How to Clean an Area Rug

Your family room is a relaxing place for everyone to wind down and enjoy each other’s company. Your husband relaxes on the couch and watches the big screen television. You enjoy sitting in the corner nook reading and sipping on your favorite hot tea, and the children have fun playing with their trucks, dolls, crafts and other fun and exciting toys.

The only problem is that everyone likes to snack on messy and crumbly foods during this time of relaxation, and the area rug is always a mess as a result.

Vacuum

Most of the time all your rug needs is a good vacuuming and the crumbs and trash are gone. However, there are those times when it requires more than just a good weekly vacuuming.

You need to remove not only dirt, but you also need to get up dirt, grime and pet hair that is hard to remove. The required solution will depend on different things. Please use the following tips to ensure that your area rug is always properly cleaned.

Maintain a Regular Cleaning Schedule

Now, this might seem like the most obvious tip; however many people still fail to perform the basic cleaning basics. When the kids spill milk or grape juice on the rug, clean it up immediately.

The longer that the mess sits on your area rug, the harder it is going to be to clean it up.

It is just a matter of having the basic cleaning products and equipment such as a good carpet cleaning machine on standby. Invest in a brush and broom that can get up the little messes that children make. Purchase spot cleaners that can quickly take up stains and messes before they settle into your area rug permanently.

Know What Your Rug Needs

Cleaning products, equipment and instructions are based on the type of rug that you have. A fur or sheepskin rug must be cleaned differently than an Oriental, woven or grass rug. Make sure that you read the instructions for your area rug and follow them very closely.

For instance some rugs cannot be cleaned with commercial cleaners, they need to be professionally dry-cleaned. Whereas other rugs can be cleaned with the basic over the counter cleaning solution and carpet cleaning machine.

A good carpet shampooer will help you prolong the life of your area rug.

Invest in a Good Carpet Cleaning Machine

A good carpet cleaning machine along with the right cleaning products and a regular cleaning schedule can help to prolong the life of your area rug. Depending on your cleaning needs, you might be able to get away with just renting equipment to clean your area rug.

Winner of our "Best Buy 2021" award is: Hoover PowerDash Carpet Shampooer. The Hoover PowerDash is very easy to use, inexpensive, lightweight and powerful.

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Select the Right Equipment

Read helpful reviews about the features, cons and pros of each machine. Think about the amount of cleaning products that each machine requires. Also, don’t forget things such as drying time and the number of times that you must pass over the same area of carpet before it is cleaned.

To be able to select the best carpet cleaner for your needs, have a look at our buying guide: Carpet Cleaner Buying Guide.

In Conclusion

All in all, your living space is where your family congregates, and you want this area to remain as clean as possible, and this includes your area rug. The best way to keep it clean is to maintain a regular cleaning schedule, know what it needs and invest in a good carpet cleaning machine. Hopefully, these tips will help to maintain the beauty and prolong the life of your area rug.