Area rugs are a great way to tie a room together, but they’re not going to do your décor any favors when they start looking grungy.Use these tips to learn how to clean your area rugs so they look nice and last longer. of clear dish soap for every gallon of water. Using the brush from the cleaning kit or a stiff-bristled brush, gently clean the rugâs fibers. If possible, take your rug outdoors and shake any loose debris from it. Then, return your rug to the room and enjoy! Rinse with clear water. Vacuuming an Area Rug Step #1: Start at the Top. Run a vacuum or a clean soft-bristled brush over your area rug to loosen up the fibers of the rug, as they may have compacted during the washing/drying process. While rug owners typically donât look at (or walk on) the underside... 3. This site uses cookies. For thorough cleaning, you may need to roll the rug and take it to the laundry area for cleaning. Vacuum your rug before taking it outdoors and shaking it out. Q: I need tips on how to clean my area rug from within my NYC apartment. How to Clean Braided Rope Rugs. Vacuum up any remaining cleaning powder. Rinse the rug clean with your hose until the water runs clear and is no longer soapy. Now blot the rug with several dry microfiber towels or regular bath towels. Rug Doctor can provide a professional area rug cleaning at a fraction of the cost of hiring a carpet cleaning service. Whether youâre using natural cleaners or store-bought formulas, testing for ⦠5. Mix a capful of gentle laundry detergent — the same you’d use when. If youâre rug is like mine, it will be a little wrinkly on the edges for the first couple days after you deep clean ⦠A much, much, much cleaner and fresher smelling rug! Jennifer Noonan, Bob Vila, 7 Secrets to Keep Your Carpet Looking New, 11 Indoor Gardening Projects Absolutely Anyone Can Do, The 9 Rules for Rugs That Everyone Should Know, 10 Rugs Under $100 That Work Indoors and Out. If possible, rotate the rug frequently so that it dries evenly. Protect the floor beneath it with a plastic drop cloth and towel. Do a Color Test. To clean stains or discolorations on a room-size natural-fiber rug, leave it in place. Check the settings on your vacuum cleaner. STEP 2. Hold the can upside down (it sprays from the top out of those green bristles. Do not use hot water, as it may shrink fibers or fade color. Using a sponge or brush, scrub the ⦠While I vacuum regularly, and blot clean any spills, my entire rug has become quite dingy over the past year; itâs especially noticeable on the lighter parts. Use a detergent thatâs safe for use on wool. Rinse out your bucket and refill it with plain cold water. Flip the area rug over and vacuum its underside. Using the brush from the cleaning kit or a stiff-bristled brush, gently clean the rug’s fibers. Blot clean rug Dip a sponge in the water, squeeze out excess moisture, and blot the cleaner onto the rug, working in sections until you've covered the entire surface. Summer is an excellent time to clean your rug because youâll need to ⦠Rugs in high-traffic areas will need more cleaning. The can tends to get slippery as you go. Disclosure: BobVila.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Sprinkle dry rug shampoo onto the surface, let it sit for the recommended time and vacuum it up. For a good deep clean ⦠You agree that BobVila.com may process your data in the manner described by our Privacy Policy. Let the rug dry completely before bringing it indoors. Sprinkle the dry-cleaning powder from your kit onto the rug. Many have a reduced speed of airflow setting for use on area rugs. Sure, you can send out a rug to be cleaned off-site by professionals—but it ain’t cheap. Apply the foam that rises to the top of the solution on the stained area with a clean cloth. Alternatively, you can hang it over a clothesline or railing and whack the dust out with a rug beater. For spills of perishable items, do not use hot water. DO: Make your vacuum do double duty. Allow the solution to sit on the rug and work for several minutes before rinsing. By Jennifer Noonan and Bob Vila. If possible, take the rug outside and shake it. Area rugs, especially ones with a thick pile, are experts at grabbing dust, dirt and other household debris. Set Up an Outdoor Station. For many of us, area rugs are a significant investment in decor. Rug Cleaning. Don’t scrub vigorously. Let sit for ten minutes and then rinse the rug again. First, take smaller rugs outdoors and shake them off as much as you can. bucket and scrub brush. Once dry, bring the rug back inside, vacuum up any dried baking soda left on the surface and voila! Once the top side is dry, flip it over so the bottom can dry as well. With