Our goal at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet is always to empower our shoppers and give them all the information they need to make their best decision. That goes for rug shoppers too! So, when we hear FAQs about how to clean a rug or rug maintenance in general, we want to help! Especially since our rug department has some of North America’s most knowledgeable rug experts with literal lifetimes of experience in the industry.
We understand that there’s a lot of confusion about proper rug maintenance and how to clean area rugs online. The goal of the article below is to equip you with general rules for cleaning rugs, and then discuss a few cases of types of rugs that may require special care.
Whether you’ve already got the perfect rug and want to know how to clean it, or whether you’re rug shopping and trying to figure out the type of rug that’s easiest to maintain, be sure to read on for everything you need to know!
General Rules for Rug Cleaning & Maintenance
When we talk about cleaning area rugs, we’re really discussing two different things. The first is the process of light cleaning or regular maintenance. The second is spot cleaning for persistent stains after a spill or accident has occurred. We’ll touch on both of these below.
However, before we dive too deep into rug cleaning, you need to understand a few important do’s and don’ts:
1) Know When (and How) to Vacuum Your Rug.
Some area rugs can be vacuumed the same way you’d vacuum any other carpet in your home. In fact, the vast majority of rugs can be safely vacuumed as long as the brush roller or beater bar is turned off (i.e. the vacuum is on the “floor setting”). However, there are instances where vacuuming your rug is not advisable at all.
Knowing when to vacuum at full power, when to vacuum on the floor setting, and when not to vacuum a rug at all is important to know. Don’t worry, we’ll dive into each of these cases below.
2) When in Doubt, Sweep It.
If you’re unsure about vacuuming, even the most fragile rugs can be gently swept with a grass broom. This is a great alternative for particularly delicate rugs.
3) Beware of the Fringe!
Regardless of what kind of rug you’re dealing with, never vacuum the fringe. Especially not with a beater bar or brush roller engaged, as the fringe will be pulled and can become tangled and damaged. If you must vacuum the fringe, do so only on the lowest vacuum-only setting or with a vacuum hand-attachment.
4) Please Don’t Beat Your Rugs!
While it’s okay to give your rugs a gentle shake to dislodge dirt or dust, please don’t beat your rugs with a broomstick, tennis racket, or anything else like they did back in the day. Since then, we’ve learned that beating rugs to get dust, dirt, dander, or debris out of it is actually one of the worst things you can do to the rug’s fibers – especially for hand-knotted or woven rugs.
5) Know Your Options for Spot Cleaning.
When it comes to spot cleaning, seltzer water or club soda is the gentlest option to lift stains out. A more effective but slightly less gentle option we often recommend is clear Dawn dishwashing liquid. These two methods can be used on almost any kind of rug.
Alternatively, Folex stain remover is a great choice for largely synthetic rugs consisting of fibers like polyester, acrylic, or polypropylene/olefin. Perhaps most importantly, avoid using any and all rug or carpet cleaning products that include a sealant or protectant as these chemicals can permanently set the stain in your rug.
6) Always Test Your Cleaning Solution First.
For any and all spot cleaning solutions, be sure to test on a less visible area first. On rare occasions, some older Turkish, Persian, Afghan or other oriental village rugs have dyes that can run when wet. Once you know that the cleaning solution is safe to use and that the dyes on your rug won’t run, blot the spot or gently wipe towards the center of the stain until the stain is removed.
7) Better Safe Than Sorry!
If in doubt about your rug’s fiber composition or care instructions, check your rug for tags, contact the seller, or talk with a professional rug cleaner. It’s always a wise choice to exhaust all options before doing something that could irreversibly harm your rug and its fibers.
Standard Rug Cleaning & Maintenance
Here at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet, most of our rugs fall into two categories. On one hand, we offer authentic Persian rugs, Turkish rugs, Afghan rugs and other hand-knotted oriental rugs. These are unique, one-of-a-kind works of art.
