How often to clean a rug

The short answer, job by job

What changes the frequency

In one flat, two rugs can need cleaning at very different rates. A rug in the hallway by the front door gets street sand every time someone comes in, while a rug in the bedroom under the bed can stay clean for a long time. Think about these questions:

• How many people walk on it, and whether they wear outdoor shoes.
• Whether there is a dog or cat at home that sleeps on the rug.
• Whether small children play on the rug.
• Whether the rug is light-coloured: dirt shows faster on it.
• Whether anyone at home is allergic to dust.
• Whether it is an office, a hotel or a stairwell where many people walk.

The more “yes” answers, the more often it is worth vacuuming and the sooner the time for wet cleaning comes. The makers' interval depends on foot traffic: the more people walk on it, the more often.

Signs that the rug needs cleaning now

• In the places people walk, the rug looks darker or greyer than by the walls.
• There are stains that no longer come out with blotting and cold water.
• The rug smells, especially after the room has been damp.
• An animal or a child has urinated on the rug.
• You are preparing the rug for storage or a move.

After urine, do not wait for the next planned cleaning. What to do at once: urine smell in a rug. If you will store the rug, clean it first: how to wrap and store a rug.

Fitted carpet: what makers advise

Fitted carpet (carpeting) cannot be lifted, so it is cleaned in place. Makers such as Shaw advise vacuuming it regularly and cleaning it professionally from time to time, usually every 12–18 months, depending on how much people walk on it. Shaw also writes that the carpet maker’s warranty terms may require proof of professional cleaning, so check them.

The same maker warns about too much moisture: if the carpet is wetted and the water is not extracted, it can wrinkle, and in extreme cases the layers can separate. For work in place: fitted carpet cleaning.

What not to do between cleanings

• Do not rub a stain: rubbing pushes it deeper. Blot with a clean cloth.
• Do not pour hot water on wool and do not wash it in a washing machine: wool can felt and shrink.
• Do not soak a rug or fitted carpet.
• For valuable rugs, do not use shop-bought carpet shampoos.
• Do not drag heavy furniture across a rug and do not lift it by one edge.

The advice on rubbing, shampoos and moving the rug comes from the Canadian Conservation Institute. The Institute writes that after shop-bought shampoos the fibres attract dirt, so it does not recommend them for valuable rugs and advises consulting a professional. This is one reason a rug can get dirty again quickly after home cleaning.

Wool, silk and hand-made rugs

For rugs of natural fibres, frequency is not the only question. Canadian conservators write that heat strips wool of its natural oils and weakens the threads, high humidity damages the fibres and can make the dyes bleed, and light dries the fibres and fades the colours. So it is worth keeping such a rug away from direct sun and radiators and turning it regularly.

If a wool, silk or hand-made rug is dirty, wet cleaning on a living room floor is not suitable for it: it needs controlled wet cleaning and full drying. This is why these rugs are cleaned with pick-up. More: can a wool rug be washed at home and silk and Persian rug care.

Dust and allergy

Dust mite allergens build up in settled dust, which is found in rugs, bedding and soft furnishings, and humidity above 50% helps the mites. The Health Inspectorate (Veselības inspekcija) notes that mites multiply at a relative humidity of 50–70% and advises ventilating rooms every day. Regular vacuuming with a good filter is part of these measures.

Cleaning reduces the dust and allergens in a rug, but it is not a treatment; the mites come back while the humidity is high. A scientific overview of mite allergy concluded that even several measures together (covers, humidity control, vacuuming) often did not improve symptoms, so talk to a doctor about allergy. On rugs in a home where an allergic person lives: rug cleaning for allergy sufferers.

Kindergartens and schools

The rules for institutions require a cleaning plan and wet cleaning, but they do not mention rugs or how often to clean them. The institution sets the frequency in its own plan. On rugs in such premises: rug cleaning in a kindergarten and school.

When to request rug cleaning and what it costs

If the signs from the list above match, or the fitted carpet maker’s interval has passed, send photos of the top side and the underside and write the size in m². From the photos, a specialist gives the price.

• Synthetic short-pile rug, cleaning at home: from €6/m².
• Fitted carpet (soft floor covering) up to 100 m²: from €4/m².
• Rug with pick-up, cleaning in a workshop and return (synthetics): from €10/m².
• Wool or cotton rug (with pick-up): from €10/m².
• Silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up): from €15/m², the price is given from a photo.

The price depends on the size in m², the fibre, the pile length and thickness, the dirt and stains, smell or urine, access and distance. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. This €45 minimum applies to cleaning only; the pick-up and return charge and the travel charge are added.

For work at home: travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10. With pick-up: pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added. Services: rug cleaning at home, rug cleaning with pick-up, all prices: carpet and rug cleaning prices.