How to clean that rug

[unjonharley]

This year will see a glut of rugs on camp floors.. By the end of the week they will be ready to be cleaned..

Drag them (pack out) home. Hang them on the fence. Beat the (playa) devil out of the rugs.. Then power wash them with a pressure washer..Leave hanging until dry..

Sweep up the dried playa dust and sell it as a magic potion

[Elliot]

That's how I've been cleaning them for years, except I skip the beating part.
One of these days I will encounter a rug that will be damaged by water, but so far so good.

One other note: Recently I bought a new cheap rug of polypropylene (pure plastic). It looks nice, but the plastic nap is hell on skin -- like working with fiberglass insulation.

[AntiM]

We have a couple "soda pop" rugs made of recycled plastic. They are soft and supple, as opposed to our pretty woven polypropylene mat which is pretty stiff. They were only about $20 at Costco, and we found one at Lowe's. We use them under the tents, but they are soft enough to be kind to bare feet. Maybe some brands are softer than others?

The kitchen rug is sisal, which is heavy, but "holds" small MOOP well.

[unjonharley]

Another way to beat your rugs... Lay the rug face down on the (paved) driveway.
Set your up right vac to bare floor. Run the vac over the back of the rug.. Dust and sand will fall on the pavement.. You may have the do this a few time to remove most of the sand..

[Elliot]

We have a couple "soda pop" rugs made of recycled plastic. They are soft and supple, as opposed to our pretty woven polypropylene mat which is pretty stiff. They were only about $20 at Costco, and we found one at Lowe's. We use them under the tents, but they are soft enough to be kind to bare feet. Maybe some brands are softer than others?

The kitchen rug is sisal, which is heavy, but "holds" small MOOP well.

I wonder if my itching is from millions of stray particles of the plastic. I'm thinking the nap is perhaps "mowed" to uniform length. I'll try washing it.

[Elliot]

Another way to beat your rugs... Lay the rug face down on the (paved) driveway.
Set your up right vac to bare floor. Run the vac over the back of the rug.. Dust and sand will fall on the pavement.. You may have the do this a few time to remove most of the sand..

In Norway, we laid rugs face down on snow and beat them. Really showed what we removed from them!

[FIGJAM]

I use carpet to pad cactus for transport.

After a few months they start sheading micro-fibers, just like fiberglass, but not as itchy.

[Captain Goddammit]

The First Mate finds that soap and water are perfectly adequate and the beating process is usually what gets it dirty.

[AntiM]

Larry has a pulley and pole system he rigs in our big maple tree, hangs the rugs one at a time, then he blasts the the rugs with the garden hose until the water runs clear. The plastic rugs dry fast and are super-easy to clean.

[unjonharley]

The old hand knotted rug ( Persian rug ) were made by families.. Each family had there own design.. These rug were knotted in the street... Where foot traffic of people and animal would walk.. The completed rug was tied and put in the river for a few days.. This washed all the crap crude etc out and the rug was ready the use or sell..

Believe me, Camels do not smell nice..People have brought rugs they had bought off the street.. I would have to jet clean them twice in the parking lot.. Before the rug could be cleaned and hung to dry in a heated drying room.. Those buggers were nasty..

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh maybe I was thinking of the wrong "rug". Sorry.

[TT120]

I think you're talking about the "carpet" captain.......

[Sunbeam56]

Depends totally on the material. A wool rug, use Woolite or some similar brand of soap that doesn't weaken the fibres.
My experience is that the brown dyes are harder on the wool than some of the other colors. Tends to break easily.
I follow up with a rinse of some cheap hair conditioner. If the wool dries out too bad, it will break.

I agree with Unjon. The beating of rugs, while invigorating, isn't necessary when you are home and have plenty of water.
Beating gets a lot of the larger particles out. But the part of the cleaning that really makes the rug shine is the shampoo and conditioner.

I also hang my rugs - its just a lot easier to let it all run down.
And I wash from the top down.

I won't be bringing any of my 'real" rugs. But the Chinese and machine made replicas are great.

[Elliot]

Bought an off-white with pink-ish around the edges, all wool, 8 x 10 for $40 today. Camp's gonna be neat.

Yes, over the fence until the water runs clean. Not that it's absolutely necessary to remove the Dust, now is it! But I figure it is best to start fresh each year, lest they become "solid" eventually.

[unjonharley]

It is against the law, to remove anything from BLM land..

Iwonder how many shovels full of playa BM takes off the desert each year..

Oops, there go's another forty buck a car

[Elliot]

Try to imagine all the Dust that the wind carries... ... where? Back to Oklahoma?

[unjonharley]

I don't think the BLM will want the playa dust from the rugs back..

It would be very contaminated with toe jam..

[BeeWeeDee]

A "glut of rugs on camp floors"???

Makes my skin crawl thinking of all those bald people wondering where there rug was the next day. But for what its worth:
To clean a rug....
1. Remove the Hair Piece tape
2. Soak the Hair Piece system (solvent req'd)
3. Clean the Hair system (solvent req'd)
4. Rinse the Hair Piece system
5. Shampoo and condition -

[jennyfrend]

I tried for rug cleaning at home but it did not give desired results. After some time it became sticky and had a dull finish,so finally had to consult the professionals for the same. I highly recommend for the professional cleaning, though it will cost a little amount but will have desired results.

[BigInSeattle]

+1 for those polypropylene rugs. I really like how you can fold them instead of having to roll up. I just picked up a 9x12 from "Fireside Patio Mats" on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_autom ... e=15684181

[Elliot]

I might try one of those. Meanwhile, I have again handled my new Turkish poly rug with bare arms, and this time I felt NO irritation from plastic fibers. Maybe I imagined it.

[Patsh]

In Norway, we laid rugs face down on snow and beat them. Really showed what we removed from them!

A delayed comment here, as I had missed this thread 'til now...

This is also an excellent method for cleaning good (American) Indian blankets without damaging the weave or having the colours run. Problem is, there's not an awful lot of snow in the Southwest, unless you're in the mountains.

[unjonharley]

A real native AM. rugs color will run.. They still use plants and berries for dye..

Some can stand wool lite in cool water.. The trick is to not drag them around in the dirt in the first place..These rugs can take a (over the close line) beating to get the dust out..

[Rusted Iron]

I dump them in the driveway then use the electric leaf blower on them. It gets out a high percentage of the dust. I guess I don't care about getting it all out since they just go into the shed then back to the dust the following year. The rugs have lasted many years and many burns. When they wear out, I go to the reuse yard at the dump and get a few more.

[Token]

HI!
Last week I had a get together with my family. My carpet and all my other accessories have become dirty. Does anyone know what should I do to clean my carpet? I have used shampoo but it was not effective.
Thanks

Put rug in a shed for now.
Go to Burning Man next year and bring the dirty rug.
Use rug in a communal area for 9 days at Burning Man.
Pack rug, drive home.

After that you can follow any of the awesome tips posted earlier to get the dust out of the rug.