Care and Cleaning of Outdoor Rugs
With the increased popularity of decorating your outdoor living spaces like a patio or porch with as much care as you maintain the interior of your home, outdoor rugs are more popular than ever. The use of flexible long-lasting and durable synthetic stabilized 100% polypropylene fibers allows rug makers to provide outdoor rugs in a world of colors, sizes and shapes. As with any floor covering outdoor rugs need to be given daily maintenance and the occasional deep cleaning.
An outdoor rug will respond as well to a good vacuuming as any indoor carpet. By keeping any visible dirt and debris picked up off your rug you will maintain its fresh appearance and help prevent damage that foreign objects can cause to the nap. This can easily help increase the life of your designer outdoor rug. Be sure to vacuum in the direction of the weave and away from the binding border to minimize the potential damage to your rug that being caught in the vacuum head can cause. Before using a carpet steam cleaner on your exterior rug be sure to check the label as some rugs are not suited to this type of cleaning.
Spills, especially those prone to staining, should be dealt with immediately. Blot the spilled liquids up instead of rubbing, as that is more likely to drive the stain deeper into the weave. 100% polypropylene fabrics are very mold and mildew resistant, but if you store your outdoor rug away for parts of the year be sure to pick a dry location.
For a good deep cleaning, never use carpet steam cleaning or shampooing on an outdoor rug. These processes drive moisture too deeply into the fabric weave. If a dry cleaning process is not possible on your outdoor rugs a mild soap solution can be gently applied. Use a garden hose with your rug on an incline for water to run off and rinse the soap solution away. Then place your rug in full sunlight to dry.
Related posts:
- How to Clean and Maintain your Outdoor Rugs
- Cleaning Washable Rugs
- How to Properly Care for Your Area Rug
- Take Care of Your Carpets for Longer Life With Simple Carpet Cleaning Tips
- Brown Area Rugs: Great For A Natural Look
Filed Under: Carpet Care • Rugs & Rug Cleaning
