How Do You Clean A High-Texture Rug?| Q&A

From wild shags to flirty fringes to raised patterns—a fashion-forward floorcovering can be intimidating to approach from a cleaning standpoint. But what about a rug with multiple textures, details, and piles? Things get all the more puzzling. Jenna R. asks a great question:

I have a stunning statement rug, It’s super tactile with all these different textures and raised sections. I’m doing my best not to get it dirty. I even have a no-chips-near-the-rug rule! But I know I’ll have to clean it eventually. How do I begin to go about this task?

Melissa Says:

When your rug is like a piece of tactile art, you want to treat it with care. Keeping it clean is a great start (I like the no-chips rule!), but, even in the most well-kept environment, dust will settle on a rug and collect among its fibers. And dust attracts more dust and all other manner of dirt. So far from treating this item like the elephant in the room when you’re doing your usual vacuuming, I would recommend regular cleaning using my shag method: Turn the rug over and vacuum its backside, carefully avoiding any fringes or other details. This process will agitate loose dirt, causing it to fall on the floor underneath. Next, roll up the rug and put it aside to vacuum the now-dirty floor. Replace the rug face-side up. Take a careful look for any remaining loose debris; these can be vacuumed with the brush attachment. Spot clean any as stains per the manufacturer’s directions.

Hope that helps!

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