Gone are the days of throwing out your outdoor rugs at the end of the season. No matter how much dirt and mud you track or food and drinks you spill, you’ll always be able to keep your outdoor space looking its best, thanks to Ruggable’s machine-washable styles. If you’re wondering how to wash an outdoor rug, you’ve come to the right place!
Just like our indoor rugs, our outdoor rugs are super-easy to clean, making them perfect for decorating your patio, deck, or porch without worrying about the weather or spills. When your outdoor rug does get dirty, simply follow these steps to get it back to looking its best.
Photo by: @theluxmylife
Step 1: Sweep away any debris
Before you put your rug in the wash, sweep or blow away any debris, such as leaves or dust, that may have accumulated on the rug. Do not use sharp instruments (like a metal rake) that may damage the woven fibers.
Step 2: Place in the washer, design side facing out
Photo by: @theluxmylife
Next, you’ll want to remove the Rug Cover from the Rug Pad and put it in the washer with the design side facing out.
For runners, 3’x5’, and 5’x7’ outdoor rugs, a washing machine with a load capacity of 2.2 cubic feet and up will do the trick. If you own a 6’x9’ or 8’x10’ outdoor rug, you’ll need a washing machine that can accommodate 3.8 cubic feet or more.
Step 3: Machine-wash in cold water
Machine-wash the Rug Cover in cold water on a delicate cycle using a mild, non-bleach detergent. If you’re looking for detergent tips and recommendations, some customer favorites are OxiClean White Revive, powdered Tide, and Tide Pods.
Tip: To remove odor from your rug and keep light colors looking bright, some of our customers also recommend baking soda. For stubborn pet stains, try vinegar.
Step 4: Tumble or air-dry
Once the outdoor rug is washed, tumble-dry on low or hang it to dry.
Step 5: Clean your Rug Pad
While our Rug Pads can’t be machine-washed, they can be spot-cleaned. Place a cloth or towel over any spills to soak up the liquid. Then wipe the surface with a spot cleaner, or give it a little wash with soapy water, rinse, and then hang to dry.
Need More Tips?
Need more tips on how to clean and wash your outdoor rug? Here’s how Ruggable rug owner @theluxmylife takes care of her outdoor rugs, Outdoor Filifera Palm Green Rug and Outdoor Cleo Trellis Natural Rug.
Photo by: @theluxmylife
1. Wash as needed, or every 60 days
“I wash our outdoor rugs as needed, once every couple of months or so. It really depends on the weather. We are in the middle of pollen season and last week I stepped outside to find our outdoor rug covered with pollen and leaves. A quick sweep and a wash and the rug was like brand new!”
2. Pick a day with good weather
“Pick a sunny day when washing outdoor rugs in case you need to do a little bit of air-drying.”
Pro Tip: While Ruggable’s Outdoor Rugs can be tumbled dried on low, Ruggable rug owners recommend letting them air-dry for best results. Try washing them in the evening and letting your outdoor rugs air-dry overnight so you aren’t without your rug for a very long time.
3. Use a large basket for easy transport
Photo by: @theluxmylife
“Have a large laundry basket handy! It helps when transporting the rug to the laundry room. It will also prevent any leftover debris from spreading all over.”
Readers: What are your outdoor rug washing tips? Share in the comments below.
4 Comments
How could you possibly get a rug in the sizes you show in a washing machine??? These seem like nice rugs but you would have to have a really large utility washing machine to wash them. I don’t understand????
Hi there! All of our rugs are designed with home washing machines in mind! The Rug Cover, once removed from the underlying Rug Pad, can fit comfortably in a standard or large capacity top or front load washer (with or without an agitator).
To make sure your washer is compatible with various sizes and styles, please visit the following link: https://myruggable.com/washing-machine-guide 😊
It’s unbelievable how they fit in your washer! I have 3 runners that fit in my top load with agitator and 2, 8×10’s that I DO take to laundromat only because I like lots of room in with my rug! I way prefer to air dry but I have on occasions started ‘ in a dryer then laid over the bed with ceiling fan on. They dry lickety split!
I rescue dogs and we have 14, mostly BIG dogs and at the moment it’s so hot here they’re in the house!!!!! Day and night. I have two big rugs I alternate so my pad is never exposed to dog hair BUT even if it gets some ‘floaters’ I gently vacuum them off!!!!! I LOVE my rugs!!!!
I have a rug that is 9′ x 12′ and here is what I do, I take my house out in early spring and spray the rug all over with cold water, I spray some detergent out of a spray bottle that I mix with lukewarm water, when the rug is on my deck I hose it down then spray it with the hoze or a high pressure washer on low, shampoo it then repeat with a rinse a couple of time. If I have any spot remaining I take a brush and more spot clean rug detergen and brush it out, the stain comes out all the time… I have a railing on my patio so I hang it on it to air dry. Might need two people to handle the rug while wet as it is quite heavy but once on the railing on a nice sunny day, it will dry in no time and ready to be used again.. The rug comes out beautifully clean. This is for anyone that does not have a big enough washer to wash that size of rug. And we are in a small town with no laundromat with washer big enough to do that job as well. I have another rug similar in our garage as our garage is a man’s cave in the winter with a wood stove, TV, bar fridge etc.. This one is even dirtier with the wood stove etc.. I do the same thing and it comes out just like a new one also… I lay in on my big deck spray wash it with the pressure washer and then apply the detergent and rinse it and air dry it and voila another clean rug…