cleaners soaking into grass or soil. When setting up a working area, you need to take into consideration where the rugs are going to dry up quickly.
Vacuum Your Area Rugs
After setting up your outdoor station, it is now time to get to work. Start with vacuuming both sides of your rugs. You can do this indoors or outdoors, as the main goal is to eliminate any lingering dust.
Test the Cleaners
It is always a good idea to test out the cleaning agents before using them on the rug. This is important, as different cleaners have distinct effects on rugs. Consider applying the detergent or shampoo you are using to a small part of the rug, mix in some water, and allow it to settle for some minutes. Go and rinse that spot. When done, check to see any fiber or color damage. If the cleaning product hurts your rug, consider changing it, but if everything is good, proceed to the next step.
Wash the Rug
Now that you have a safe cleaning product to use, it is time to wash your rug. For this step, get your rug wet with water, and then apply the shampoo. With a soft brush, start working the shampoo deep into the rug. Remember that this step will require a lot of scrubbing to remove any tough stains.
Rinse the Rug
When done with applying the cleaning product and scrubbing off the stains, it is time to rinse the rug. Get a garden hose and rinse all the shampoo. If you do not have a hose, consider using several buckets of water to rinse until there is no shampoo left.
Dry it Up
After going through the aforementioned steps, your rug will be very wet. You will need to wait for it to dry prior to getting it back into the house. Depending on the weather, this process could take a whole day or even two. Due to this factor, the process requires a lot of patience.
Vacuum Again
After your area rug is dry, you will realize that it might be a bit flattened and odd-looking. Therefore, it is a good idea to vacuum it one last time to restore its normal appearance.
If you follow these steps correctly, you should have a clean area rug, which you could take back to the house at the end of the day. However, it is good to note that some rugs such as braided area rugs, handmade rugs, and fur rugs need special care. If you have such rugs, it might be hard for you to clean without damaging them. Therefore, you need to follow the cleaning instructions that come with them.
For many people, area rugs are a great investment in home décor. They offer soft places for watching movies, gaming, and slumber partying. However, if these rugs are to last long, they have to be maintained. A major part of this maintenance is frequent cleaning. You can do the cleaning yourself, that is if you are willing to put in the time and energy. Nevertheless, if you are busy and do not know how to go about the cleaning, you could consider hiring a professional cleaner.