Rug cleaning, by yourself

Forums: Home Maintenance, Cleaning Rugs, Beating Rugs
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I now have a variety of rugs. One was from a wild and wonderful furniture emporium, one was from a well regarded antique dealer, and a bunch were from the guy down the street from our gallery, whom I liked, but let me just assume those rugs are worth lots less that what I bought them for as his neighbor. I don't care, I really like the lot of them.

I am not interested in proper expenditure for rugs. Just interested in the everyday of how to keep them going.

Back in north north, I was wild to keep them from getting moldy...

here in the very dry southwest, I'm less concerned. It's more a case of sand and rugs. Wave rugs in air...

Back in northnorth, I had a cable clothesline, and I could - after vacuuming, or maybe even sans vacuuming, whack the rug with a broom til I tired. I've also been known to hose down a rug, in the summertime...
but, mold being a question, I'd be careful of that. I've used dog-combs on rugs, not just for dog hair.

Here in sandville, I suppose things will be primeval. I need to work up a rail to hang rugs on to beat the sand out of them...

Obviously if my rugs were large and valuable, like the one my aunt/aunt had at the house at the top of Sausalito, I'd call in professionals. I'm talking me, a person with some not-valuable old nice rugs.

How do you deal with rugs?

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Personally, I vacuum with it my Hoover vacuum-cleander then use my smallish rug-shampooer and some decent rug shampoo and hot tap water; however, I wouldn't do this same process on an expensive oriental, though.

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Quote:

whack the rug with a broom til I tired

:wink:

that reminds me of growing up in germany where my older brother and i just loved to beat the rugs mercilessly two-three times a year - mother would still vacuum them though .
the job required a special RUGBEATER that would usually be bought from a travelling salesman .
those beaters were about 3 1/2 long ; lots of fun to SWING AWAY !

http://www.biologie.de/w/images/2/2e/Teppichklopfer.jpg

now it's my job to vacuum the rugs once a week - it being monday , this was the day to do it .
we've got ten oriental/semi-oriental rugs and they seem to respond well to the treatment -we've had them for at least thirty years .
mrs. h does some spot-cleaning as required and that's it .
most of them are densily woven wool rugs and they really don't pick up much dirt at all .
some fifteen years ago we had a bit of flooding in the basement - luckily just water from the washing machine . since we had the cleaners in , we asked to clean the two largest rugs professionally . i understand they sprinkled them with baking powder and vacuum-cleaned them - didn't seem to make any difference .
hbg

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I may combine this problem with my too lame back patio overhead.

Please understand that I know what I am doing with overhead construction. And yet, my own backyard overhead here in southsouth is a possible feature for how not to do a patio overhead. I thought I'd just fix it, but money is spare.
I'd do the whole thing over, including the .......concrete, but, while I await the lottery, I'll be doing some considering.

I suppose I should show photos.

Point being, that I would have cross bars for rug hanging, or, whatever... (not to mention more and better columns...)

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My grandmother was one for slinging rugs over the clothesline and whacking them from here to Christmas with an old fashioned carpet beater.

My mother insisted that whacking rugs broke fibers in the rugs.

I'd be especially leery of whacking rugs in the wild and wooly west. I spent some time in the flatlands of Colorado and that adobe grit is scratchy.

Are you likely to get any snowfall in your area? I've had good luck dry cleaning rugs with snow.

Put the rug/s outside overnight so that all the crud in the rug freezes.

Unroll the rug upside down on a stretch of unspoiled snow.

Very gently--but with some vigor--pat the rug so that the frozen crud is dislodged.

You have to look at a year's worth of crud until the snow melts, but the rugs are cleaner.

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Noddy, I never would have thought of that!

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ADVICE FROM CANADIAN CARPET INSTITUTE (link)

Quote:

Caring for your Carpet
Vacuuming
Maintain your carpet according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Regular vacuuming is the most important cleaning activity for your carpet. About 80% of dirt that enters the home is dry. That is why a good practice is to regularly vacuum the areas that receive the most traffic, such as hallways, stairs, exterior entryways, and paths in the home where there is constant wear. Vacuum the entire carpeted area at least once a week.

For the best cleaning results, no matter which type vacuum cleaner you purchase, inspect it periodically to be sure it is functioning properly. Be sure to follow these basic care procedures for your vacuum:

Keep brushes clean and replace them when worn.
Inspect the vacuum head for rough edges or bent metal that may damage your carpet.
Follow the vacuum cleaner manufacturer's instructions, and change the vacuum bag when it becomes more than half full. As the bag becomes full, efficiency is reduced.
The Best Vacuum
Keep in mind that carpet is probably subject to more abuse than any other home furnishing. Different qualities and styles of carpet will perform differently, and the way the carpet is vacuumed and maintained, as well as the condition of the vacuum cleaner, can also affect performance.

It is essential to vacuum often (minimum once per week), using a top quality vacuum, to prolong the life of the carpet.

Vacuum cleaners with revolving brushes or beater bars and a high filtration internally- housed vacuum bag are recommended for the best overall cleaning. Change the bag regularly and check for worn belts.

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Osso--

I think I read it in Mother Earth. The first Mr. Noddy was a man most concerned with how my actions would reflect on his image. When I became single again my sons (8 and 10) dragged the rugs outside and proved that folk wisdom worked.

If you're a little short on snow in the desert, using an old sheet or bedspread as a substitute for nice clean snow might work. The trick is the below-freezing temperatures.

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We have recently had below freezing here. (So much for potting the geraniums and bringing them inside, such a slug I am.)
Unfortunately, re snow, which we've already had, my rugs aren't that dirty yet, but I suppose they will be by february.

Vacuuming... well, most of the rugs are small-ish or, if not small, thin-ish, except for Main Rug, and one has to secure them in space before vacuuming, sort of this giant deal of rug straddling, or rug clothes-pinning. (I haven't found the rug pads, such as they were, yet).

Then there's the leather rug, from St. Vincent de Paul's... or was it the Discovery Shop? It's about 2 x 3 feet...

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I think I need one of those rug whappers that hamburger posted a photo of...

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I'm something of a fanatic when it comes to clean rugs.

I don't think this would be a good thing for antique rugs, but for anyone interested, here's the best (I think) way to maintain clean carpeting. All this is beyond regular vacuuming...

As far as I'm concerned, a rug shampoo machine only grinds soap down into the pile, actually attracting more dirt to the detergent.

What people need is a good steam cleaner, and not for use once a year. I steam clean every 2 or 3 months, minimum.

#1 - pretreat stains with the proper product. Not just stains either. Spray on small spots of dirt and they will easily come up later.

While the pretreatment is settling in, bring a large pot of water to a BOIL. That is the water to put in your clean water compartment of the steam cleaner. Add hot, Hot, HOT tap water if it doesn't fill the compartment fully. Don't go crazy with the soap, only use the recommended amount, or less. I use less since I know the pretreatment is on parts of the carpet.

Steam clean according to directions....THEN.....

While dumping out the dirty water and cleaning the machine, having a coke, etc. Bring a 2nd large pot of water to a boil.

This time, do NOT add any detergent. Steam clean the entire carpet again, bringing up all the soap residue. You may be amazed if the water of this 2nd go round looks as dirty as the first batch....and you were willing to accept that as clean.

The key is to suck up as much of the water from the carpet as possible.

After rug is thouroughly dried the next day, vacuum again.

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Stares at Chai's directions, listens...

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Rug cleaning, by yourself

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