So, you’ve finally bought a Moroccan rug. It’s new, exciting and beautiful. However, you’re wondering how to keep it that clean, and looking brand new. You’re wondering how to clean your precious Moroccan rug.

Well the first idea that might pop into your head is to give it to a professional rug cleaner. But that can be VERY expensive, especially if it’s done on a regular basis. Additionally to that, it is important to be well aware of any chemicals used in the cleaning process, as it can fade away the natural dyes of your Moroccan rug and cause serious damage.

Learning how to clean a woollen rug will save you a lot of money and trouble. It is actually a lot easier than you might believe. First off, it’s important is to know the type of rug you have. If it’s a flat weave rug or a rug that has a low pile (pile is the measurement of height in rugs), it will be easy and straight forward.

So here are some few tips on how to clean a Moroccan rug at home

Cleaning Flat weave rug or low pile rug:

SPOT CLEANING:

If something got spilled on your rug or it got stained, first off start cleaning up by applying paper towels to the spot. Then immediately put Baking Soda on the spot to soak up as much of the liquid as possible. Later, when the spot dries out, you can vacuum it. Nevertheless, if it doesn’t work, or you’ve got a tougher stain, apply a mixture of vinegar and baking soda, and that should do the trick.

Also, if you happen to have pet stains, I recommend mixing distilled vinegar and cold water. Make sure to soak the spot, using a spray bottle. Afterwards, use a soft bristle brush so that the mixture soaks into the fabrics of the rug.

Let it sit for 10 minutes minimum. Remove excess liquid with paper towels after it had a chance to dry completely. This will help to eliminate any smells.

DEEP CLEANING :

Now for the deep cleaning, it’s a bit different. I’m not saying it’s harder or more complicated, there are just more steps to it. And have no worries, I’ll explain them all in this section. However, before I start there is a few things I recommend you to have in the cleaning process:

• A high enough space where you can hang the rug vertically to dry
• The rug needs to have warm sunshine to dry!
• A vacuum that has a low and high setting
• A good scrub brush
• A water source, ideally a power washer

FIRST STEP

Firstly, you need to remove any excess dirt from your rug. Take it outside and beat it real well. When all done, lay it down flat near your vacuum. Setting it on “High” setting, you’ll want to pull up any more dirt. When you begin to vacuum, go along the short width of the rug, not the length of the rug. Go back and forth slowly. For effective dirt removing, use the hand attachment to pull out any dirt on the edges.
This process may take some time, but I assure you the more dirt you can get out before the washing the better and easier the rest will be.

SECOND STEP

Lay out your rug so that the water can run off. I recommend using a tall ladder to drape the rug over. This allows the dirty water to run off easily and it minimizes physical effort. You should note that when rugs are wet, they’re quit heavy!
If you have a power washer or you can borrow one, I strongly advise you to! Use it to spray the rug starting at the top and going to the bottom on both sides of the rug. Make sure to soak the rug completely, although it might take some time. BUT it is important. Spray downwards and you’ll see all the dirt coming off the rug.

THIRD STEP

To work out any dark spots, you can use a scrub brush. You can also use it on the back of the rug to loosen up anything that got stuck there. And keep spraying! You can use a hose if you don’t have a power washer.

If your rug is really dirty or for extra cleaning use a gentle soap to clean it. I would be very cautious using soaps on rugs that were dyed. As you can never be completely sure how the colour dye will react with the soap of choice. If you have certain spots that are dirty, I would try to spot treat vs, using soap on the entire rug.

FORTH STEP

When you feel like you’ve removed as much possible, it is time to dry your rug. If you’re using a ladder like I suggested, let the excess water run off first. Let it hang for 20-30 minutes to do this. Then, try to squeeze it. And lay the rug on a table or the ground if its clean and roll it as tightly as you can. You’re not going to be able to squeeze out everything. But it will help speed up the drying process. Once this is done, hang it back up in direct sunlight. Your rug will need to dry completely before it’s ready to go back in your home. Depending on how warm it is, you should leave it to dry 12-24 hours minimum. If it doesn’t, you will know it – wet wool has a very specific smell!

** this advice is based on research I did and on experiences of other Moroccan rug owners. If you’re unsure, you can always consult with professional rug-cleaners**

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