How to Clean Area Rugs

First post in a while, and it’s long overdue for both the post and the cleaning of our area rugs. We have a few area rugs around the house because we have tile and laminate flooring and a 10 year old dog who refuses to walk on the floors. I just want to preface the picture by saying…. I DO CLEAN MY FLOORS, and I have cleaned my rugs multiple times over the past year. My dogs just track in so much dirt as do I’m sure my husband and I do. Also, what the hell was I thinking buying a white rug? Anyways, heres what I did step by step (ooooo baby) to get these cleaned.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rug on the Left is a year old and the one on the right is about 8 years old.

Supplies: 

• Dirty area rugs
• Vacuum
• Broom & Dustpan
• Laundry Soap and/or Simple Green
• Deck Brush
• Hose with spray nozzle
• Sun and Drying time

The How To: 

1. Start by vacuuming the rugs. Don’t just vacuum the top but flip it over and vacuum the back side. (If you’re not doing this on a regular basis be prepared) The bottom images are from the older Ikea rug. After vacuuming it upside down the tennis ball size pile of dirt is what was left on the floor. Make sure to run the vacuum over the top one last time before the next step.
   

   

   

   

   

    

2. I took the rugs out to my driveway and soaked them with the hose. The image below is the atrocity before it was wet down. 
3. Once they are wet down add some detergent. You can use laundry detergent or Simply Green. I used both.
   

   

   

4. Add some more water and grab a deck brush. Scrub. 
5. Let the detergent sit for at least an hour or longer. Up to you.
6. Spray the rug down and scrub while doing so.
   

   
7. The next part is up to you….. You can add more detergent or you can skip to the drying process. If you start to dry make sure that you get all of the detergent/soap out because if you don’t the soap will dry and and the dirt will stick easier to the rug once it’s back in use. I added more detergent and went through step 2-6 again. 
8. Again, make sure to wash all the detergent out of the rug. Use the brush to squeegee the excess water out of the rug and then roll up and lean against a wall in the sun. The water will drain out from the rug and depending on the size this may take a few hours. I live in Florida, and it was 90 when I did these…. so my drying time was pretty quick. 
9. After a while roll the rugs out and let them lay in the sun. I started with the back side up, facing the sun, and switched about 2 hours later. 
10. Once completely dry, bring the rugs back inside and vacuum once more. Enjoy your freshly cleaned rugs.

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