How to Deep Clean a Shag Rug? – 3 Tried and Tested At-Home Methods!

Furry rugs are a popular choice amongst people who want to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in their home, especially in the bedroom or the living room. They can be found in various sizes, shapes, and colors, usually at a pretty affordable cost, which makes them hard to resist! The only downside of this purchase is its maintenance. Are you finding its long, fluffy hair intimidating as you picture all the wet and slimy stains you’ll have to vigorously remove from it? There’s no need for that because we’ve got the easiest step-by-step guide on how to clean a shag rug, so you have no more excuses to go and purchase one!

How to Deep Clean a Shag Rug?

The first thing you need to do is to find out what’s the material of the fibers of the rug. Usually, these carpets are made of polyester, polypropylene, acrylic, faux fur, or wool. Due to the length and softness of the fibers, it’s common for them to get flattened quite easily and have food or other particles getting stuck between the hairs. This can turn their cleaning into a serious task, and a vacuum cleaner simply won’t suffice. If you want to ensure their longevity and visual appeal, it’s important to become familiar with the proper maintenance techniques, which is exactly what we’re going to show you here!

Keep an Eye on Its Appearance

Depending on the colors and fibers of your rug, it may be difficult to tell if it is time for you to give it a good, thorough clean. What you should be looking for is whether it has started to get matted down. If the answer is “yes”, then it’s time to give it some TLC.

Take the Old School Route

I remember when I was a kid, my grandma would always clean our fur rugs the same way – use a broom to beat and dust them off. While this is certainly an effective method, it’s not an enjoyable one unless you have some pent-up anger you wish to release. Although I have to admit, no other technique I’ve tried so far has removed so successfully all the particles entangled in the fibers.

SOS – Stains!

The one thing every person who owns a fur rug fears the most – stains! As pedantic as we may be about it, we can’t escape our human nature, which is innately imperfect and causes us to make a mess every now and then. That’s completely okay, as long as we clean up after ourselves! But how do you deal with such a stubborn textile? First, get dish soap and water, and then, follow the instructions below:

• Take an empty spray bottle, add 3 drops of dish soap and 1 cup of water, and shake until you get a homogenous concoction.
• Use a brush with soft bristles to separate the fibers of the carpet on the stained area, and spray the soapy solution onto it.
• Let it sit for 5–10 minutes, then scrub the stain away using the same brush.
• Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe the area and remove any soap residue.
• Take a dry towel and blot the wet area to speed up the drying process, or, if possible, hang it to dry outdoors.

Read also: How to Remove Red Wine From Carpet Naturally? Try Out These 8 Proven Methods!

Tricks for Freshening Up

If there are no stains on your rug, but you notice that its vibrancy has faded away, there’s a really easy trick you can apply to make it appear as good as new again! All you’re going to need is baking soda and a vacuum cleaner:

• Start by removing all the furniture that sits on the rug and vacuuming it thoroughly.
• Then, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the whole area and work it into the fibers using a soft brush.
• If possible, leave the baking soda to sit overnight. If not, allow it to penetrate the fibers for at least 5 hours.
• Once the time has passed, remove all the excess baking soda from the rug with the vacuum cleaner.

This will help brighten your carpet and bring back its fluffiness!

Maintenance Tips

The longer you neglect the appearance and cleanliness of your rugs, the more difficult it will be for you to manage them when you get around to doing it. This is why it’s important to spare some time for their upkeep every 2–3 weeks. When using a vacuum cleaner, make sure that you’re vacuuming the rug in both directions to ensure that there’s no grime building up at the root of the fibers. The beater bar can also come in handy, however, if you notice that the rug is shedding too much, it would be best to avoid it and use scissors for occasional grooming instead.

Read also: DIY Carpet Cleaner: Try these “Magical” Homemade Solutions!