Sacramento Showroom · Rug Care
Rug Care & Cleaning in Sacramento
The rugs we sell are water-safe. Our Persian- and Turkish-design rugs are woven in polypropylene, which does not absorb water — you can wash one by hand at home, run a carpet-cleaning machine over it, or take it to a rug-washing facility. Below is how to do it properly, and how the other fibres differ. We are a rug shop on Watt Avenue, not a wash plant, so this is advice, freely given.
Four ways to wash our rugs — all of them fine
- By hand, at home. A driveway, patio or garage floor is the ideal place.
- With a home carpet-cleaning machine — the kind sold online. They work well on polypropylene.
- With a rug-washing machine, the roller type built for rugs.
- At a rug-washing facility. Call us and we will tell you who we would use.
Washing one yourself, step by step
- Vacuum both sides first. Washing loose grit into the pile just makes mud.
- Lay it flat on a clean hard surface. Driveway, patio or garage floor. Never wash a rug hanging or folded.
- Wet it through with cold water. A garden hose is perfect. Cold only — hot water is the one thing that will ruin the pile.
- Mild soap and a soft brush. A little dish soap in a bucket of cold water. Brush in the direction of the pile, not against it.
- Rinse until the water runs clear. Leftover soap attracts dirt faster than before, so rinse longer than you think you need to.
- Squeegee the water out, pushing with the pile. This is what makes it dry in hours instead of days.
- Dry it flat with air moving, both sides, off the ground, out of direct sun. The pile is fine wet — the backing is what you are protecting.
Find your rug type
Machine-made polypropylene
1200 Reeds · 2 Million Points · most Persian & Turkish designs we sell
How it washes: The most forgiving rug there is, at any size. Polypropylene does not absorb water, so dirt sits on the surface and rinses straight out. Hose it down outside, hand-wash it with cold water and mild soap, or run a home carpet-cleaning machine over it — all three work.
Dry it fast: Both sides, off the floor, air moving. Squeegee first.
Avoid: Hot water and steam. Heat softens the fibre and permanently flattens or glazes the pile.
Bamboo silk & viscose
Antique-look and vintage-effect rugs
How it washes: Do not put these in a washing machine. “Bamboo silk” is viscose — a regenerated cellulose fibre that is weaker wet than dry — so keep water to a minimum. Blot spills straight away with a dry white cloth, then a barely damp one, and take it to a rug-cleaning professional for a full clean, telling them it is viscose.
Dry it flat, never in a tumble dryer and never over a rail, which sets a crease.
Avoid: Rubbing while wet. These fibres look like silk and bruise like silk — the sheen goes dull in patches and does not come back.
Wool
Hand-knotted and wool-pile rugs
How it washes: Wool holds dirt deep in the pile and needs a full immersion wash with the right pH — that is a professional job, roughly every 3 to 5 years. Between washes: vacuum, and treat spills immediately with cold water only.
Avoid: Alkaline cleaners and anything with bleach or enzymes. Wool is a protein fibre; the wrong chemistry strips the lanolin and the colour with it.
Cotton
Flatweaves, cotton-pile pieces, and rug backings
How it washes: Cotton takes water well but shrinks and bleeds colour more than any other fibre. Cold water only, test a hidden corner first, and never wring.
Avoid: Warm water and long soaking. That is when dyes run.
Toshak & majlis covers
Afghan toshak sets · Arabic majlis sets
How it washes: The covers are designed to come off and be laundered — that is the whole point of the design. Cold, gentle, and put them back on slightly damp so they sit right.
The foam inserts are not washable. Spot-clean and air them; soaked foam holds water for weeks and turns.
Prayer mats
Padded and unpadded
How it washes: Spot-clean with cold water and mild soap, then air-dry flat. Padded mats should not be soaked through — the padding is slow to dry.
A spill just happened
- Blot, never rub. Press straight down with a clean white cloth. Rubbing drives it into the foundation.
- Lift solids dry with a spoon edge before adding any water.
- Cold water only. Damp cloth, keep blotting, work from the outside of the stain inward.
- Dry it properly. Press with a dry towel, then aim a fan across it.
The five that ruin rugs
- Hot water or steam — sets stains, and flattens synthetic pile for good.
- Bleach, including "colour-safe" oxygen bleach — strips dye in a patch that never returns.
- Scrubbing the fringe — fringe is the rug's foundation showing through, not trim. Once frayed it is a repair.
- Drying in direct sun — fades the exposed side unevenly.
- A general carpet-cleaning van on wool or silk — wall-to-wall chemistry on a rug is the most expensive mistake we see.
Everyday
Vacuum weekly with the beater bar off. Rotate the rug 180° every six months so sun and footfall land evenly. Use a rug pad — it stops sliding and lets the backing breathe.
Would rather someone else did it?
We do not wash rugs ourselves. Call (916) 890-4077 or come by the showroom, tell us what the rug is made of, and we will point you to a cleaner in the Sacramento area who handles that type.
Frequently asked
Are your rugs really washable?
Yes. The Persian- and Turkish-design rugs we sell are polypropylene, which does not absorb water. Wash one by hand on a driveway or garage floor, run a home carpet-cleaning machine over it, use a rug-washing machine, or take it to a rug-washing facility. Cold water is the only rule that really matters.
Can I use a home carpet-cleaning machine?
Yes — on our polypropylene rugs they work well. Use cold water and only a little mild soap, and run a clear-water pass at the end so no detergent residue is left behind. Residue is what makes a rug re-soil quickly. Do not use one on wool or silk.
Can I put my rug in a household washing machine?
No. The one exception is toshak and majlis covers, which are made to come off and be laundered at 30°C — and those are fabric covers, not rugs. An area rug is far too heavy once it is wet, and bamboo silk is viscose, which water weakens. Wash rugs flat on the ground instead.
How often should a rug be professionally washed?
Wool: every 3–5 years. Polypropylene: only when you want to — spot-cleaning, vacuuming and the occasional wash at home handle everything.
My rug smells after a pet accident.
Urine soaks into the backing, so surface cleaning will not fix it. Wash the whole rug through with cold water rather than spot-treating, or call us and we will point you to someone.
How do I know what my rug is made of?
Bring it in or send a photo of the back. The weave and the fringe usually tell us in seconds.
Visit Our Sacramento Showroom
Stylish Rugs & Carpets · 3423 Watt Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821 · (916) 890-4077 · Open daily 10:00am–7:30pm