Nearly every tip about cleaning a rug promises the same thing: as good as new. That is exactly the promise you have already fallen for three times. Cleaning a rug does two things well and two things badly, and once you know which is which you pick the right method straight away. Fitted carpet behaves the same way, so this page covers both.
Short answer
Vacuum thoroughly, treat the stains separately, then go over the whole rug with as little water as you can.
Steam is the driest wet method there is: your rug is walkable again within an hour instead of a day. The same order works on fitted carpet.
Two problems that get mixed up
A dull rug and a stain in a rug ask for the opposite treatment.
Look at your rug from a distance first. Do you see an even dull, flattened band along the walking route and in front of the sofa? That is dust, sand and crushed pile. It is not a stain, and no stain remover will touch it.
Do you see defined patches with an edge around them? Then something has run into the fibre and has bonded to it.
Those two need different treatment, and the order matters: the stains first, then the whole rug. The other way round you press the stain in deeper and spread it over the rest.
How to clean a rug at home, in four steps
Step one decides how well the rest of it works.
- Vacuum slowly and in two directions. First with the pile, then across it. Going across brings the sand up out of the bottom of the fibre, and that sand is what grinds the pile to pieces. Reckon on four to six passes over the same band.
- Treat the individual stains separately. Blot from the outer edge towards the middle, never rub. Which product you reach for depends on what kind of stain it is, see further down.
- Then finish the whole rug with as little moisture as you can. Steam is best here, because the heat freshens the fibre without the rug getting soaked. Without a machine: a damp cloth per section, blotted dry straight away.
- Let it dry with air moving over it. A window open, or a fan. Do not walk on it until the underside is dry, because otherwise you press the moisture down into the floor underneath.
What steam does and does not do
This is where we make the promise smaller, and that is what makes it true.
What steam does do:
- Put heat into the fibre, which deals with dust mites and bacteria in a place you cannot wash out.
- Bring flattened pile back upright. The heat makes the fibre supple and it springs back.
- Tackle smell at the source instead of covering it over with perfume.
- Work without any product at all, which counts for something when there are children or pets on the floor.
What steam does not do, and almost nobody says so:
- Lift out a dried-in stain that has been there for years. That is a job for a stain remover.
- Take out a discolouration that has genuinely soaked into the fibre.
- Get used on wool or silk without thinking. Always test a corner there first.
That last block is precisely why the rest of it works. Everyone promises "as good as new". We tell you what actually happens, and then you believe the rest too.
How to clean a rug without a carpet cleaner
Truly dry does not exist, and how wet a method is decides how long the rug is out of use.
There is no such thing as really dry. What there is, is a large difference in how much water each method puts in, and that difference is what makes your rug unusable for an hour or for a day.
A spray extraction machine, the one you hire from the DIY store, sprays water into the fibre and sucks it back out again. It never sucks all of it out. Reckon on a day of drying, and on rings if the backing has got wet.
Dry powder is sprinkled over, brushed in and vacuumed back up. It picks up surface dirt and it is genuinely dry, but it does not reach the dirt deeper down in the pile.
Steam puts very little water in, because it is water in vapour form that condenses on the surface. That is why it is the driest wet method there is: you walk on it again after an hour.
By hand, with nothing but two cloths, is the version with no machine anywhere in it. Work section by section with a damp cloth and blot each section dry straight away with a second, dry cloth. Keep the cloth damp rather than wet, because a rug never gets rinsed out. It takes longer than any machine, and it leaves you in charge of exactly how much water goes in.
That difference is the reason a hired machine can be sensible on a large rug and usually is not on a rug in a living room.
Do it yourself, hire a machine or have it done?
There is a reason the top of the search results is mostly companies.
Search for rug cleaning and you get a block of local cleaning firms sitting above the ordinary results. That is not a coincidence: a good share of the people searching for this do not want to do it themselves.
Having it done is sensible in three cases: a wool or silk rug, a genuine Persian or antique rug, and damage that has been there for years. The chance of getting it wrong is high there and the rug is expensive.
Doing it yourself suits the problem most people actually have: a rug that is not stained but dull, musty and walked flat. That costs you an hour.
