I know having your Moroccan rug professionally cleaned can be pricey, and it can also be hard to find a reliable oriental rug cleaner in your neighbourhood to trust with your precious rug. So, I thought I’d share my favorite DIY tips for cleaning your own rug. You’ll ideally need a backyard, laundry soap, and a little bit of willpower!

If you’re in the Montreal area and looking to have your rug cleaned – definitely shoot us an email; we have some trusted recommendations. We’ve also saved many rugs from despair, wine spills, dog massacres, and many more crazy stuff!

The first step is determining if your rug is wool or cotton because it will affect the way you clean your rug. If you’re not sure, please read this blog post that will help you figure it out.

Quick Rug refresh routine for wool rugs

To illustrate this method, we’ve created an Instagram Reel; you can watch it right here. This is a monthly routine to ensure your Moroccan wool rug stays clean as long as possible, this way you can maintain it and won’t have to clean it that often.

1- Shake off your rug outside. Turn it upside down and shake it off! For larger rugs, it’s easier for 2 people to shake it off together.

2- Gently brush your rug: Using a plastic brush or a small BBQ brush (I buy mine at the dollar store, they don’t always carry them but they sell them in a pack of 3 small brushes in the seasonal section, there’s 1 plastic brush and 2 metal brushes. I find the metal brushes work wonders!) brushing your rug will remove stuck debris, and yes, it will remove a bit of wool in the process but don’t worry, this won’t damage your rug.

3- Vacuum it! Clients are often afraid to vacuum their precious Moroccan rug, but trust me, I have a very powerful Dyson vacuum and no, it won’t dammage a real high-quality Moroccan rug. Done! This quick refresh really do wonders!

I often get asked how often I should clean my Moroccan rug, but the thing is it really depends! Pro Tip: Don’t wait for your rug to be grey to wash it! If you have furry animals or wilder animals like my two young boys (Ha! IYKYK) you might need to clean your rug more often. But if you’re 2 well-behaved adults, you’ll probably need to wash your rug only once a year.

Moroccan rug washing, DIY in the backyard:
(Suitable for both wool and cotton rugs) This method is for the lucky folks who have a backyard. You’ll need a plastic tarp, a water hose, laundry soap, and optionally Shout spray if you need to get rid of some stains.

Instructions:

1 – Spray Shout on stains. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

2 – Add some laundry soap; you can pour some directly on the rug or use a spray bottle and dilute with water.

3 – You can use your hand to gently massage the rug with soap and water.

4 – Use your hose and rinse throughout both sides.

5 – Roll it tightly to remove excess water.

6 – Hang to dry in the sun.

7- Extra step for wool rugs only: Once it’s completely dry, gently brush it with a small plastic or metal brush.

DIY with a Water Pressure Machine (for cotton rugs only)

If you have a cotton rug and you really want to give it a deep clean or waited too long to wash it and you feel like the white background is grey or stained, a pressure machine can really work well. Of course, we can’t guarantee the result and it’s riskier because if the pressure is too strong, the colors could be affected. Always use cold water and the lowest pressure your machine has to begin with. Again, you can use Shout spray on stains and laundry soap. Roll and remove excess water. Let it dry in the sun.

Machine wash: (for cotton rugs only)

Machine wash is suitable for cotton rugs only. If you’re having trouble determining if your rug is made out of cotton or wool, visit this blog post for guidance. As a rule of thumb, the biggest size of rug you could wash in the machine would be a 5×7 unless you have access to an industrial washing machine (I’ve found some laundromats have industrial-size machines!)

Tumble Dry: (for cotton rugs only)

Tumble dry is suitable for cotton rugs only. The biggest size of rug you’ll be able to put in your dryer would be a 5×7, and that’s if your machine is large. If not, you can hang to dry in the sun.

Cutting out threads:
If you find the rug has more hanging threads after the wash you can cut these threads without damaging your rug. Just make sure you cut only the hanging threads and not the base of the fabric or it will untie and break the rug.

If you need more info on rug cleaning, visit this link where we share our best tips & tricks to clean your Moroccan rug and make sure it stays gorgeous for a lifetime!

Again, I’m here to help! I’d be happy to assist you with advice on rug cleaning. Just email me, and I’ll do my best to help. – Stephanie