Cotton is a natural fibre, and textiles that get wet often shrink or bleed dye. The same applies to flatweave rugs (kilims) made of cotton or wool. A synthetic flatweave rug is a different case, and it can also be cleaned at home.
What a flatweave rug is and what it can be made of
A flatweave rug has no pile: it is a woven flat rug, often called a kilim. Cotton rugs are often woven or braided. But a flatweave rug can also be made of wool, jute or synthetics, and the fibre decides where and how it is cleaned.
Look at the label. If there is none, photograph the rug from the top and the underside, and a specialist tells you from the photos what it might be. Jute and sisal have their own page: jute and sisal rug cleaning.
Why a cotton rug is cleaned in a workshop
The North Carolina State University extension service (NC State Extension) writes that textiles that get wet often change colour, bleed dye, shrink and get lasting water marks. For a multicoloured cotton rug this means that a dark colour can run into the light stripes.
Natural fibres need controlled wet cleaning and full drying, which a living room floor does not give. That is why cotton and wool rugs are cleaned in a workshop with pick-up. Colourfastness should be tested on a hidden spot before wetting, because the dyes can bleed.
A wool kilim and a synthetic flatweave rug
A wool kilim has the risks of wool: hot water together with rubbing or the movement of a washing machine felts the wool, and the rug can shrink. Usually it cannot be reversed. The price is the same as for cotton, from €10/m², and there are more details on the page wool rug cleaning.
A synthetic flatweave rug can also be cleaned at your home, from €6/m², or in a workshop with pick-up, from €10/m². For this case: synthetic rug cleaning.
Washing a cotton rug in a washing machine
A small cotton rug can go in a washing machine only if the care label allows it. A cross over the symbol means “do not”. If there is no label, or the rug is large and multicoloured, the risk of shrinking and dye bleeding is high. What happens to different fibres in a machine and in the bath: can a rug go in the washing machine.
Before the rug is picked up
- Measure the rug: length × width in metres, without the fringe.
- Add photos of the top, the underside and the label, if there is one.
- Write whether the rug has already been washed and whether it changed afterwards.
- Mention stains, smell and pets.
- Photograph damage and loose fringe before cleaning. We do not do repairs or fringe restoration.
How much cotton rug cleaning costs
Wool or cotton rug (with pick-up): from €10/m². 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.
- A 2 × 3 m cotton rug with pick-up in Riga: 6 m² × €10 = from €60, plus pick-up and return €10, in total from €70.
- A 1.2 × 1.8 m cotton rug: 2.16 m² × €10 = €21.60, which is below the minimum, so cleaning costs €45, plus pick-up and return €10, in total €55.
The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. The minimum applies only to cleaning. If you are cleaning several small rugs, list them in one request. All prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust and everyday dirt;
- greyness in walking areas;
- fresh drink and food stains, if they have not been rubbed.
May stay
- dye that bled in an earlier wash;
- shrinking after washing in a washing machine;
- paint, hair dye and bleach marks;
- wear and loose threads.
A fresh stain usually comes out better than an old one. Before the job, a specialist tells you what to expect.
Sources
- Textiles that get wet often change colour, bleed dye, shrink and get water marks checked 7 November 2026
- Test colourfastness on a hidden spot before using a product checked 7 November 2026
- Hot water and movement felt wool, the material shrinks checked 10 November 2026
- Care symbols: a cross means “not allowed” checked 7 November 2026
