6 Rug Cleaning Mistakes You Should Avoid if You Don't Want to Damage Your Floor Covering

Rugs have a way of warming up a room, while adding a touch of color and personality. As well as decorating your home, rugs deal with a lot of traffic day to day, leading to an accumulation of dust and dirt. To maintain your rugs appearance and longevity, you'll need to know how to clean it correctly, but oftentimes, we may make a few mistakes along the way, causing damage to our rugs instead. So, how do you avoid this from happening? Well, the simple answer would be to clean it — correctly.

When learning how to clean a rug, there are certain rug mistakes you'll want to avoid making. "If you clean your rugs regularly and the correct way, then they will last you a long time," says cleaning expert Chris Willatt and owner of Alpine Maids. "Not using chemicals designed for regular household use, not cleaning spills right away and correctly can easily damage your rug and most rugs are not cheap these days. So, keeping them clean correctly is important."

It's time to dive into some of the most common rug cleaning mistakes you'll want to avoid when giving your rug a good scrub down and what you need to do to fix them.

1. Using the Wrong Products

The best rugs are those that are taken care of properly and that means knowing exactly how to clean your rug and what is needed. Although it's tempting to simply wipe away a stain with a towel, Cleaning expert, Chris Willatt and owner of Alpine Maids says, this can actually cause more harm than good.

"The biggest thing people do wrong is use the wrong cleaner to clean their rugs," explains Chris. "Many times, a spill occurs, and people immediately try to rub it out with a towel which only causes the spill to seep further into the fabric. Then they try a cleaner like Lysol that can easily damage the color and fibers of the rug." The expert says you should never use a cleaner on a rug, unless it is a specific rug or carpet cleaner.

Chris recommends using the following products when cleaning a rug: Resolve carpet and rug cleaner spray from Amazon, Rug Doctor brand cleaners, which can be found at Target and Spot Shot instant carpet stain remover.

2. Using Too Much Water

If you're looking to give your bedroom rug a good clean, you should probably avoid using too much water, as this may damage your much-loved furniture.

Elizabeth Shields, a cleaning expert from Super Cleaning Service Louisville, tells us: "If we go overboard and use too much water, especially on rugs with unstable dyes, we might end up with color bleeding, and that’s not a good look."

To avoid this, Elizabeth says you'll want to rinse the rug thoroughly enough to get all the cleaning solution out, but she notes that there is a fine line. "Plus, too much water can weaken the rug’s backing or make it soggy, and nobody wants a soggy rug," Elizabeth adds. "On top of that, if the rug doesn’t dry properly, we could end up with mold and mildew, and that’s a whole different problem."

3. Not Vacuuming Properly

Another mistake the experts say you might be making is not vacuuming properly. This can cause dust and dirt to accumulate and can lead to bacteria build up.

Chris says: "Not vacuuming your rug allows dirt, grime and dust to build up in the fibers of the rug. This creates a home for bacteria that can potentially be dangerous to you, your kids and pets." The expert says to avoid this, you should aim to vacuum at least once a week. "Also do not over vacuum your rugs as this will also deteriorate the fibers causing them to flatten and make your rug hard," notes Chris.

Elizabeth says if you skip vacuuming before cleaning, then you're missing a crucial step to the process. "Think of it this way, you wouldn’t mop a floor without sweeping up the crumbs and dirt first, right? Same idea with your rug," she tells us. "If you skip this step and just start spritzing cleaning solution on there, you’re mixing in all that dirt, making your cleaning job way harder. That dirt could end up rubbing against the rug fibers, causing more wear and tear."

When you vacuum, you want to make sure you’re getting everything out, so going over the rug from different angles is the key to remove dirt. If your rug has fringes, Elizabeth suggests you use a nozzle attachment. What are you waiting for? Grab your vacuum cleaner and let's get rid of the dust and debris hiding deep within your rug.

4. Not Addressing Stains Quickly

If you spill something on your living room rug, what do you do? The best approach in that moment is to address the issue at hand, there and then — don't just avoid it!

Not addressing stains as soon as possible is another mistake that many seem to make, according to cleaning expert Elizabeth. It's never fun dealing with stains, but once it does occur, it's best to treat it as soon as possible.

"You accidentally spill some red wine on your rug, and you think, 'I’ll clean that up later.' But then life happens, and a week goes by before you know it," explains Elizabeth. "By then, that wine stain has really set itself in and become a lot harder to remove." The cleaning expert emphasises the importance of dealing with the stain as soon as it occurs and this will give you a better chance of getting rid of any stains.

5. Overusing Cleaning Products

You can't possibly use too much cleaning product, right? Well actually using a whole bunch of cleaning products is a big rug maintenance mistake.

"I totally get it, we all want our floors and surfaces to be squeaky clean, but using too much cleaner can actually backfire," says Elizabeth. "It’s counterproductive as it might leave behind a weird residue that actually attracts more dirt."

If you’re dealing with a small spot, you don’t need to douse the area in cleaner, a little goes a long way. Sometimes spot cleaning is the key to success!

6. Not Protecting The Rug

Understanding rug placement is essential when it comes to knowing how to protect your rug. Elizabeth says a mistake people often make is not protecting your rug before placing it in your home. The expert says you should add a pad beneath your rug to help keep it in place and protect the flooring.

She notes: "A pad not only keeps your rug in place but also protects your flooring. For instance, if you have hardwood floors, a high-quality rug pad can prevent any scratches or damages. For fluffy ones, a pad designed for that type will help keep it from slipping around."

For areas around the home where spills are likely to take place, Elizabeth suggests adding a rug protector spray (like this Scotchgard Rug & Carpet Protector and Stain Blocker Spray from Walmart,) to add an extra layer of defense.

FAQs

Why does my area rug smell worse after cleaning?

Using to much water could be the problem. "Over wetting can be a cause of odor after cleaning your rug," says Chris.

The expert says this can create a musty odor, especially if you've done this repeatedly. "Not allowing your rug to thoroughly dry after each cleaning is another cause of smells," he adds. "If you don’t allow your rug to dry completely then mold and mildew may grow. The next time you wet the rug to clean it these smells will seep out."

Why does my rug look streaky after cleaning?

"This again, is caused by over wetting," explains Chris. "It is called wicking. This is caused when you over wet the carpet, and the back of the rug." Once the water dries up on the rug, any left over residue can seep back to the rugs surface and therefore lead to streaks.