A good rug can completely change how a room feels. It makes the space cosier, adds personality, and gives you a comfy spot to sit or stretch out. The tricky part is that rugs also collect dust, pet hair and everyday mess (sometimes more than we realise).
If you’d like your rug to stay fresh and last longer, these simple cleaning tips will help make that easier.
I bought this rug a while ago, you can find it here, and it’s become such a lovely part of our living room. I still like having a rug in front of the lounges because it makes the space feel warm and inviting, adds some personality, and gives us a comfy spot to stretch out, play with the animals, or watch TV.
The only downside is how quickly rugs collect dirt, not just on top but underneath too. With a little regular care though, they stay fresh and last much longer.
How to Clean Floor Rugs
Cleaning Kit
Optional extras:
Steps
QUICK CLEAN
- Vacuum the top of the rug.
- To remove smells and help to remove pet hair, lightly sprinkle with the Fresh Carpet Sprinkle and sit for 30 minutes, then vacuum to pick up the bicarb soda. Clean vacuum.
SPOT CLEAN
Dried-on mess (pet, mud, vomit)
- Use a paper towel to pick up as much solid matter from the mess as you can.
- Vacuum up remaining dried-on mess.
- If necessary, remove the attachment from your vacuum and use the nozzle to go over the area, left to right, backwards and forwards, several times to pick up all the dried particles stuck between the carpet pile.
- Then proceed with the spot clean steps below to remove the stain.
Liquid (drinks, urine. pet)
- Use a paper towel or cleaning cloth to dab the area to pick up as much liquid as possible. DO NOT RUB the area: dab/blot only. Rubbing will only damage the carpet pile and can spread the stain further.
- If the area is stained, lightly spray with the cleaning spray, sit for 5 minutes, then dab/blot the area. Repeat as necessary to pick up the stain.
- To help remove the odour, sprinkle the area with bicarb soda, then lightly spray with vinegar. Leave to sit for 30 minutes or until the area has dried. Vacuum up the powder from the carpet. Clean vacuum to remove any bicarb build-up.
DEEP CLEAN
- Roll up the rug and move it away from the area to clean. Do not fold as this will cause it to crease. Roll the rug out, upside down. Vacuum the bottom of the rug. Spot clean, as necessary (see above).
- Hang or lay the rug outside in the sunlight for a few hours. Giving it a dose of sunshine will naturally disinfect it.
- Vacuum and mop the floor where the rug was sitting to remove any dust and dirt build-up. Put the rug back in place, rotating it 180 degrees to help it wear evenly.
How often?
Weekly – vacuum during regular floor clean.
Annually – deep clean, or more often if you have pets or smokers in the home.
14 comments
Motivating…
Thank you Jane 🙂
Proper maintenance is the key to long-lasting and beautiful rugs. When it comes to rug cleaning, people often get confused about which way is to follow since there are so many options available. You should choose the cleaning process as per the type of your rugs. Homeowners who have rugs may go through this post in order to get some rug cleaning tips.
Couldn’t agree more 🙂 Kat
Great blog. It is a very informative and useful post for me. Thanks for sharing this.
You’re very welcome Christine 🙂 Kat x
Katrina I like the rug you have in your home but which is apparently out of stock. Where could I buy this rug and do you recall the name or stlye number please. Thanks in advance
Hi Jo, the rug is a Maristela Fringe Rug – the largest size and in beige. I bought mine from Zanui but I don’t believe they stock it any more. I think Temple & Webster may have it online. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Kat, I have three rugs in my house. Two have beds on them so impossible to move. I do vacuum around those. The other is in my lounge room. I frequently move the sofa and chairs away and vacuum the rug – about every fortnight. I can now see I need to clean under the rug as well. My two poodles don’t drop hair and are generally very clean but once or twice a year something might happen. I should deodorize the rug as well. Will do. Thanks Kat.
Hi Les, it’s my pleasure! Thank you for the lovely feedback 🙂 Kat x
Hi Kate we have 3 large mats which are made up of jute, cotton and leather, how would you suggest we clean them. It is not recommended to have them cleaned professionally.
Does the rug have a care label on the back? That might have some instructions. Otherwise I would clean each section using advice for each type of material.
Great content!
Some would start thinking about what is to be done, some would move to the kitchen to bring whatever chemical or cleaning solutions they have and some people would pour some water on the carpet and would try to mop the stain out.
The last option often works when you have stains from dirt or other similar substances. But never even try to pour whatever chemical you have to remove the stain.
Very useful article with great tips. Tried other ways to make my carpets stay cleaner for longer. But hired professional Carpet Cleaning Melbourne with a team of skilled experts for deep cleaning from bacteria, residues and dirt from it.