How to Clean Area Rugs (2024)

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Rug care can vary widely, depending on the type of rug you have. There are many different types of weaves and materials, so no single guide can easily—or briefly—cover how to clean all of them. But there are some general guidelines. We narrowed our focus to a few of the most common rug styles (which are also the ones we cover in our area rug guide):

For extra-large or delicate antique wool rugs, you’re better off consulting a professional in your area. Rug Chick has a great resource for finding local rug specialists.

Washing an entire rug at home will always carry a risk. In order to do it safely, always look at the care instructions, either on a still-attached tag or the manufacturer’s website. You can also reach out to local experts. In general, it’s worthwhile to clean thin, inexpensive rugs at home because the cost of professional cleaning can be more expensive than the rug itself. But thicker or more valuable rugs are risky to DIY, so proceed with caution, or reach out to a professional.

Not all rugs can be washed at home, especially extra-large, thick, antique, or heirloom ones. Wagner emphasized that it’s important to gather whatever information you can about your rug’s material and the type of care it needs, so that you don’t inadvertently introduce any mildew issues.

With at-home washings, low-pile wool rugs—especially multicolor ones—will likely bleed their colors. Some bleeding may not bother most rug owners, myself included, but this is a personal preference.

Always test a small area first. Wagner said, “I would rather have clients with clean and bled rugs than embedded with soil.” Synthetic rugs don’t have dyes that bleed, but they can still buckle or develop mold due to natural fibers used in other parts of the rug (like the outer edges or interior fibers). To limit bleeding and deter any fungal growth, it’s important to dry rugs quickly.

For spot-cleaning messes, active cleaning time can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Most of the time spent will be passive, like letting the stain remover soak in and waiting for your rug to dry. The drying process can take anywhere from a few hours to a full day, but a fan or cool blow dryer can help speed up the process.

If you decide a rug is safe to wash at home, deep-cleaning the entire thing can take the better part of a day. But the active cleaning time shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Drying a rug, one of the most important steps, can take a few days, depending on your climate and how thick a rug is. With some smaller flatweave rugs that you can toss in the washer, the process is much easier. But you’ll still have to air-dry most of them.

For spot-cleaning messes

When in doubt, first test an inconspicuous area to make sure the colors don’t run or the soap doesn’t stain your rug. Wagner recommends checking the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Spot Solver to find advice about dealing with specific stains on synthetic rugs.

If a mess contains any solids (like food, vomit, and the like), remove those first. Then use a clean white towel to blot the stain and remove as much liquid as possible.

Using a fresh white towel, apply a mild solution of dish soap or laundry detergent diluted in warm water. Use just enough of the mixture to soak the stain. But don’t overwet the area because that can spread the stain and take longer to dry, risking mold or mildew.

Rinse out the soap with warm water, and keep gently blotting the stain until it’s gone. This may take several passes, so be patient. Avoid the urge to scrub—blotting while applying pressure is the best way to avoid damaging fibers.

For stubborn stains, you can try an enzymatic stain remover like Zout or Resolve. Just be sure to check whether it’s safe for your rug’s material, or test a small area on your rug first and follow the instructions on the bottle. This process usually involves letting the product soak for a few minutes and then going back in with a damp rag or a soft brush to scrub the stain.

If all else fails—or you’re dealing with an old, set-in stain—consider investing in a portable carpet upholstery cleaner like the Bissell Little Green. These are wonderful tools for households with lots of rugs. And they’re also great at cleaning messes on carpets, couches, and other kinds of upholstery (like in your car).

Once your stain is gone, to avoid mildew forming, make sure the area dries completely. If needed, use a fan or hair dryer on “cold.” Improper drying can cause mold to form, especially on natural fibers, such as wool and cotton. If the rug stays damp for too long, it can also damage the floor underneath. Fully drying the area is essential!

For deep-cleaning small- to medium-size area rugs

For small flatweave synthetic or natural-fiber rugs

Vacuum or beat out as much dust as possible. If a small rug fits in your washer, you can likely toss it in there. But check the care label to be sure, and always err on the side of using a cold and gentle wash cycle. Afterward, lay the rug flat and air-dry it. To deter color bleeding on wool and cotton rugs, speed up the drying process by using fans.

For medium flatweave, low-pile, and high-pile synthetic rugs (or flatweave natural-fiber rugs)

Before wetting your rug, remove as much dust as possible. A good vacuuming of both sides can take care of dust, but if possible, take a rug outside and beat it over a balcony or rail. Rug Chick’s site has a great how-to video on vacuuming as well.

Using mild dish soap, first test a small area of the rug to see if the colors bleed too much or if the cleaner leaves a mark. If the colors run, you’ll likely need to take the rug to a professional cleaner. If your cleaned test area looks fine, you can continue, using a soft bristle brush to scrub the cleaner into the rug’s surface—treating any spots and stains according to our advice above.

If the thought of scrubbing an entire rug by hand sounds unappealing, senior staff writer Tim Heffernan relayed a far more fun and gentle process he was taught by a family member who sold antique Persian and Central Asian rugs:

“You lay the rugs out on a smooth, clean outdoor surface, soak them with a hose, work in some plain mild soap (not modern enzymatic detergent, which can destroy the otherwise immortal vegetable dyes and harm the wool) with your feet, like old-school grape-crushing, rinse thoroughly, and let dry flat. I’ve done this with our heirloom rugs on our balcony in Queens, and it works great.”

Once you’ve worked the cleaner into the entire rug, use a garden hose equipped with a spray nozzle to wash away the soap. If you don’t have a hose on hand, you can also use buckets of water. After rinsing, use clean, dry towels or a squeegee to remove as much excess water as possible. If you have a wet-dry vac, you could also use it to absorb more water.

Lay the rug flat and let it air-dry completely, which may take a couple of days, depending on your climate. Turn the rug over after a few hours to let both sides dry. Setting fans around the rug can help speed up the process and deter bleeding on wool rugs. “One tip would be to roll them inside large cotton towels and stand on the roll to press out as much excess water as you can, and then lay them out,” Wagner said.

To extend the life of a rug, it’s crucial to regularly vacuum it and tend to messes early. Ideally, you would vacuum a rug once a week, but this will vary depending on lifestyle, pets, kids, and so forth. Rug Lady Seminars, a wonderful source of rug-cleaning information, has great advice for regular rug maintenance. Flatweave rugs that fit in the washer should probably get washed two to three times per year, depending on where they’re located and how dirty they get. To extend the time between washings and to avoid worn spots, Wagner recommends rotating rugs and flipping flatwoven rugs to use the other side.

We know that taking furniture off of rugs and moving them is no easy feat. So if you have a big rug that’s a pain to move, just try to stay on top of your vacuuming, and consider getting a portable upholstery cleaner (which also comes in handy for cleaning couches). Big, heavy rugs can probably go three to five years without a wash, as long as they’re cared for in between.

A good way to tell whether your rug needs a cleaning is if it looks gray and dull. After you vacuum a rug, run a damp white rag across it, and if the rag comes up dirty, it’s probably time to give the rug a bath.