How to Clean Vintage Rugs

I’m really excited to share today’s post, because I get so many questions on these topics. I think that cleaning rugs and sofas yourself is one of those things that people WAY overcomplicate.

Today, I am sharing my simple methods that I have been using for years along with some tips from my friend Allison, who sells vintage rugs for a living.

I want to start by saying I love to buy things made of natural fibers like wool and leather. Now I know that if you are vegan, this may not always be the way to go for you.

But I choose these materials because they last, they are better for the air quality in our home than conventional synthetic carpet materials, and they are very easy to clean without any harsh chemicals.

You want to know the number one thing I use to clean my rugs and sofas? Water.

I am serious … just water! 

Let’s start with rugs. I love to buy vintage rugs because they have already lasted generations in someone else’s home.

I feel lucky that our home gets to be a part of their story and it’s important to me that I keep them in good condition so that when we are done with them they can go on to live in many other homes. They are made to last.

The number one thing I do to reduce wear and tear is not wear shoes indoors (or do it very minimally, because life happens!). I wrote a big post here about how much it can help your stuff last when you don’t wear shoes in the house. It makes a BIG difference over time.

The second thing I do is try my best to keep our rugs vacuumed, even just once a week or a couple times a month is better than nothing.

I never take my rugs to a professional cleaner anymore, because in the past when I did, they came back smelling like cleaning chemicals, but still not clean. So frustrating when you wait weeks for that and pay for it. Now, I clean up any of our messes (remember we have two dogs and a toddler) myself just by simply spot cleaning the rug and letting it air dry.

To spot clean, it depends on what it is. For small stuff like spilled food, I would just use a wet cloth with water. So much of the time the main thing is to just get whatever it is up out of the rugs before foot traffic grinds it in.

For a really bad mess, I use the same thing I use to for laundry stains—Seventh Generation Stain Remover and the follow up with a wet rag.

In the past, a couple times I have fully given my rug a “bath” either in the tub or outside with a hose and then let it air dry outside. But since we have stopped wearing shoes indoors I haven’t needed to do that.

Allison’s advice for caring for vintage rugs is to wash them with water only. For a serious mess, take it into the bathtub and run water through the rug on the spot only. Then let it air dry.

Never clean with chemicals. She says in all her years of working with vintage rugs she’s never had to get rid of a vintage rug because it couldn’t be cleaned. But synthetic rugs hold onto odors and always end up in the trash.

We also shared our top tips for how to uncurl a new rug here.

xx – Elsie