How to Clean a Shaggy Rug

Having a shaggy rug in your bedroom or living room can bring a feeling of luxuriousness to the room that normal carpet or wooden floors just cannot emulate. While we generally don’t see them all too often when commercial cleaning in Brisbane, they do look great in homes and feel fantastic underfoot. However, if you don’t know how to clean a shaggy rug properly, its longevity will be dramatically reduced, so it’s worth taking a read of this guide to understand shag rug cleaning.

What is a Shag Rug

Before we get started on how to clean a shaggy rug, let’s first discuss what exactly a shag rug is. Shag rugs are recognisable by their long, fluffy fibres. Normal carpets have a depth of 6-12mm (low and medium pile), but some high pile rugs can be significantly deeper, with soft and fluffy fibres. Early shag rugs were made entirely from wool, but today they can be formed from man-made fibres, wool and other animal hairs, and even leather!

The Advantages of Shaggy Rugs

• Shaggy rugs are visually pleasing and can make a room.
• Soft and comfortable flooring for specific areas of your home.
• Shag rugs are warm, ideal when the rest of your floor is laminate or other hard surface.

The Disadvantages of Shag Rugs

• Shag rug cleaning is more complicated than regular flooring.
• Dust mites and allergens build up, necessitating regular shaggy rug cleaning, otherwise they can become a health problem for sensitive people.
• Heavy foot traffic may lead to fibres being pulled from the shag rug.

8 Tips to Show You How to Clean a Shaggy Rug

Now that we’ve covered exactly what a shaggy rug is let’s look at the options for shag rug cleaning. There are several, and it’s important that know that you may need to combine more than one to get the best-looking results for your shag rug.

1. Shake or Beat Your Shaggy Rug

This should be your most frequent for shag rug cleaning. It is a highly effective way to shake out loose dirt particles and keep your shag rug looking fresh. In an ideal world, shake your shag rug out daily, as this will help prevent any buildup of grime that will reduce the appeal of your rug. For smaller rugs, just take it outside and shake it out, but for larger rugs, the weight means you’ll need to find a spot to drape it over and then beat it.

2. Vacuuming a Shaggy Rug

The next most essential way to keep your shag rug clean is to vacuum it. This should be done once or twice a week. Vacuum both sides of the rug to help remove all the grit and dust that may have been building up. If you have a rake or upholstery vacuuming attachment, be sure to use this unless the instructions that came with your rug say differently.

One thing to be aware of is that the rotating bar of a vacuum can pull our fibres and lead to shedding. If this is a concern for your rug, only vacuum the back of the shaggy rug. If a fibre does get stuck, use scissors to cut the fibre rather than attempting to yank it out.

3. Wash Your Shag Rug

While you can’t put a shaggy rug through the washing machine, you can still wash it by hand now and then. First, check that your rug is not dry clean only. As long as that’s not a problem, you can use a mild detergent and a soft-bristled brush to scrub your shaggy rug.

Shake and vacuum your rug first, then add a scoop of detergent to your bathtub (two for larger rugs). Put the entire rug into the tub and let it soak for 10 minutes, then gently clean any stains away with your brush. Once this is complete, extract as much water as possible and take note of our drying advice below.

4. Using Dry Shampoo on your Shaggy Rug

If vacuuming isn’t getting the job done, and you’re leery of using water on your shag rug, you can use a dry shampoo instead. The advantage of this is you won’t have to lug your rug into the bathroom and carry it out wet again (which can be very heavy). The process is simple:

1. Obtain a dry carpet shampoo and a soft bristle brush.
2. Vacuum the shag rug.
3. Generously sprinkle the dry shampoo across the entire rug.
4. Allow the dry shampoo to sit for as long as the instructions recommend.
5. Shake, beat or vacuum the shag rug to remove the dry shampoo.

5. Spot Cleaning your Shag Rug

One of the essential things to learn is how to clean shag rug in specific, limited areas – i.e. when someone has spilt something on your previous shag rug. The most important thing to be aware of is that time is of the essence.

A spill can typically be removed with proper treatment, but the longer it is left, the more stubborn the stain will become as it dries into the fibres. If the spill is coloured, such as a classic red wine spill, add water to the rug to dilute and desaturate the colour before blotting it away with a towel to get as much of the liquid out as possible. Then, take a soft bristle brush and mild soap and scrub the spill area in a circular motion. Rinse again with water to ensure as much colour as possible has been lifted out, then blot the excess water away again before leaving it to dry.

6. Using White Vinegar for Shaggy Rugs

Another method for spot cleaning is to use white vinegar, which is best used immediately after a spill occurs. Mix water and white vinegar in equal parts and pour directly on the affected area. Use a cloth to work the mixture into the stain and move in circular motions until the stain is removed. If there is a risk of odour, sprinkle bicarbonate soda on the area and leave it to dry, then remove it with a vacuum.

7. Steam Cleaning a shag rug

This is the best method for removing dirt and odours from a shag rug. Naturally, you’ll need a steam cleaner to be able to do this yourself. Start with a freshly vacuumed shag rug, and then add water and a cleaning liquid (as directed by your cleaner’s instruction manual). Run the steam cleaner over any stains or across the entire rug until it is clean and odour-free. We love the steam clean rug method but it also can be an expensive one.

8. How to Dry Your Shaggy Rug

When you are finished cleaning your shaggy rug, it must be dried. Otherwise, you will soon have unpleasant odours and a build-up of bacteria, mould and other nasties in your shag rug.

Begin by ensuring your rug is not sopping wet. If it is, grab a towel or two and blot the water out. An effective method to do this is to lay the towel on the rug and then walk around on it briefly.

Once the excess has been removed, hang your rug up to dry. If you can, hang the rug outside, as UV light will kill bacteria, and the sun’s warmth will soon dry the rug. If not, use a cool air dryer or a heater with a blower function (be sure to keep it at a safe distance and not scorch your shag rug).

Cleanco Commercial Cleaning – Brisbane’s Premier Cleaning Company

We pride ourselves on knowing how to clean anything, anywhere and that’s what makes us the best commercial cleaners in Brisbane. We hope you’ve taken something away from our guide on how to clean a shaggy rug.

We offer a wide range of office, hospital, and warehouse cleaning services. For a full list of the types of sites we cover, check our cleaning services page.

Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to provide you with a custom quote for ridding your property of stubborn grime and leaving it sparkling.