How to clean rugs? Methods, Things You Should Know and FAQs

Cleaning rugs regularly is important for your personal hygiene and also to extend the durability of the rugs. In this blog, we will discuss all the ways to clean rugs and answer the most frequently asked questions regarding this topic. The best option for you is to consult with your carpet manufacturer and professional carpet cleaners on the best ways to clean it. Cleaning the carpets on your own is recommended for most rugs made from cotton and synthetic materials. For rugs made from wool, silk, viscose material, or hand-knotted ones, you should opt for professional cleaning.

Best Way to Clean Carpets: Methods

Dry Cleaning Rugs

Dry cleaning is the preferred method for rugs made from silk, jute, or viscose.

Rug Cleaning with Water and Detergents

You can follow these steps to clean your rug with water and detergents. However, you should know that using water and most detergents is recommended for cotton and synthetic material rugs, and not rugs made from silk, leather, or jute.

Prepare the rug with thorough cleaning: First, prepare your rug by thoroughly vacuuming and removing the loose dirt.

Prepare the detergent by mixing it with water at the recommended quantity and temperature.

Use a water and detergent solution to clean the rug.

Professional Rugs and Carpet Cleaners

You can clean rugs professionally with many service providers near you. You can go to Google and search for “carpet cleaners near me” to get the list of people and businesses providing this service. You should look for their online ratings and reviews to find the right one for you. We advise you to call them and inquire about their cost and process, along with providing vital information like the type of rug you have.

Things to Consider Before Cleaning Rugs

Before cleaning your rugs, you should know a few things. If you are unsure about your ability, you can contact professional carpet cleaners or have it cleaned professionally. Your cleaning process and ingredients may change depending on these things. Some of the things you should consider are as follows:

Rug Materials

Most rugs are made from cotton, wool, silk, viscose, or synthetic materials. These may affect how you clean your rug, what things you need, and more. For example, if you have a silk rug, using water and most liquids is not recommended. Similarly, some carpet cleaners like Oxi Clean do not recommend using their product on wool, silk, or leather rugs. Cotton carpets might be the easiest to clean yourself.

Dye Used in Rugs

Is your rug made using natural dyes or synthetic ones? You can contact the manufacturer if you are not sure. Normally, natural dye rugs react badly to water, and you can easily discolor them. Dry cleaning is recommended for most natural dye rugs. For synthetic dye rugs, you might be fine with using water and detergents.

Cleaning Chemicals and Detergents

Many brands offer carpet cleaning detergents and cleaning chemicals. You should look into their website or labels to see if they can be used for your particular rug.

Stains Categories

Some cleaning methods can be more effective for the type of stains you are cleaning. The stains might be from a food source, like puke.

Things you need

Vacuum Cleaner

You should first vacuum clean your rugs thoroughly and prepare them for further cleaning.

Detergents

The most popular and recognized carpet cleaner detergents are Oxi-Clean carpet cleaner and Clean Bissell ProHeat carpet cleaner.

Brush

You should use a soft brush to scrub the carpet after applying detergents and cleaning chemicals. Scrub with gentle force depending on the type of carpet you have.

Must-Dos for Cleaning Rugs

After cleaning the carpets, completely dry them off. The moisture and water content on the carpet can lead to many problems, including mold growth, bad odor, and more.

Scrub gently if you are using a brush.

Check if the cleaner is compatible with the carpet material. Try to be precise with the manufacturer's labels on how to use and how not to use the cleaners.

Do not step on or use the carpets unless they are completely dry.

FAQs for Cleaning Rugs and Carpets

How to clean carpet stains?

If you have fresh stains on the carpet, place an absorbent cloth on top of it to absorb the stain. Then, depending on the material of your carpet, you might or might not be able to use water and carpet stain cleaner to clean the stain.

How to clean vomit from carpet?

First, carefully remove the solid particles from vomit. Use a small amount of cold water with detergent to remove the remaining stains. Do not use hot water, as it can set the odor on the rug. Use an odor neutralizer after you clean it.

How to clean dog pee from carpet?

Use a towel or a cloth to absorb as much water content as possible, then clean with cold water and some detergents. Be sure to clean where pee has reached and dry properly.

How to clean dog poop out of carpet?

Remove the poop gently without applying much pressure, as it can embed deeper in the carpet. Then, depending on your carpet materials and type, use water and or detergent to clean it. Use odor-neutralizing chemicals after you thoroughly clean the rug. 

How to clean an area rug?

Cleaning an area rug needs many considerations. What kinds of material your rug is made from, what stains you are cleaning, and more affect how you clean it.

Conclusion

You should know and consider these things before cleaning your rugs. Not factoring in this information and these methods can damage your rugs beyond repair. If you are unsure of some things, you should contact your manufacturer to get more information. Or, you can get it cleaned professionally, too. Anyway, we hope this guide to cleaning your carpet was helpful for you.

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