Hiring a machine sits in between, and it has one drawback people forget: afterwards you do not have the thing. When you compare, count not only the hire charge but also the drive, the deposit and the half day it takes. Anyone who does this more than once or twice a year is quicker off with a machine of their own.
Getting stains out of a rug or carpet
Blot, do not rub, and work from the outside in.
Rubbing pushes the stain deeper into the pile and makes the patch wider. Blot with a dry cloth until nothing more comes across, and work from the outer edge towards the middle so that you do not smear the stain outwards.
- Coffee, tea, wine and fruit. Cold, and then a product that goes after the dye. See red wine stains and coffee stains.
- Grease and oil. Lift it dry first with an absorbent powder, and only then a drop of washing-up liquid. Water as the first step makes it worse. See removing grease stains.
- Blood, milk and vomit. Always cold. Heat makes these stains coagulate. See blood stains.
- Urine. Soak up as much as you can first, then treat the smell and not only the mark. The smell sits in the dried salts and comes back as soon as it gets damp again.
- Chewing gum and candle wax. Harden it with an ice cube in a bag, then break it away carefully. Heat works against you here.
Steam does not belong on this list. Heat on a protein stain sets it instead. Treat the stains first and steam afterwards.
The home remedies measured up
The old tips everybody repeats, and how much of them holds up.
Bicarbonate of soda, also called baking soda
This is the most asked question, so here is a straight answer: it absorbs smell and some moisture, and it does not lift a stain out of the fibre. Sprinkle it on, leave it a few hours, then vacuum very thoroughly. Anything that stays behind makes the pile feel rough and attracts dust later.
Vinegar
It tackles limescale, and there is none of that here. On a rug it does very little and it smells for a day afterwards. On wool it can attack the fibre as well.
Shaving foam
Better than its reputation, because it is soap foam with very little water in it. You get the soap action without the rug getting soaked. It does leave perfume and residue behind, so blot afterwards with a damp cloth.
Washing powder
It works on a stain if you make a paste of it, but on the whole rug it is a bad idea. You never rinse a rug out, so all the soap you put in stays in, and after that it attracts dirt faster.
Soft soap
Same story and the same objection. If you use it, use very little, and blot afterwards with clean water.
Steam
The strongest of the lot for a rug that is dull and musty across the whole surface. See the section above for what it does and does not do.
If what you are after is a homemade rug cleaning solution, that is the honest summary: bicarbonate of soda for smell, shaving foam for a quick freshen-up, a paste of washing powder on a single stain, and nothing at all across the whole rug that you cannot rinse back out afterwards.
By type of rug
Four materials that react differently.
Wool is the most sensitive. No hot water, no strongly alkaline product such as soda crystals or soft soap, and always test a corner first. Wool felts when heat and rubbing come together.
Deep pile holds dirt deep down in the pile. Vacuum more slowly here and in more directions, and use a nozzle without a brush so that you do not pull the pile apart. Brush it up by hand once it has dried and it stands up again.
Sisal and jute should barely get wet at all. These natural fibres shrink and take permanent water marks. The rule here is vacuum and treat dry, and blot a fresh stain immediately before it soaks in.
A Persian or antique rug does not belong in this article. On hand-knotted rugs with plant dyes the colour can run the moment it gets wet. That is work for a specialist.
The stairs and a bath mat
Two cases with a rule of their own.
Carpet on the stairs is the most heavily walked floor covering in the house, and the nose of each tread takes the worst of it. Work tread by tread there rather than in bands, and vacuum the corners out first with a narrow nozzle. Use little moisture, because a staircase dries badly and you cannot walk around it.
A bath mat can usually go straight in the washing machine, and that is the simplest solution in this whole article. Check the label, wash at thirty or forty degrees and dry it in the air, because the rubber backing comes away in the tumble dryer.
So that you have to do this less often
Sand is the real enemy, not stains.
What wears a rug out is sand lying between the fibres like sandpaper. Every step grinds that sand through the pile. That is why vacuuming regularly is not cleaning at all, it is maintenance.
A doormat big enough for three steps catches the bulk of it. That is not spectacular, but it makes more difference than any amount of cleaning.
Turn the rug half a turn twice a year, so that the walking route does not always fall on the same band. And treat a fresh stain straight away, because almost every stain will come out in the first minute and will not come out after a week.
