how to wash a wool rug in washing machine

How To Wash A Wool Rug In Washing Machine Yourself At Home!

How to wash a wool rug in washing machine? One of the most frequently asked questions is, “can you wash rugs in the washing machine?”

Washing machines have made even rug washing a speedy and easy job. Ask a carpet cleaner or a rug manufacturer about the energy and effort it takes to clean a carpet. If your rug is large enough for your home machine to wash it, then contact your local laundromat because they have industrial-size tools to get these tasks done efficiently. 

In this article below, know all tips and do’s & don’ts of cleaning rugs using your home’s washing machine.

What kind Of Rugs Can Washing Machine Clean?

There is no domestic special rug washing machine for the purpose. It is important to know how to care for a wool rug if you have it in your home space.Washing machines can clean area rugs that are lightweight, small in size, and have low piles or those rugs without piles.

Cotton & Synthetic Rugs:
Persian oriental rugs need professional wool rug cleaning and cannot be washed in machines not only because they need a special treatment but also because they are too substantial and significant for the machine to handle. Rugs made of cotton and other synthetics like polyester, polypropylene, nylon can have a thorough wash in the machine. 

Rubber Backing Rugs:
One can also wash rubber backs and rugs with non-slip backing in the washing machine, but avoid washing them too often. These rugs with rubber backing cannot withstand water over and over again and result in weakening them.

Dhurries:
Dhurry or flatweave rugs are lightweight rugs that come in small, medium, and large sizes and are easier to wash in the washing machine.

Mats & Bathroom Rugs:
Mats are used for many purposes, especially in high traffic areas. Some mats like doormats, cat mats, yoga mats, and car mats usually come in small sizes, from 1.5 feet wide to 3-4 feet in length, and therefore it’s easy to wash them in the washing machine.

How To Clean A Wool Carpet Yourself

It depends on your washing machine’s capacity as to what rug sizes it can handle to wash. However, it is always better to use chemical-free ingredients for cleaning your floor coverings for safety measures. For this purpose, use the cleaning ingredients that are already present in your house. What are they?

INGREDIENTS

Liquid Detergent
Bleach (optional)
Cold-water
Fragrance oil (optional)

Step By Step Cleaning Guide

  • First, take your rug outside in the open and vigorously dust out the extra dirt and soil. While doing this, you unnoticeable have already removed more than 10% of the filthy from the rug.
  • Add tap water in your washing machine so much that it does not flow out with the cleaning ingredients when the rug goes in it.
  • Then add the washing ingredients like the liquid detergent in the machine.
  • Now place your rug inside and let the machine start to wash. In a short while, stop the engine and take out the area rug to check if the rug was not fading away any color or how well it was doing within. Check the colorfast rub with a piece of white cloth on the rug and see any color transferred onto the white fabric. If you find it colorfast, you need to be careful and also that you must not wash any other garments along with it.
  • Add very little bleach if you notice the dirt is too hard to remove. After washing, completely drain out the detergent water and add fresh tap water to rinse out the foam. Repeat the process till the foam completely drains out as well.
  • In the end, you may also add some fragrance oil on some enticing smell and to remove any odor.
  • After washing the rug, take it out of the machine and never attempt to dry it in the drier else it will result in shrinkage and deteriorate the backing. Instead, roll the rug tightly, tie it with a thread and let it stand vertically, supporting it against the wall for the next 12-24 hours. In this way, most of the water in the rug will run downwards and flow out of the carpet.
  • After the excess of water is out, then place the rug on a hanger and let it air dry. By the way, this is precisely how carpet and rug manufacturers do after a rug wash.

Pro And Cons Of Washing Rugs In A Washing Machine

The advantages over the disadvantages of cleaning rugs in washing machines are less because these machines are not specifically designed to clean carpets/rugs. They are for cleaning lighter textiles like clothes, bed-sheets, curtains, and also blankets and quilts.

PROs

  • It is quick, easy and very convenient
  • It is safer to wash rugs in washing machines, mainly if any harmful toxins are emitted from the rug’s dye or the washing ingredients.

CONs

  • Not every kind of rug fiber can get washed in a washing machine, e.g., jute fiber area rugs. 
  • It needs plenty of room to move freely. Larger-sized area rugs need high capacity and more massive machines as they cannot fit in low capacity home machines. Hence only small rugs, like mats, light dhurries, flatweaves, and others, can fit in washing machines. fit
  • Heavy rug washing may lead to an early breakdown of the machine.
  • Sometimes it becomes necessary to use brushes, scrubbings, and other cleaning tools to remove or clean hard stains or dirt from rugs that washing machines cannot do. Some rugs require a special hand wash.
  • Some color dyes tend to fade while washing. So it becomes difficult to know what’s happening within the machine. Hence it might lead to color overlapping or discoloration.

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HAPPY  MACHINE WASHING