On the other hand, we sell machine-made rugs. Think of these as a high quality print of a cherished painting. Both of these categories of rugs are relatively low maintenance and easy to care for.
How To Clean a Polypropylene Rug / Polyester Rug / Wool Rug? (Machine-Made Rugs)
Machine-made rugs can be made of a variety of materials, but most commonly they are manufactured on a power loom using a blend of yarns like polyester, polypropylene (aka olefin), acrylic, or wool. While they won’t hold up for nearly as long as a hand-knotted wool rug, they are quite robust in their construction.
For that reason, there’s no real need for special care here. Feel free to vacuum your machine-made rugs the same way you’d vacuum any other carpet in your home – no need to turn off the brush roller or beater bar. Since they are typically made of mostly synthetic materials, spot cleaning can easily be done with club soda, clear Dawn dish soap, Folex, or original Woolite (the one in the pump spray bottle, not Advanced Woolite).
How To Clean a Persian Rug / Turkish Rug / Oriental Rug? (Hand-Knotted Wool Rugs)
These hand-knotted rugs are typically made of wool, and are frankly the longest-lasting, most durable rugs money can buy. In fact, antique Persian rugs can last for centuries when properly cared for! However, the knots themselves can be at least somewhat fragile in the sense that they can be damaged by violent pulling from a powerful vacuum. As a result, it pays to be at least a little careful with hand-knotted rugs.
For most hand-knotted rugs, feel free to vacuum them like you’d vacuum anything else, but practice some extra care with particularly old or valuable rugs. If you’ve got a priceless antique Persian rug, you should vacuum on the floor setting to avoid using the beater bar or brush roller. Also, you should avoid using extremely powerful vacuums like a Dyson or a Rainbow on full power. Oh, and lastly remember to not vacuum the fringe!
For spot cleaning, you can’t go wrong with seltzer, club soda, or clear Dawn dishwashing soap. Just avoid stronger cleaners and be sure to blot first to make sure the dyes won’t run.
Rug Types Requiring Special Care
The below rug types are less-common and/or require a bit of extra care.
How To Clean a Viscose Rug?
Viscose is a natural fiber made from plant material. While it can be made using wood pulp, it’s most often made with bamboo. Rugs made entirely from viscose are uncommon, but it is increasingly common to see area rugs made of a blend including viscose alongside fibers like polyester or wool. Viscose is extremely soft, airy and breathable, but this comes at a cost.
Bamboo viscose items in your personal wardrobe are likely meant to be washed on a delicate cycle. If you’ve got a rug with a significant viscose content, you should treat it similarly. That means vacuuming only on the floor setting and using gentle spot cleaners like club soda and clear Dawn dishwashing liquid, not harsh chemical cleaners.
How To Clean a Shag Rug?
Shag rugs are a different beast entirely. While they can be made from a number of different materials, what sets them apart is their extremely long and dense pile. Since that is their defining characteristic, that’s also largely what determines their care and maintenance.
Cleaning a shag rug can be a real chore due to the length and density of its fibers. The key is to vacuum it frequently as the longer pile makes it much easier for dust, dirt and debris to hide. However, please refrain from vacuuming with brush rollers or beater bars as these can tangle with the pile and pull these strands loose. Instead, vacuum on the floor setting or using hand-held vacuum attachments without these mechanisms. Alternatively, you can flip the rug over and vacuum from the underside, which will still vacuum up dust and other small particles but will be less likely to hurt the fibers.
How To Clean a Jute Rug / Seagrass Rug / Sisal Rug? (Natural Grass Rugs)
While there are indeed differences between seagrass, jute and sisal rugs, maintenance and care for these rugs are more or less the same. These natural grass rugs certainly have their own unique appeal, however, they are all significantly more fragile than rugs made from more common materials like wool, polyester, acrylic or polypropylene.
