Rug Cleaning Mistakes: Things You'll Want to Avoid

Person standing on oriental rug in jeans and brown leather shoes

If you've just bought a new rug for your home, you're probably pretty keen to keep it for as long as possible. A good rug isn't cheap. I almost cried when I saw the price tag on the first rug I bought for my home. And this is a great reason and motivation for wanting to extend its lifespan.

At Steve's, we've been offering rug cleaning alongside our carpet cleaning service for many years. In this article, I'm going to share a few of the common mistakes that people make when attempting to clean their rugs, and instead of getting them clean, end up ruining them. Definitely something you want to avoid!

How Not to Ruin Your Rugs – Six Tips

If you've tried and failed to take care of rugs in the past, take heed of the following advice, and you're far more likely to get better results.

Don't Add an Excessive Amount of Water

When rug cleaning, many people tend to apply copious amounts of water to the rug during the process. But this can be a huge mistake in the long run.

YES, water is necessary for the rug cleaning process, and it can be used to dilute and apply a wide range of rug cleaning solutions, but adding lots of water to the rug can cause two big problems:

  • The glue that binds the rug together can be damaged by this water
  • It may be impossible to properly dry the rug, leading to mold growth

Certain types of stains can also be made worse if you apply lots of water to your rug, causing the stain to spread outwards.

Renting Carpet Cleaning Equipment

To clean your own rugs, you don't actually need to own a dedicated carpet cleaning machine these days. Lots of big box stores give you the option to rent this equipment for a daily fee, so you can pick one of these units up, carry out your rug cleaning and then take it back.

This all sounds great, but in practice, there's often one problem. This equipment is often not well maintained. Carpet cleaning machines are often taken back to the store dirty, packed full of dirt, debris and nasty allergens, and are not cleaned up before they're loaned out again. This means that you'll be wheeling all of that dirt into your house. Yuck!

Using something so dirty on your rugs might actually worsen their condition, not improve them. The other thing about these machines is that the level of suction they provide is often not that great, so the amount of moisture left in your rugs is high, and that increases the chances of mold growth and musty smells tenfold. At Steve's, we use truck-mounted carpet cleaners that extract the maximum amount of moisture possible to ensure your rugs dry quickly.

Don't Overclean Your Rug

The only thing worse than someone who doesn't clean their rug often enough? Someone who cleans their rug too often!

You might think that you're just being proactive, removing dirt to help keep your rug in pristine condition. But in actual fact, using rug cleaning products and equipment on a rug too often can greatly accelerate wear and tear and significantly reduce its lifespan.

A lot of cleaning products and equipment are slightly abrasive in their nature (in order to be effective in removing dirt) and this can result in your rug looking worn or faded if you're cleaning too often. And this is permanent damage that cannot be reversed.

Not Reacting Quickly Enough to Spills and Accidents

The key to both successful carpet cleaning and rug cleaning when it comes to stains is how quickly you react. If the stain is allowed to soak right through the surface of the carpet or rug and dry, you're going to have a much trickier time removing it.

So next time you see a glass of wine tip over or your dog has an accident, don't think “I'll do it tomorrow” because tomorrow is too late. You need to take action right now if you're going to have the best chance of removing that stain and preserving the condition of your rug.

Using Harsh Cleaning Products

Carpets and rugs are often made of fairly sensitive materials, and cheap cleaning solutions sold at the dollar store are often chock full of harsh chemicals.

Before you use any cleaning solution on your rug, we recommend you seek guidance from the rug manufacturer (it's a good idea to do this as soon as you buy the rug if you remember). Ask them what they'd recommend you use to clean your rug and if there's anything to avoid. Using the wrong cleaning product can also void your rug's warrantee, and it's painful to only find that out after the fact when it's an expensive rug!

Not Deep Cleaning Rugs Each Year

For lots of people, regular vacuum cleaning combined with spot cleaning when necessary is as good as it gets when it comes to rug cleaning. But this won't protect your rug for the long term, nor will it remove all of the dirt, dust and allergens that build up below the surface level. These are not good for you, your home or your rug. Scheduling a deep cleaning once per year with a company that uses commercial-grade equipment is essential if you want your rugs to last.

Call Steve's Carpet Care & Restoration to Make Rugs Last Longer

Residents of Boulder, Westminster, Arvada and Broomfield have trusted Steve's to look after their rugs for decades. We've been in the business for 40+ years and would love to add your name to our ever-growing list of satisfied customers.

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