What Happens If You Put A Rug In The Washing Machine?

What happens if you put a rug in the washing machine? Rugs are a popular home decor element, enhancing the beauty of your home. It can add to the style statement of your home. Unfortunately, your pets and children keep running over them with dirty feet and paws. Even adults wipe shoes on them. Besides this, occasional spills add to the dirt and grime.

At times, vacuuming the rug is not sufficient to remove the stains. This is when people wonder whether they can wash the rugs in the machines. They often enquire whether they can put the rugs in the laundry machine along with other clothes.

If you are a person who is wondering whether rugs are machine washable, you should read this article. Here we are going to speak about the different do’s and don’t’s, you should follow to wash the rug in the washing machine:

Which rugs you cannot wash in the machines

It is possible to wash the polyester rugs, synthetic fiber, and cotton in the washing machine with no or little problem. However, you should avoid washing silk and wool rugs in the washing machine due to the following problems:

• Damaged fabric

The laundry detergents are not the right choice to wash the silk and wool rugs. Such materials are known to be protein-based. In addition, proteases present in detergents break the rug to remove the stains, thereby causing damage to the fabric.

• Reduced lifespan

Rugs undergo a lot of stress as you put them in the washing machine. Thus, they break down at times. Speaking of woolen and silk rugs, they will look uneven, even if you throw them in the machine once. Hence, it decreases the lifespan of the rugs considerably.

• Color bleed

Putting the rugs into the machine might lead the color to bleed. The situations become worse on using the cold washer. It is very difficult to remove the color bleeding from the rugs.

Steps to follow for washing the rugs in the washing machine

• Check out the care level

To begin with, you should check out the care level present at the back part of the rug. You should avoid running it in the washing machine if it reads dry clean only. The colors will bleed during the wash, ruining the washing machine completely. However, if the label says machine washable, you are good to go. You can wash the throw rugs in the washer without any challenges.

• Shaking it off

Before throwing the rug in the washing machine, it is a good idea to give it a proper shake. Grab an end of it and keep beating it against the fence side. Following this technique will help you to get a lot of dirt out of the rug.

Treating stains and spots

After a good beating, you need to focus on cleaning the tough stains. After pre-treating the tough stains, the rug will retain its normal aesthetic appeal. To pre-treat them, you need to take stronger liquid laundry detergent in a small amount and apply it to the stain.

After this, you need to rub on the spot gently. Next, you can use a toothbrush to remove the smaller stains. Allow the treatment to set for about 15 minutes, followed by rinsing.

Loading and balancing

After treating the stains, it is necessary to put the rug in your washer. The front-load washer can give the best result if you throw two rugs at once. For the top load washer, you should ensure that the load will remain even on either side. After evenly distributing the rug around the center agitator, you should add the towels to seek balance.

Washing and drying

After setting the washer to delicate, you need to fill the washing machine with cold water. Now, you should add the detergent. You should avoid using chlorine bleach for rugs with rubber backing. The rubber might deteriorate within the machine, leading to a bigger hassle. Instead, it is recommended to opt for oxygen-based bleach for brightening the rubber-backed rug.

Now, you need to air-dry the rug upon the dryer rack or the clothesline. You should avoid keeping the rugs out of direct sunlight. Thus, all the newly washed colors are not going to fade. Please do not make the mistake of throwing it in the dryer. The heat will shrink it, causing extensive damage to its back. To remove the last wrinkles, you can opt for iron.

Strategies to follow for cleaning tough stain rugs

It is very necessary to clean the rug before keeping it in the washing machine. It is a good idea to follow the below-mentioned techniques to clean the tough stains:

• Remove it when it is wet

Cleaning the stains become more challenging after drying. So, it is recommended to spot clean it after the spillage without any delay.

• Blotting

You should refrain from wiping on the stain. It will only make the condition worse. It is wise to opt for the blotting technique to remove the tough stains. You should start from the outer part of the stain to avoid spreading. Now, you need to work the way at the inward part.

• Try water first

You should never dump every solution you know on the rug. The best option is to treat the rug with water only. To remove the stains before soaking them, blot them with the water. After this, you can try the more invasive solutions.

As the rugs get visibly dirty, you will feel the urge to put them in the washing machine at the very moment. Under such circumstances, it is recommended to slow down a little. It would be a good idea to adopt the right approach. You can prevent the ruining of the washing machine and the rugs.

What Happens If You Put A Rug In The Washing Machine? – Conclusion

If you are not sure about the care level, you can consider taking it to the Laundromat. You can machine wash the rugs, provided you follow the right techniques to do so. Regular maintenance is necessary to deep clean the rug. It might hinder the quality and beauty of the rugs.

If you have an expensive rug, you can consider taking it to professionals to avoid damage. They are equipped with the best machines to wash the rugs without causing any damage. But, it would be good to ask them before you give them the rugs to wash.