As with many of the more delicate rugs on this list, jute rugs, sisal rugs and seagrass rugs should only be vacuumed on the floor setting with beater bars and rollers disengaged. While spot cleaning, stick with a mixture of clear Dawn dishwashing soap and warm water. That being said, you’ll want to avoid getting the rug soaking wet as too much moisture can discolor or weaken the natural grass fibers. So be sure to blot dry immediately, or even dry with a hair dryer on its lowest setting.
How To Clean a Silk Rug?
Silk is known the world over for its soft and buttery feel in the hand. However, it is relatively fragile. Remember where we discussed viscose rugs above? All the same rules apply here.
You’re unlikely to find rugs made entirely from silk, but it’s not uncommon to find rug fabric blends that include silk. Treat it delicately like you’d treat any silk item in your laundry basket. For rugs with significant silk content, only vacuum with rollers and beater bars disengaged, and spot clean with the gentlest method that works, whether seltzer, club soda, or clear Dawn dish liquid.
How To Clean Hooked Rugs / Looped Rugs?
Hooked rugs. Looped rugs. Hook rugs. Loop rugs. No matter what you call these rugs, they represent a departure from the area rug norm. That’s because of how each loop of yarn is hooked to the rug warp or backing. Think of it like crocheting on a much, much larger canvas.
However, compared to woven or hand-knotted rugs, the yarn in each loop isn’t fastened nearly as securely to the rug base. As a result, this is another type of rug that requires special consideration. If you’re not careful, roller brushes, beater bars, or suction from powerful vacuums can pull bits of yarn out of the rug, or can even cause unraveling. Be sure to vacuum on floor setting only.
Our Final Disclaimer
This reminder is important, so don’t just scroll past. As we stated in our general rug cleaning tips, if you have any doubts whatsoever about what kind of rug you’re dealing with or advice above, it’s best to double check a few things before you proceed.
First, check the underside of your rug for tags that may include disclaimers, information on fiber content, and/or care instructions. While authentic hand-knotted Persian rugs or other oriental rugs won’t have tags, most machine-made rugs will. This can be a valuable clue when it comes to how to clean and maintain your rug.
Second, when in doubt about how to proceed, contact the seller of your rug to see if they can provide you with any additional information on the manufacturer, fiber content, or care guidelines for your rug. As a rug seller ourselves, we receive tons of calls from customers seeking additional rug care information. It should be no trouble for your seller to answer these questions for you.
Lastly, if you’re unable to complete the two steps above and are still unsure how to proceed, we recommend seeking out a professional rug cleaning service. It’s important to note that we aren’t talking about your neighborhood dry cleaners who also just happen to clean rugs. Rather, we’d recommend a specialized, dedicated rug cleaning service with solid reviews. This is especially true if you’re entrusting them with a priceless antique Persian rug or other piece with sentimental value to you.
More Area Rug Questions? Don’t Be Shy, Ask Our Rug Experts Today!
Have additional questions about rug cleaning and maintenance? Looking for help on how to clean a type of rug we didn’t cover today? Shopping for area rugs and not sure about what kind of rug is right for your space? Don’t be a stranger! Our rug experts are extremely knowledgeable and would love to help you. Just give us a call, or shoot us a message on our convenient live chat.
Better yet, if you’re in the Metro Atlanta area or elsewhere in North Georgia, come see us – and our huge selection of rugs – in person at our Woodstock/Acworth showroom! Lastly, for more helpful area rug resources, be sure to check out the following articles below:
- Rug Placement Guide: How to Place a Rug in a Living Room, Bedroom & Dining Room
- Rug Size Guide: Finding the Perfect Size Rugs for Every Room in Your Home
- Why Persian Rugs Are The Best Money Can Buy
- Hand-Knotted vs Machine-Made Rugs: Finding the Perfect Fit for Your Floors
- Introducing Loloi Rugs & Our Most Popular Loloi Rug Collections
- Our 8 Favorite Oriental Weavers Rugs for Your Home
- Get to Know Surya & Our 7 Favorite Surya Rug Collections
