Machine Washable Rugs: What Can Actually Go in the Wash

Every soft thing in your house can be washed. Curtains come down. Cushion covers come off. Throws go in with the towels. The rug — the biggest piece of fabric in the room, the one everything actually lands on — has always been the exception.

That is starting to change. But not for every rug, and not in the way most people assume. Here is how to tell what can genuinely go in the wash, what will be ruined by trying, and what to do with everything in between.

Two things decide it, and most people only think about one

Almost every guide to washable rugs talks about what the rug is made of. That is half the answer. The other half is size, and it is the half that catches people out.

What it is made of

Machine washable rugs are almost always synthetic — polyester or polypropylene — with a flat woven or felt backing designed to get wet and dry again. Water passes through, the backing holds its shape, and the colours stay put.

Natural fibres are a different matter. Wool felts and shrinks when it is agitated in hot water, and a wool rug that has felted cannot be brought back. Viscose, sometimes sold as art silk, is worse: it loses strength when wet and can mark permanently from clean water alone. Anything with a glued latex backing will delaminate — the backing separates from the pile and the rug goes wavy and never lies flat again.

If a rug is not explicitly sold as washable, assume it is not. The cost of being wrong is the rug.

How big it is

This is the one that surprises people. A domestic washing machine in most South African homes takes 7 to 9 kg. A rug soaks up two to three times its dry weight in water, so a rug that feels manageable in the shop is a very different object once it is wet.

As a working rule, a rug of about 120 x 170 or smaller will fit a normal machine. Anything larger belongs in an industrial machine at a laundromat, or gets cleaned a different way entirely. A 200 x 290 will not fit, no matter what the fibre is, and forcing it in is how machines get broken.

This is why washable rugs make the most sense in the smaller sizes — the bedside rug, the rug in a child's room, the one inside the back door.

How to check before you try

• Look for a care label on the underside. If it gives a wash symbol and a temperature, follow it exactly.
• Check the backing. Flexible and woven is a good sign. Stiff, rubbery and glued to the pile is not.
• Test for colour fastness. Press a damp white cloth firmly into an inconspicuous corner for thirty seconds. If colour transfers, do not wash it.
• Weigh it, honestly. If you would struggle to carry it dry, it will not go in.
• If you are not sure, ask us. We can tell you what a specific rug will tolerate before you find out the hard way.

Washing a rug that can go in

Before it goes near the machine

Vacuum both sides thoroughly. A rug carries far more grit than it looks like it does, and wet grit turns into a paste that works its way into the base of the pile. Treat any specific stains first — most lift with cool water and a little mild detergent, worked from the outside of the mark inwards so it does not spread.

The cycle

Cold water, gentle or delicates cycle, low spin. Mild liquid detergent, and not much of it. Skip fabric softener entirely — it coats the fibres and leaves the pile limp and quicker to attract dirt. Never use bleach on a coloured rug.

Wash the rug on its own. It needs the room to move, and a rug tangled around a duvet cover comes out creased in ways that take days to settle.

Drying, which is where most rugs are ruined

Heat is the enemy. It shrinks fibres and warps backings, and it does both permanently. Only tumble dry if the label specifically allows it, and then on the lowest heat setting.

Otherwise, dry it flat and in the shade. Draped over a railing works, but rotate it so it does not set a fold line. Full South African sun will fade the colours faster than years of ordinary use, so shade is not optional here.

Make sure it is completely dry before it goes back on the floor. A rug that feels dry on top can still be damp at the base of the pile, and a damp rug on a sealed floor turns musty within days.

What about the rugs that can't go in?

Most rugs, including nearly everything larger than a bedside size, fall here. That does not mean they cannot be cleaned.

Hose it down. Flatweaves and outdoor rugs handle this well. Lay the rug on a clean, sloped surface — a driveway or patio — hose it through, work a mild soap in with a soft brush, rinse until the water runs clear, and dry it flat in the shade. Our guide to outdoor rugs covers this in more detail.

Spot clean and vacuum. For wool, viscose and hand-knotted rugs this is the routine, and done properly it is enough for years. Our rug care guide covers the method, and there is a separate article on removing wine stains, which is the one everybody eventually needs.

Have it professionally cleaned. Every few years for a rug in a busy room. For anything hand-knotted or valuable, this is the only answer — and it is considerably cheaper than replacing a rug you damaged in a bath.

Where a washable rug genuinely earns its place

Washability is not a reason to buy a rug on its own. It is a reason to buy a particular rug for a particular spot:

• A child's room or playroom. The clearest case there is. Our washable range includes several kids' designs in sizes that fit a normal machine.
• Homes with pets. Not for accidents so much as for the ordinary accumulation of hair and outside dirt.
• Just inside the back door. The rug that takes the worst of the garden.
• Under a dining table, if the household includes small children. Though a flatweave that can be hosed often suits this better, because dining rugs need to be large.

For a lounge rug that sits under furniture and is walked on with clean feet, ordinary care will keep it looking good for decades. Washability is worth paying for where it will actually be used.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put any rug in the washing machine?

No. Only rugs specifically made and sold as washable, and only in sizes your machine can physically handle. Wool, viscose and anything with a glued backing should never go in.

What size rug fits in a domestic washing machine?

Roughly 120 x 170 and smaller for a standard 7 to 9 kg machine. Remember the rug will be two to three times heavier wet than dry.

Can I tumble dry a rug?

Only if the care label says so, and only on low heat. Heat shrinks fibres and warps backings, and neither can be undone. Flat, in the shade, is always safer.

Will a washable rug shrink?

A synthetic rug washed cold and dried without heat should not. Wool will, which is exactly why wool rugs are not machine washable.

How often should I wash a washable rug?

Once or twice a year for most rooms, more often in a child's room. Regular vacuuming does far more for a rug's appearance than occasional washing does.

Can I wash a rug in the bath instead?

You can, for small rugs, and it is a reasonable option if the rug is too heavy for the machine but light enough to lift when wet. Cool water, mild detergent, rinse thoroughly, and be realistic about carrying it out — a soaked rug is extremely heavy.

Not sure about your rug?

Tell us what you have and we will tell you what it will tolerate. That is free, whether you bought it from us or not. You can contact us directly, or bring the rug into any of our eight showrooms and we will look at it with you.

We have been selling rugs in South Africa since 1984, and we would rather talk you out of a wash than replace a rug you ruined.