How to clean an area rug at home
Check the care label first: a small rug labeled machine washable can go in the washer on a cold, gentle cycle, and another sturdy synthetic rug is cleaned by hand with mild soap, little water and fast drying. Wool, silk, Persian, antique and latex-backed rugs are not washed at home, and the mistakes people make are all about too much water. For a rug that is delicate, large or beyond a spot clean, WATERFALL's rug cleaning comes to your home, and the prices page lists the price. WATERFALL cleans area rugs at your home for $89: call (747) 214-6199.
Can I wash my area rug in the washer at home?
Only if the care label says machine washable and the rug fits loosely in the drum. Shake or vacuum it outside, wash it alone on a cold or warm gentle cycle with a little mild detergent and no bleach, and air dry it flat or tumble it on the lowest heat the label allows; it must be dry right through before it goes back on the floor.
Do not machine wash wool, silk, a Persian or other hand-knotted rug, a rug with heavy fringe or a rubber or latex backing, unless the maker says you may: they shrink, bleed, shed or come apart, and a heavy wet rug can unbalance the washer. An 8x10 rug is too large and heavy for a home washer. No label means no.
What are the best rug cleaning tips?
Vacuum both sides, blot spills at once, use little water and dry the rug fast. Shake or beat a small rug outdoors, test any cleaner on a hidden corner and rotate the rug so wear and sun are shared.
What do I need to clean a rug by hand at home?
A vacuum, a mild soap, water, white cloths, a soft brush and a way to dry the rug fast.
- a vacuum with the beater bar off
- a mild detergent without bleach, or a cleaner made for the fiber, marked wool-safe for wool
- cool water in a bucket or spray bottle
- white cloths or towels, because colored ones can bleed
- a soft brush or sponge and rubber gloves
- a fan, or a dry room with the windows open
What is the best way to wash a rug by hand in a small apartment?
In the bathtub, if the label allows water and the rug is small enough to lift when wet; a rug too heavy to lift wet is cleaned in sections with a damp cloth instead.
- vacuum both sides with suction only
- test the soapy water on a hidden corner with a white cloth; if color comes off, stop
- lay the rug flat in shallow cool water with a little mild detergent
- press the water through it with your hands or a soft brush; do not twist or wring it
- drain, refill and rinse until the water runs clear and the rug no longer feels slippery
- press the water out flat, then roll it in dry towels and stand on the roll; repeat with fresh towels
- dry it flat over a rack or chairs with a fan on it, turning it, away from heaters
- put it back only when the back is dry too
Is it okay to shampoo a rug at home by hand?
Yes for a washable, colorfast synthetic rug; no for wool, silk, a Persian, jute, sisal, seagrass or a rug marked dry clean only. Vacuum, test the shampoo on a hidden corner, work it in lightly with a soft brush in small sections, rinse it out by blotting with clean water and press the water out with towels. Dry it fast, with a fan and open windows: a rug that stays damp can smell or brown.
Is it safe to wash a rug with Dawn dish soap or will it leave residue?
For a spot on a synthetic rug, yes; for a whole rug, no. Use a weak mix of clear dish soap such as Dawn in lukewarm water, blot it on, then blot it out with plain water until no suds or slippery feel remain. Soap left in the pile is sticky and pulls in new dirt, which is why a spot cleaned with too much soap turns gray again. Do not use it on wool, silk or a hand-knotted rug.
How do you clean juice off a white area rug?
Blot it at once with white paper towels, from the outside in, and do not rub. For a spot, mix a little clear dish soap into lukewarm water: test it on a hidden spot, dab it on and blot, and repeat until no more color comes up. Rinse by blotting with plain water so no soap stays, press dry towels on it and keep feet off until it dries. White does not mean bleach-safe: leave bleach out, and if the rug is wool, silk or viscose, or the mark stays, stop there; WATERFALL cleans wool and silk rugs, not viscose, so text (747) 214-6199.
How do you clean a rug without a steam cleaner?
Vacuum it, treat the marks with a drop of soap in water, blot and let it dry flat. Baking soda sprinkled on, left for a while and vacuumed up takes some odor out, though it does not clean the rug.
Is it okay to use carpet cleaners on a rug at home?
On a sturdy synthetic or cotton rug whose label allows water, yes; on jute, sisal, silk, viscose, a hand-knotted rug or one marked dry clean only, no. Take the pad out and vacuum first, then go over the rug slowly with the machine and the solution made for it, then do a few passes with plain water and a few dry passes. Stop before the rug is soaked, and dry it with a fan and open windows.
How do you steam clean a rug?
Vacuum it, test the color in a corner, work in sections with hot water and cleaning solution, then make dry passes until little water comes out. Hang or lift the rug off the floor to dry, and the sooner it is dry the better. For wool or a handmade rug, do not.
