How Do You Clean an Area Rug without Moving It?

Area rug transforms your room into a cozy and comfortable space. It enhances the homedécor with contrasting colors and designs. Make a bold statement with bright and whimsical colors. You can add multiple layered area rugs for enhanced aesthetics.Numerous reasons are there to place area rugs in your home. But, maintaining the quality of an area rug is challenging. If you want to clean an area rug without moving it, this post will greatly help.

You might have heard new area rug owners say vacuuming the rug is enough, which is false. A home vacuum cleaner removes dirt and dust fromthe rug’s surface. Meanwhile, the bacteria, mites, and other harmful elements dig deep inside the fibers.

The built-up pollutes the environment in the house and damages the rug’s quality. Over time, the rug loses its vibrant colors, and the fibers break down. If you want to maintain the quality of the rug and increase itslife expectancy,regularly vacuum the rug and perform deep cleaning once in a while.

When to Clean an Area Rug?

Clean an area rug twice a week with a home vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner will prevent dust and mites from entering the fibers. Plan adeep cleaning two times a year to remove accumulated dust and dirt. Depending on the foot traffic in the area, you may increase deep cleaning to three or more.

Since effective deep cleaning requirestime, effort, and skill, hiring a professional rug cleaning service is the best option.You can clean an area rug without moving it all by yourself, but there is a risk that you might damage the rug’s quality.

Supplies and Tools You Will Need

If you decide to clean an area all alone, you would need these supplies and tools:
• Bucket
• Water
• Rug shampoo
• Sponge or soft brush
• Carpet steamer
• Rubber gloves
• Garden hose
• Plastic sheets
• Vacuum cleaner
• Baking soda
• Carpet stain remover

Steps to Clean an Area Rug without Moving It

It is challenging to clean an area rug without moving it because rug shampoo and water might damage your furniture. You are good to go if you don’t have furniture in the room and the space is open. Follow these steps to deep clean at home:

1.  Removing Debris with a Brush
   Grab a soft brush and remove debris from the rug’s surface. Remember to use a soft brush or sponge, or you might damage the rug’s knots and wefts. A hard brush will loosen up the knots, breaking the carpet strings. Using a brush to clean the carpet prevents fibers from mating down. Also, brushing is a good technique to scratch stains and soiling.
2. Removing Dirtwith a Vacuum Cleaner
   Now it’s time to remove the dirt from the rug’s surface. You can use an ordinary vacuum cleaner at home for this step. The right method to vacuum an area rug is moving toward the pile.
   Many homeownersbeat the rug while vacuuming, which is a bad practice. Beating breaks the latex backing damaging the structure.Also, vacuuming the back of the rug will damage the fibers. Therefore, you stick to the rug’s top.
3. Mixing Your Cleaner
   Use rug shampoo to deep clean the rug. Other solutions contain harmful chemicals, damaging fibers, and faded colors. Follow the instructions on the rug shampoo for mixing the cleaner. Be careful with the amount of cleaner you add to the rug shampoo, or it will damage the rug.
   Area rugs are delicate and precious, and using the wrong cleaning solutions can affect their life. Hot water can shrink and cause fade, so you should use cold water. Mild dish detergent mixed with water will also work well for rug cleaning.
4. Starting with Spot Cleaning
   It is good to start with the small stains by spot cleaning. Mix one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in warm water. Apply the solution and use a soft brush to clean the stained area. Keep the solution for 10 minutes and clean with a clean cloth.
5. Removing Odor
   Sprinkle baking soda on the rug to eliminate odor. Baking soda absorbs odor and loosens up the soil in the fibers. Use a sponge to work the backing soda into the fibers. Vacuum the rug again to remove the baking soda and remaining dust.
6. Washing the Rug
   Dip the sponge in the bucket filled with cleaning solution and apply it on the surface until it forms a lather. The solution will lift the fibers’ dust, dirt, and bacteria. Let the cleaner sit on the rug, which will take around five to seven minutes.
7. Rinsing the Rug
   Use a garden hose to rinse the cleaning agent on the rug. Runoff the water until you see crystal clear water leaving the area rug.You will be left with a wet and clean area rug.
8. Cleaning with Carpet Steamer
   You can use a carpet steamer to bring life to your area rug. Although this process is not necessary, it will give final touchups. If you have plans to deep clean the rug more often, buying it would be the best decision. But renting a steamer is also fine.
9. Removing Water
   Removing water is time-consuming, especially if you want to clean an area rug without moving it. Keeping two to three-floor fans around the rug at full speed is a quick way to remove excess water. Turn on the fans and open the windows for the air to evaporate the water. On average, an area rug takes about 48 hours to dry.

Conclusion

After drying the rug, you will have a clean, beautiful one with a pleasant smell. As you can see, it is challenging to clean an area rug without moving it. If you want to avoid all these hassles, we suggest you hire a professional rug cleaning company in your neighborhood.

NYCleaners is a professional rug cleaning company in New York City. We have experienced technicians with extensive experiencein cleaning the rug. We use the latest technology to clean an area rug without moving it. Want to talk with experts? Give us a call now.