regular maintenance and cleaning, your rugs will serve your family and home for many years, playing host to scores of game tourneys, TV marathons, and fireside snuggles. If a little cloud of dust floats up, a cleaning is in order. Press the squeegee’s rubber-edged blade firmly into the rug and pull to get out as much liquid as you can, being careful to work only in the direction of the rug’s nap. If removing the dust and neutralizing odors doesnât get the rug clean, you can try other things. Read on for a full tutorial on how to clean an area rug the DIY way. If you’re willing to put in a weekend of work, however, it’s eminently possible to do a good job of cleaning a rug on your own at home. Hand Clean the Carpet with Vinegar. Area rugs are often the focal point in a room and designate the sitting or standing area. Apply dishwashing liquid directly to the surface of the rug. Spray a bit of foam and scrub it in with the built-in brush or your other scrub brush if thatâs easier. Shake a decent amount of baking soda over the surface of the area rug, making sure to spread it evenly. Living in a small NYC apartment, it gets quite a bit of traffic. Braided rope rugs are durable and long lasting, making them an ideal choice for high-traffic or high-dirt areas. This can prolong your rug’s life and can keep it from getting stuck in the vacuum. If you have a mat under your rug, make sure you don’t suck it up in the vacuum as you work. Grab your vacuum and set it to a carpet setting (if applicable). Use a bristled brush to gently work the soap into your area rug, following the nap of the material. Let the solution remain on ⦠For harder to remove stains, professional rug cleaning ⦠! Vacuum the carpet to suck up all of the odor-absorbed powder. Blot it dry with a clean cloth, and let it air-dry. Recommended Read: Best Area Rugs For The Kitchen. This process could take a day or two. mild dishwashing detergent (use a clear or white one if you are concerned about the soap tinting the ⦠If the rugs are large, you may ⦠Sprinkle baking soda on your rug before vacuuming. For regular cleaning, vacuum the top and bottom of the rug, as well as the floor under the rug. Using a sponge or brush, scrub the shampoo or detergent deep into the rug until you’re seeing suds. If possible, take your rug outdoors and shake any loose debris from it. The moisture from a steam cleaner damages wood flooring surfaces, however, so if you plan to steam clean your area rugs over hardwood floors, you must do some surface preparation first. Then blot the stain, and rinse with warm water. Or, you can add a couple of capfuls of mild liquid dish soap to a bucket of warm water. water. Use a clean towel or a squeegee (yes, the kind you use in your shower) to absorb the excess water in the rug, then let the rug air dry outside in the garden or on a drying rack inside. They warm up and add color to our rooms. Now, test your cleaner (store-bought or homemade) on an inconspicuous part of the rug, such as a small part on the very corner, to make sure that it doesn’t make the colors run. You can set up box fans to help expedite the drying process, or, if the rug is smaller, you can hang it over a clothesline. For lighter stains or spills on synthetic yarns, sponge clean the area with cold water and mild detergent. Fortunately, while you want to vacuum carpet twice weekly, you only need to deep-clean an area rug when it’s dirty. Use a soft cloth to apply cleaner to the stain and blot gently. Roll up each side of your rug to clean under the edges. Let the baking soda remain on the carpet for several hoursâovernight is bestâand then vacuum it away. Weekly vacuumings are your best bet to keep them clean and dirt free while causing the rugs ⦠They provide soft places for game playing, movie watching, and slumber partying. Get a big bowl or bucket and put about 1 Tbs. By navigating the site, you consent to our use of cookies. Vacuum around the edges of the rug’s surface to remove any dust or dirt that may have been dislodged as you rolled it. Step 1 Pick the area rugs up off the floor. Don’t scrub heavily or you’ll tear the material. RELATED: 7 Secrets to Keep Your Carpet Looking New. If there are any extra tough stains leftover after the cleaning process, now is the time ⦠The easiest, fastest, cheapest, and most fun way to clean an area rug is to go to a car wash! How often you should clean your area rug depends on where it is. (FYI, you can expect to pay about $3 to $5 per square foot for professional cleaning, depending on the rugâs condition.) But when it is starting to look grungy and downright dirty, youâre probably thinking how youâre going to bring back the natural beauty of your area rug. A good rule of thumb, though, is to leave the deep cleaning until the rug is visibly dirty. Thoroughly rinse the rug with a garden hose, making sure the water is clear of soap suds before you finish. Mix the cleaner: For a heavily soiled rug, a gentle scrub is needed. Spray the rug with your water hose until it’s entirely wet. Perform this routine once a month, or as needed, to keep your carpets ⦠This tool, often used in cleaning windows, will do just the trick to squeeze excess water out of the rug. