Vacuuming a shag rug is a great way to get dust and dirt out of its long fibers. However, turn off the vacuum’s beater bar so you don’t inadvertently tear fibers off of the rug. [2] X Research source If your vacuum doesn’t have a turn-off for the beater bar, try borrowing a different vacuum from a friend. When you’re vacuuming an Oriental rug or a home-made or hand-knotted rug, set a sheet of nylon screening over the rug for protection. Weigh the edges of the nylon down with 3–4 books. [3] X Research source Sprinkle baking soda onto your rug and let it sit on your rug before vacuuming every 3 months. This will help deodorize your rug.
Flip the rug back right-side up once you’ve vacuumed the underside.
Also try beating the rug with a broom handle while you’re holding it in the air. If you see puffs of dust coming from the rug, keep beating it. [6] X Research source However, if you’re cleaning an old or expensive area rug, don’t beat it with a broom handle. In fact, depending on the rug’s condition, it might be best not to shake it outside.
You can purchase a brush with stiff plastic bristles at a hardware store. Don’t use a brush with metal bristles, as these will tear up the rug.
Purchase rug shampoo at home-improvement stores and some large supermarkets. It may also be for sale at a local hardware store. Some rug materials cannot be fully saturated with water or they react poorly to chemicals. Always double check the material for your rug before wet-cleaning it.
If the patch of rug is discolored, you’ll need to return the shampoo and purchase a different type. Continue testing rug shampoos until you find one that works.
If you don’t have a hose (and don’t plan to purchase one), you can dump 8-10 bucketfuls of water across the surface of the rug.
Scrub especially hard on any areas on the rug that are stained or extra dirty. For example, the rug may have muddy footprints or food stains on it.
If you don’t have a hose, rinse off the rug by dousing it with half a dozen buckets of water.
Buy a squeegee at any hardware store or a large supermarket.
Help the rug dry quickly by setting up 1 or 2 floor fans in the room with the rug to circulate air over it. [15] X Research source Once the rug has dried, give it a shake or 2 to fluff it up and return the rug to its spot on the floor.