How do I deep clean a large 8x10 area rug at home?
Only if it is synthetic and its label allows water; an 8x10 wool, Persian or hand-knotted rug is not wet cleaned at home. Clear the room, vacuum both sides slowly, test the cleaner on a corner and pre-treat only the dirty spots, then go over the rug with a rented carpet extractor in one slow wet pass and several slow dry passes. Dry it with fans and open windows and keep furniture off until the rug and the floor under it are dry; if it stays damp, smells musty or bleeds color, stop. WATERFALL cleans an 8x10 rug where it lies, in your home, at one price per rug; see prices.
Is it realistic to clean a large rug myself at home?
For a large, inexpensive synthetic rug, yes, if you can dry it fast; for wool, silk, jute, sisal, antique or hand-knotted rugs, stop at vacuuming and spot cleaning. Drying is the hard part: a big rug holds a lot of water, a damp backing smells, browns or marks the floor, and a wet rug is too heavy to lift. If you cannot get it dry right through, have it cleaned where it lies: WATERFALL comes to homes across Los Angeles County, so text (747) 214-6199.
Where can I wash a big rug if I do not have a yard?
At a laundromat with commercial washers, if the rug's label says machine washable and the laundromat takes rugs (call first); in the bathtub, if the rug is small enough to lift wet; or nowhere, by having it cleaned where it lies. WATERFALL cleans a big rug in your home on a drop cloth, with no yard, no hose and no carrying a wet rug: text (747) 214-6199.
What mistakes should I avoid when cleaning my rug at home?
Do not soak it, scrub it, use bleach or dry it in a heap.
- do not rub a spill: blot, or the stain spreads and the pile frays
- do not use hot water on wool or silk
- do not leave a rug wet on a wood floor, where it can mark the finish
- do not mix cleaning products
- do not use a beater bar on shag, silk or a fringed rug
- do not skip the color test on a hidden corner
- do not use too much soap: what stays in the pile pulls in dirt
- do not dry it with colored or printed towels, which can bleed onto a damp rug
- do not put the rug or the furniture back until the rug, the pad and the floor are dry
- do not try a mix from the internet; use a product made for the fiber
Questions and answers
Can I clean my rug myself?
Yes, if it is a sturdy synthetic rug and you can dry it well. Wool, silk, viscose and handmade rugs are where home cleaning goes wrong.
What is the best thing to wash a rug with?
A mild detergent in cool water, or a cleaner made for the rug's fiber. Strong alkaline cleaners and bleach are the wrong choice.
Can you machine wash an 8x10 area rug?
No. It is too large and heavy for a home washing machine. Only small rugs labeled machine washable go in.
How to clean an area rug at home?
Vacuum both sides, treat marks with a drop of soap in cool water, blot and dry flat or hanging. Use as little water as you can.
Can you clean a rug by hand?
Yes, a small sturdy one: soapy water, a soft brush, a rinse by blotting and fast drying. A large or delicate rug is better left to a professional.
How to clean an expensive rug?
Do not experiment. Vacuum it, blot spills and text a photo and the tag to (747) 214-6199 before anything wet touches it.
Where can I wash my rug?
A small rug labeled machine washable goes in a washer, and a bigger one in a commercial washer at a laundromat if its label allows. Without a yard, a large rug is easier cleaned where it lies: WATERFALL cleans it in your home.
What not to do when cleaning your rug?
Do not soak it, scrub it, use bleach or dry it in a heap. Each of these does damage that cleaning cannot undo.
Can you clean my couch and rug in the same visit?
Yes. Both can be one WATERFALL visit; list them in your request.
Prices and booking
More guides
- Area rug care: all guides
- Can you steam clean a rug? How rugs are cleaned — Inspect, remove dry dirt, test the dyes, wash, rinse and dry; the methods are on-site extraction, immersion washing, steam and low-moisture cleaning.
- How often to clean a rug — Vacuum weekly and deep clean about once a year for a busy rug; the right pad, rotation and quick blotting make a rug last longer.
- Jute, sisal, silk, viscose, shag, cowhide and outdoor rugs — Jute, sisal and viscose hate water, silk is delicate, shag needs a gentle vacuum, outdoor rugs can be hosed: the fiber decides the method.
- Wool, Persian, Oriental and antique rugs — Wool is cleanable but needs gentle products and little heat; a Persian or antique rug needs a look at the dyes and the fringe first.
Sources: The Carpet and Rug Institute (The carpet and rug industry's trade association, for how carpet is made, cared for and cleaned.); The Carpet and Rug Institute on cleaning and maintenance (The trade association's page on vacuuming, spot cleaning and professional cleaning of carpet and rugs.)