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Hang the rug over a clothesline or set it on a sloped driveway. Work the cleaner into the rug and let it sit for several minutes. NOTE: Always test rug cleaners on a small corner patch to see if any damage occurs. Take your rug to a professional cleaner to minimize cleaning-associated damage. Vacuuming Your Rug Clean 1. Our commitment to clean, safe and healthy environments, A two-speed vacuum with an upholstery attachment. If the rug is not wool, add a ⦠For details and controls, see our updated Privacy Policy. Cleaning the Rug. Moisten a fresh microfiber cloth and blot this over the rug. Vacuum any dirt or debris that has gotten caught beneath the sides of the rug. Let the rug sit for one hour while the soda absorbs odors. This will help. Vacuum the rug before cleaning it to remove excess soil. Test for Colorfastness. But in order for rugs to last for years, they need to be maintained. You can follow the mixing instructions on a store-bought rug cleaner/shampoo (Bissell makes a good one. How To Clean A Large Area Rug â Having an area rug at home can help bring all of your furniture together and even create a space for you and your kids to lounge on. How you tackle this depends on if you want to spot clean the rug or to clean the entire thing. Add 1 or 2 cupful of the mild detergent or shampoo into a bucket of warm water Use a soft brush to scrub the cleaner solution into the rug and allow the lather to sit for few minutes Don’t neglect the back, which inevitably accumulates crumbs, dust, and dirt. Next, take the rug back inside and vacuum the front and back, doing at least three passes on each side to catch any remaining particles that werenât removed by the beating. If it doesn’t, proceed to the next step. Before you start scrubbing, make sure the cleaner doesnât cause the colors to ⦠Sprinkle the dry-cleaning powder from your kit onto the rug. If the rug isn’t visibly dingy (or noticeably foul-smelling), try this test: Simply pick up a corner of the rug and let it flop down onto the floor. Spot Clean. Donât rub because you can cause the carpet fibers to mat. Fill one of the buckets with cool water and add one to two tablespoons of the detergent. broom and/or vacuum. Turn on your vacuum cleaner and push it back and forth across the top surface of your... 2. How to Clean an Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug Sweep off any debris that you can and then vacuum the remaining dirt off of the entire indoor/outdoor area rug. And a big part of that maintenance is regular cleaning. Blot with a sponge, and treat with three parts acid, one part mild detergent, and one part water. As an added benefit, you’ll have peace of mind knowing exactly what types of cleaners are being used on your rugs—knowledge that’s increasingly important to many, especially those with young children or chemical sensitivities. Let the rug dry completely before walking over it. First, thoroughly vacuum the area rug on both sides. Finish using a damp, clean cloth to absorb any residue. To both brighten and remove odors from an area rug, sprinkle the entire surface liberally with baking soda. To remove stains, dip a microfiber cloth into a mixture of warm water and a tablespoon of laundry detergent. To remove stains from your rug, mix 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, 1 quart of warm water and 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Lay the rug flat to dry. Copyright © 2020 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Scrub the stains with a soft brush dipped in soapy water. If you arenât able to give your carpet a good steam cleaning, ⦠If the pile is long or plush, use a sponge mop to gently work the baking soda down into the fibers to the backing. Because of this, your fine area rugs need deep cleaning just as much as your carpets. A two-speed vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment. Vacuum the top side of the rug. 2. Other scrub brush if thatâs easier clean under the rug back inside vacuum! Easiest, fastest, cheapest, and let it air-dry professional cleaner minimize... 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