i live in a house on a college campus, and after all the parties and everything, the floors tend to get dirty. my white shag area rug is right by my door, so a lot of dirt has been tracked onto it and it's starting to look gray and isn't fluffy anymore. i love my rug, is there any way to save it?
I'm sure the rug is machine washable. Try washing it in the machine on the Warm setting (not hot) using regular detergent and OxiClean. (Before cleaning shake the rug outside to remove any loose dirt.) If the rug does not have a rubber backing, you can machine dry it. If it does have a rubber backing, let it air dry. If you air dry the rug, you might need to fluff it afterward with a clean hair brush.
Set your vacuum on the highest pile setting, the one that sets the brushes the furthest from the floor. If your vacuum does not come with different settings, make the best of the setting you’re forced to use. Vacuum away. Shag works best with short, back and forth motions to pull the pile up as much as possible and avoid the vacuum getting stuck and smelling like it's about to burst into flames. Work your way with the vacuum left to right across the floor and, for good measure, go back over it in the perpendicular direction. Disconnect the vacuum hose and use the open tube to suck up dirt. Place the hose’s nozzle straight down into the carpet, methodically covering the entire area. This is a lengthy process but you will be amazed at how much dirt, grime and other disgusting stuff you are able to extract from the shag when you sit down and really concentrate. This does not have to be done often unless your carpet gets very heavy wear. A couple of times each year should do the trick.
The best way to clean your rug, is spray Resolve Carpet Cleaner on the rug, load up the rug in the back of your car and take it to the car wash. Lay it out, and wash the rug it will look brand new. I have been doing this for years. It works great. You do need a place to like fence to hang the rug over, to dry, or lay it out some where to dry. Hanging it on a chain link fence, it drys very fast.
Get a can of foam rug cleaner, spray it, scrub it in with a damp mop, let it dry then vacuum.=)
