For common foot traffic, regular vacuuming and the occasional bit of spot cleaning work just fine to keep your rugs looking clean. Before you get to cleaning, always check the tag on your rug for manufacturer instructions to be sure you’re not about to ruin your rug in an attempt to restore it.
It’s best to break rug cleaning down into a few steps; vacuum, scrub, dry, and brush. You’ll want to use either a rug cleaner–not carpet cleaner, which may be too strong for a rug– or a mild dish soap mixed with cold water in a bucket. You can then take a bristle brush or sponge and start scrubbing. Don’t sub your scrubbing tool out with something harsh; while steel wool works great on some dishes, for example, it would certainly tear your rug fibers up. When you’re done, take the rug outside or hang it above the tub to spray it down. You can use a garden hose, shower head, or if all else fails, a few buckets of clean water. If the run-off water comes out dirty after a few passes, you may want to re-scrub. If you have a wet vacuum, use it to remove the excess water; without that, you can try using a squeegee. Once it’s been rinsed thoroughly, leave the rug hanging to drip dry. Then, lay it flat so that it doesn’t completely dry in that hanging position. Once it’s completely dry, vacuum or brush it out.
