How to Clean an Area Rug in 5 Easy Steps
Give your rugs the red carpet treatment they deserve
- Vacuum cleaner
- Vacuum upholstery attachment
- Cleaning cloth
- Hose
- Pressure washer (optional)
- Rug detergent (optional)
- White vinegar (optional)
- Cold water
- Paper towels (optional)
A great area rug has the unique ability to make a space feel cozy and comforting in a tailored way. Fortunately, determined DIYers will be happy to know it’s definitely possible to complete this project without a professional. Anyone with the right tools and a little know-how can rejuvenate their area rugs all on their own. Use this guide to learn how to clean area rugs and get them pristine in no time.
Some over-the-counter or DIY stain removers can make stains worse. If you are unsure of the material and the stain is over a week old, a professional cleaner will know the correct solution to use.
Prepping to Clean Your Area Rug
Before you get started, there are two important things to take care of. First, the cleaning procedure and tips in this guide require complete access to all parts of your area rug and involve water. You should start by removing all the furniture from your rug so you can move your rug outside when you’re ready.
Second, you need to figure out what type of rug material you have, as this will determine what kind of cleaning solutions and techniques are safe to use without causing damage to the rug. Check the tag on your rug to see if it’s a natural fiber—like wool pile, silk, cotton, or jute—or a synthetic material—like nylon, olefin, or polyester. If you don’t have a tag on your rug and aren’t sure what kind of material it’s made of, consult a professional rug cleaner to avoid damaging it.
"No matter the type of fiber in the rug, if the stain is set and/or has spread, the best form of action is to hire a professional carpet cleaning company to work at the stain to see if it is able to be saved,” says Asya Biddle, Expert Review Board member and manager of The Dust Busters janitorial company in Williamsport, PA. “Professional carpet cleaning companies have chemicals and equipment available to them that most homeowners do not have on hand.
Remove as Much Dust and Debris as You Can
Photo: Mustafa / Adobe StockYou can get started by manually removing dust, dirt, and larger pieces of debris. Taking this step upfront will make the process go more quickly and will waste less water in later steps. Depending on your rug material and the age of the area rug, you might need to do this step gently. Aging fibers are more prone to damage in general, so avoid aggressive cleaning for older rugs. Below, we’ll include general instructions for this first step for different rug materials.
Wool, Cotton, and Synthetic Rugs
Provided your rugs aren’t old, you can use a full-powered vacuum to clean wool rugs, cotton rugs, and synthetic rugs in most cases. Vacuum sideways across the width of the rug or use an upholstery attachment to vacuum in the pile direction. You can also use a specialized rug brush to be sure you’ve removed all stubborn bits of pet fur.
Silk Rugs
Silk rugs are usually quite delicate, and you can damage them pretty easily. Try gently going over the rug with a vacuum with no attachment or one designed for wood floors. This will prevent brushes from scratching at the material and damaging it. You can also try a round dust brush vacuum attachment or a can of compressed air to remove as much dust and debris as possible.
Oriental Rugs, Persian Rugs, or Rugs With Complicated Patterns
Many rugs feature intricate weaving that, while beautiful, is unfortunately great at trapping dirt. Whether you’re cleaning an Oriental rug, a Persian rug, or a complex polyester rug, flipping your rug and vacuuming both sides is the trick to reaching these tight spots.
Choose an Area Rug Cleaner
Next, you need to choose which type of cleaning solution you plan on using. A homemade carpet stain remover and cleaning solution of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water is easy to make and works well on light stains. Plus, diluted vinegar shouldn’t be acidic enough to do damage to most rug materials.
You can also turn to specialized rug detergents for a deeper clean, but you need to make sure you match your cleaner to your rug material. Failing to do so will almost certainly result in damage. Additionally, if you go the store-bought route, be sure that what you're purchasing is for rugs, not carpets. The rug and carpet cleaning processes are quite different, and using the wrong product won’t give you the results you want.
Apply the Cleaner
Photo: Pixel-Shot / Adobe StockNow it’s time to get to work! We recommend bringing your area rug outside for this step to avoid doing damage to the floors underneath your rug. It will also set you up for a deeper clean in the next step. Find a spot outside where your rug won’t get stained or dirty.
