How to Vacuum Your Ruggable Rug, According to Ruggable Rug Owners

The best part about owning a washable rug is the idea that you’re able to wash it when you need to. And we can think of many different times when washing your rug is absolutely necessary, from pet accidents to oops-I-spilled-the-wine moments. But for daily maintenance, keeping your Ruggable rugs fresh and clean should be just as easy as shaking off the debris or running your good ol’ vacuum cleaner over them. 

Wait, Can You Really Vacuum Ruggable Rugs?

The short answer is YES. You can vacuum your Ruggable rug—and it should be as easy as vacuuming your hardwood floor or low-pile carpet. For best results, we generally recommend using the lowest suction and power setting (the one you’d typically use for your hardwood floor), with the beater bar or brush turned off.

However, we do understand that everyone has a different vacuum cleaner and vacuuming technique. So here we asked Teala Marie Falzone, Ruggable rug owner, for tips and tricks on how she keeps her Ruggable rugs—all 10 of them!—fresh and clean.

RUGGABLE: What Ruggable rugs do you currently own? 

TEALA: We have 10 rugs in total and use them all differently. Here’s what I have:

• Heathered Solid Charcoal Rugs in 2.5’x7’ (2), 2.5’x10’ (1), and 3’x5’ (2): Four of them are in my kitchen, which is why I chose this darker color because it’s a high-traffic area. I have multiple because I switch them out when washing one set. I use the longer runner in a high-traffic hallway. 
• Absida Rainbow Rug in 5’x7’ and 8’x10’: For my daughter’s bedroom and playroom
• Damali Grey Overdye Rug in 5’x’7:  I use this in our second kitchen.
• Verena Dark Wood Rug in 8’x10’: For our bedroom
• Almana Black & White Rug in 8’x10’: For our formal living room

Wow, that’s awesome! What made you choose Ruggable rugs over regular rugs? 

I’ve had bad experiences with every type of rug we tried. I bought a $5,000 Restoration Hardware viscose rug and my dog peed on it almost immediately after I laid it out. Shortly after I discovered that viscose rugs of this type will stain yellow even if water spills on them. So I started buying cotton hand-woven rugs and attempted to wash and dry them in our washing machine. That worked for a short time but the rugs were heavy and hard for me to carry. Then I started seeing Ruggable ads on Facebook. I bought mostly for function but also because some of the designs are unique to Ruggable.

What’s your cleaning routine for your Ruggable rugs? 

I vacuum my rugs every day and wash the ones in higher-traffic areas every few months, or when my animals have accidents on them. I rarely wash my Ruggable rugs in low-traffic areas but am relieved to know that I could if I needed to. I air-dry my rugs although I know they can be dried in the dryer.

How do you vacuum your Ruggable rug? What vacuum cleaner and setting work for you?

I would highly recommend a stick vacuum with a low power setting. It seems like the heavier the vacuum, the worse it performs on Ruggable. Here are the vacuum cleaners I have and the settings I use that work on Ruggable rugs. I’ve rated each from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.

Dyson

• Dyson V10 (Rating: 4): This only works on the lowest power setting. 
• Dyson V11 (Rating: 1): It doesn’t perform well on Ruggable rugs. It works on “Eco” mode but involves a lot of smoothing the rug after. I wouldn’t recommend this model for Ruggable. It can be used with any of the included attachments for smaller rugs or rugs that are in low-traffic areas.

Shark

• Shark ION P50 (Rating: 5): This works very well on low power mode and best in the “lift away” mode, but it can also be used without the “lift away.” 
• Shark APEX DuoClean with Zero-M (Rating: 5): Works very well with the thick carpet setting. It must be used in the “lift away” mode. (If not, it gets too heavy and sucks up the rug). It doesn’t work on the “low carpet mode” or “hard floor” mode. 

Robot Vacuums*

• iRobot Roomba i7 Robot Vacuum: Works well for me
• Shark IQ Robot: Works well for me

 *Editor’s note: Please note that Ruggable DOES NOT recommend using robot cleaners as these may damage the edges and corners of Ruggable rugs. Learn more here.

More Tips on How to Vacuum Your Ruggable Rug

Need more tips and vacuum cleaner recommendations? Here are a few more from Ruggable customers.

1. “I have several vacuum cleaners and my stick Dyson set on the lowest setting works best. The more powerful Dyson Ball (animal) is just too powerful and moves the rug. As we have transitioned to more area rugs, I find that I use the Dyson Stick Vacuum more and the larger upright model less.” —Nancy D.

2. “I turned off the beater bar on mine. It takes a little longer to vacuum but it works.” —Debbie T.

3. “I use a Dyson on low speed. No problem. Or even sometimes just a broom.” —Karen Z.

4.  “I had a lot of trouble getting my Dyson to roll on anything, regular carpet to area rugs. It latched on and my arms got quite the workout every vacuum. I switched to a Shark Navigator 4 years ago and never looked back. I do have to be strategic with how I vacuum the edges of my Ruggable though because it will suck them up and make them look jagged.” —Jami R.

5. “My big Dyson seems too powerful, but my stick/battery Dyson sweeper (not on Max setting) works just fine.” —Courtney M.

6. “I use my Dyson (V8 Animal Extra) on my Ruggable rug all the time. I just have to use the hardwood head rather than the rug head. It’s still efficient at picking up dirt and any gravel we’ve brought in.” —Taylor S.

7. “I use my Dyson also. Carpet sweeper works well too.” —Karen Z.

READERS: Got any vacuuming tips, hacks, questions, or recommendations? Share them with us in the comments section below, or join our Facebook Group to connect with fellow Ruggable rug customers and interior stylists!