Our cloths are at cleaning cloths.
What will not come out any more
The limit belongs in the answer.
A stain that has been in there for months, a discolouration from the sun, and pile that has been walked bare: that is changed material, not dirt. You will get the rug noticeably fresher, but the walking route stays visible.
That is not a question of finding the right product. A rug that has done years of service is allowed to look like a rug that has done years of service.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get a rug clean and fresh again?
Vacuum slowly in two directions first, then treat the individual stains separately, and finish the whole rug with as little moisture as you can. Steam works best here because the heat freshens the fibre without the rug getting soaked. Let it dry with air moving over it, a window open or a fan, and stay off it until the underside feels dry.
What does bicarbonate of soda do to your carpet?
It absorbs smell and some moisture, and that is all. Against a musty smell it does work: sprinkle it on, leave it a few hours, then vacuum very thoroughly. It will not lift a stain out of the fibre, and powder that stays behind makes the pile feel rough and attracts dust later.
How do I make my rug look as good as new again?
Usually you cannot, not completely, and that is the honest version. You will get it noticeably fresher and heat brings the pile back upright, but a walking route that has been walked bare and a discolouration that has soaked in are changed material. What does work completely: the smell gone, the dirt out and the fibre standing up again.
Can you clean a rug dry?
Truly dry does not exist, but steam comes closest: it is water in vapour form, so the rug is walkable again within an hour. Dry powder is genuinely dry but does not reach the dirt deeper down in the pile. A spray extraction machine is the wettest method of the lot and costs you a day of drying.
How do I clean a carpet without a machine?
Vacuum slowly in two directions, blot the individual stains, then work the whole surface section by section with a damp cloth and blot each section dry straight away with a second, dry cloth. Keep the cloth damp rather than wet, because a carpet never gets rinsed out and any soap or water you leave in stays in. Dry powder is the other option with no machine involved: sprinkle it on, brush it in, vacuum it up.
What are the old-fashioned tips for cleaning carpet?
The best known are bicarbonate of soda against smell, shaving foam against stains and vinegar against everything. Bicarbonate of soda and shaving foam genuinely do something, vinegar barely, because vinegar tackles limescale and there is none of that in a rug. Washing powder and soft soap do work, but they stay behind in the fibre, because you never rinse a rug out.
How often should I vacuum my rug?
Weekly along a walking route, every two weeks elsewhere. It is not about how it looks but about the sand between the fibres: that works like sandpaper and grinds the pile to pieces with every step you take on it.
Can a wool rug get wet?
With care. No hot water, no soda crystals and no soft soap, and always test a corner first. Wool felts when heat and rubbing come together, and that cannot be undone afterwards.
How do I get a stain out of my carpet?
Blot with a dry cloth, from the outer edge towards the middle, never rubbing. Then choose the product according to the kind of stain: cold for blood and milk, lift it dry first for grease, and a product that goes after the dye for coffee and wine. No steam, because heat sets protein stains instead.
Is hiring a carpet cleaner worth it?
On a large rug it can be, on a rug in the living room usually not. A machine like that puts a lot of water in, and that gives you rings and a day of drying time. When you compare, count the drive, the deposit and the half day as well, and bear in mind that afterwards you do not have the machine.
How long does a rug need to dry?
After steam or a damp cloth, usually an hour to a few hours with air moving over it. After a spray extraction machine, a whole day. Only walk on it once the underside feels dry, because otherwise you press the moisture down into the floor underneath.
How do you clean a large rug at home?
In sections, rather than trying to do all of it in one go, and finish each section completely before you move on to the next. A large rug is the one case where hiring a spray extraction machine can make sense, as long as you accept a full day of drying and the risk of rings. Whatever method you use, air moving over it is what shortens the drying, so a window open or a fan matters more than waiting does.
Can a bath mat go in the washing machine?
Usually yes, but check the label. Wash at thirty or forty degrees and dry it in the air: in the tumble dryer the rubber backing comes away.
Can I get sisal or jute wet?
Better not. These natural fibres shrink and keep permanent water marks. Vacuuming and treating them dry is the approach here, and blot a fresh stain immediately before it soaks in.
More around the house
Upholstery fabric takes a related approach: cleaning a fabric sofa. Everything sorted by job is under cleaning.