Apply your cleaner according to the manufacturer’s directions if you purchased a commercial rug cleaner. If you’re using a homemade vinegar solution, spray it liberally on the spots or stains and let it soak. You can leave it until it dries, or you can blot the spots dry after five to 10 minutes. Avoid rubbing and scrubbing, as you might damage the material.
Repeat this step as needed to remove stubborn stains.
Deep Clean Outdoors
Start the deep clean by soaking your rug with a garden hose. Apply rug shampoo according to the manufacturer’s directions. Finally, rinse the shampoo out completely with your hose, or, for sturdy rugs, consider a light pressure wash. Just make sure you use a low setting like a fan shape to avoid concentrating the pressure in one area.
If your rug has too many spots to clean one by one, or you just want a deep clean for your rug, you can use water in combination with your rug cleaning solution. This is better reserved for newer, sturdier rugs because they don’t suffer from water damage like older, more delicate rugs might. Some rug materials like silk are also too fragile to be deep cleaned by non-professionals, regardless of age.
When in doubt, refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations on the tag to find out what’s best for your particular rug. And if there is no tag, stick with spot treating or reach out to a professional rug cleaner to avoid any damage.
Dry the Rug
Finally, you’ll want to dry your area rug before bringing it back inside in order to avoid damaging the floors underneath. You can hang your rug outside on a sunny day if it’s warm enough, or you can drape it over your shower curtain or shower doors if the rug isn’t too heavy. Let the rug hang until it’s completely dry to the touch on both sides, or for a full 24 hours.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
Cleaning your rugs yourself can be a pretty simple process, but there are a few caveats that can make the process challenging and increase the risk of damage to your rug. If you have a new wool, cotton, or synthetic rug, feel free to give DIY cleaning a go. You likely won’t do damage to the rug if you follow the instructions above, and you could stand to save some money.
If you have an older rug, a rug that’s made of silk, or you don’t know what material the rug is, we recommend hiring a professional rug cleaning service near you. Doing so will allow you to achieve a deep clean without damaging your rug in the process. The cost for carpet cleaning or rug cleaning is about $1.25 to $8 per square foot of cleaning and about $50 to $300 for full projects. Some smaller rugs can cost as little as $10 to have them professionally cleaned, although you might be charged a trip fee if you’re only getting one rug cleaned.
Finally, if you’re dealing with pervasive or excessive stains, like blood stains on your carpet, we suggest hiring a pro. They can use enzymatic carpet cleaners that are safe for your specific rug material to remove the stains, sanitize, and deodorize. For stains like this, your cleaning costs could be higher, in part because it’s nice to tip your rug cleaner for particularly difficult stains like blood and red wine.
Audrey Bruno contributed to this piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking soda is an easy and effective way to deodorize an area rug. For minor odors, sprinkle some baking soda over the rug, brush it in gently with your hand or a microfiber cloth, and let it sit for an hour before vacuuming it out. For persistent odors, mix 1 cup of baking soda with 4 cups of water and spray it evenly over your rug. Let the mixture dry, and then vacuum the rug thoroughly. You can also use a commercial rug deodorizer, but make sure you match the product to your rug material to avoid damage.
Yes, you can use a hose to clean an area rug. Before you do, it’s a good idea to vacuum out dust and dirt and use a rug brush to remove pet hair and other debris. Just be careful not to be too aggressive, or you’ll damage the material. Bring your area rug outside and wet it evenly with your hose. You can even use a pressure washer on a light setting if you have a new, durable rug. Continue soaking until the water runs clean, and then hang your rug to dry.
There are a few reasons your area rug smells after cleaning. First, you might have agitated dirt, dust, and pet dander deep in the rug during cleaning, which might smell for a day or two if you didn’t remove it all. Second, if your rug smells like chemicals, it’s possible you didn’t rinse out all of the rug cleaning solution you used. Finally, if you didn’t hang up your rug to dry completely, it could be holding moisture and allowing mold to grow. In any of these cases, it’s a good idea to defer to a professional for help.
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