Why Rugs Should Not Be Cleaned In The Home

There are several reasons why cleaning rugs properly, requires them to be removed from the home.
One of the biggest reasons is that rugs can't be properly beaten, or dusted, in the home... and removal of this soil before cleaning is absolutely essential.
Another reason is that proper washing of the rug simply cannot be done with standard carpet cleaning machines. (Portables or truckmounts) That type of cleaning is considered surface cleaning and not washing.

Here is a cover story in Cleanfax Magazine, (One of the leading carpet cleaning industry publications) discussing some of the specific reasons why choosing to clean a rug in the home can cause more harm than good. This is information every professional cleaner should know, but unfortunately, many don't.
Certainly it's information that any person that owns and cares about their rugs needs to know:

I am not saying that rugs can just be tossed in water with no worries. You need a competent, trained specialist to do your cleaning or they can do much more harm than good. (This site was created to help you find one.)

Wool fibers are comprised of layers of cuticles there are a lot of “pockets” to hide dust and soil. This means over time the rug does not look “filthy” even when it is, because it hides the dust and just starts to look duller.

This means wool rugs look better longer versus all other fiber choices.

This also means, however, that most wool rug owners who have no idea how often they should be cleaning their rug, wait too long.

Those dust filled layers of the wool fibers are what result in fiber breakage and wearing down of the pile over time. That is because dust is small silicon particles (essentially glass) that cuts and tears the fibers when people walk on the rug. This is why on older rugs you will often see areas of the rug that are worn lower than other areas. It is not from feet, it is from the dirt and it not being washed as frequently as it should have.

These dust-filled layers of wool fibers are also why rugs should never be cleaned in the home by carpet cleaning equipment. That type of “surface cleaning” traps soil in the fibers and packs it down into the foundation of the rug, and causes damage to the rug that manifests itself as fiber wear, discoloration of the dyes, a “graying” of the rug, stiffness of the pile, and in the worst cases dry rot of the foundation.

Other natural fibers (silk, cotton, sisal, jute, hemp, and other derivatives) do not hide soil as well as wool does. They should be cleaned when you begin to see grayer areas in the field of the rug.

SYNTHETIC FIBER RUGS

(petroleum based fibers)

Synthetic fibers are petroleum-based plastic made in a way to give a softer feel that makes them more attractive as a rug. These are nylon, olefin (polypropylene), polyester, acrylic and other derivatives.

These rugs should be cheap, because they are machine woven, and they do not last anywhere near the length of time as wool rugs do. Wool rugs can last decades easily, and many can last centuries if cared for properly. Synthetic rugs will last you a few years.

Synthetic fibers, especially polypropylene and acrylic, “ugly” with little use. Dust and grit has nowhere to hide, so it sticks to the outer shell of the fibers. Because these fibers are oil-based, they also grab soil and spills and attract them more than other fibers do.

These fibers also are not strong, so foot traffic will create pile distortion and wear much faster than with natural fibers.

However, because these are cheaper rugs, and most are stain-proof (because they are solution-dyed plastic), they are a perfect choice for an area you expect a lot of abuse with spills. They will fade, but most are able to repel juice and other dye-based stains.

Also, because synthetic fibers are plastic, they can be safely “steam cleaned” with hot water extraction carpet cleaning equipment, and much more aggressive cleaning chemicals. There is no need to hand wash these rugs, they can be blasted with high heat and high alkaline cleaning solutions, just as your wall-to-wall carpet can.