A good rug is often the most expensive textile in a room, and it's the one most likely to be damaged by a heavy-handed clean. Before anything gets wet, a professional rug cleaner will want to know three things: what the rug is made of, how it was made, and whether the dyes are stable.
Types of rug and how they're cleaned
| Rug type | What to know |
|---|---|
| Wool (machine-made or hand-tufted) | Wool is hard-wearing and cleans well, but it doesn't like high alkalinity or too much heat. Wool-safe products and a thorough rinse are the norm. Hand-tufted rugs have a glued backing that can loosen if soaked. |
| Persian and oriental (hand-knotted) | Often worth the most and usually wool on a cotton foundation. Vegetable or older dyes can bleed. These are frequently best cleaned off site and dried flat. |
| Viscose / "art silk" / bamboo silk | Looks like silk, behaves very differently. Viscose is weak when wet, marks easily and can turn yellow-brown. Low-moisture cleaning only. |
| Synthetic (polypropylene, polyester, nylon) | The easiest to clean. Most stains respond well, though polypropylene attracts oily soil and can look dull until it's rinsed properly. |
| Jute, sisal and seagrass | Natural plant fibres that stain and shrink if they get too wet. Dry methods and spot treatment are the safest route. |
| Shaggy and high-pile rugs | Hold a lot of hidden grit and take longer to dry. They need a proper dusting or vacuuming from both sides before any wet cleaning. |
In-home rug cleaning or off-site?
For most everyday rugs, cleaning in your home is perfectly fine and saves you the hassle of collection. The rug is lifted onto a protected surface, cleaned and left to dry in the room. It's usually done on the same visit as your carpet cleaning, which keeps the cost down.
Off-site cleaning makes sense for valuable antique rugs, rugs with heavy pet urine contamination (the smell is often in the foundation, not just the pile) and anything that needs a full wash-through and controlled drying. Not every cleaner offers this, so ask in your enquiry.
Common rug problems
Pet urine
Urine sinks into the base of the rug and, on wool, can permanently shift the dye colour. Surface cleaning helps with the look but rarely deals with the smell. Specialist enzyme treatment or a full immersion clean is usually what's needed. Our page on pet stain and odour removal goes into more detail.
Browning on fringes and natural fibres
Cotton fringes and jute rugs can go brown when they're over-wetted and dry slowly. It's a reaction in the fibre itself, not dirt left behind. Fast drying and the right chemistry prevent it.
Moths
Clothes moth larvae love the undisturbed underside of wool rugs, especially under sofas. Bare patches in straight lines are the giveaway. Cleaning removes larvae and eggs, but you'll also want to vacuum under furniture regularly afterwards.
Looking after your rug between cleans
- Vacuum without the beater bar on delicate or hand-knotted rugs, and avoid sucking the fringe into the machine.
- Rotate the rug every few months so sunlight and footfall are spread evenly.
- Use a good underlay. It stops slipping and reduces wear from the floor underneath.
- Blot spills straight away and work from the outside in. Our stain removal guide covers the common ones.