Care & washing
These rugs are handmade and machine washable, which sounds like a contradiction and is not. They are built to be lived on - by children, by dogs, by people who spill things. Here is how to keep one looking new for a decade.
Washing your rug
Every rug we ship has already been through a wash in our studio. So has yours. The machine will not hurt it - a hot dryer will.
Shake it out and vacuum first
Take the rug outside, shake it hard, then vacuum both sides. Washing a rug full of grit is how you grind grit into the fibres. Two minutes here saves the pile.
2 minutes, well spentFold it, do not roll it
Fold the rug with the pile facing outward and put it into the drum. A folded rug creates hard creases that take days to relax. Anything up to 5′ × 7′ fits a standard household machine; larger sizes go to a laundromat drum or get spot-washed at home.
Up to 5′ × 7′ at homeCold water, gentle cycle, mild detergent
Cold or lukewarm - never above 86°F / 30°C. Gentle or delicate cycle. A mild liquid detergent, and about half what you would use for a load of clothes. No bleach, no fabric softener, no oxygen boosters.
Cold · gentle · mild detergentLow spin, then air dry flat
Spin on the lowest setting the machine offers. Then lay the rug flat - on a drying rack, a clean floor, a couple of towels - and leave it. Do not hang it over a line: the weight of the water will pull the rug out of shape while it dries.
Dries in 6-12 hoursBrush the pile back up
Once it is bone dry, run a soft brush or your hand across the pile in the direction it naturally lies. It comes back. If a corner curls, lay a book on it overnight.
And it looks new againHow often? A hallway or kitchen rug: every 4-6 weeks. A living room rug: two or three times a year. A bedroom rug: once or twice a year. Vacuuming weekly does most of the work - the wash is for what vacuuming cannot reach.
Spills, and what to do in the first sixty seconds
Blot, never rub. Rubbing pushes the stain into the base of the pile and frays the fibre. Work from the outside of the spill inwards so you do not spread it.
| Spill | Do this immediately | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Red wine | Blot with a dry white cloth. Cover the stain in salt or baking soda and let it draw the liquid out for 15 minutes. | Vacuum the powder up, then cold-water blot. Machine wash within a day. |
| Coffee or tea | Blot hard with a dry cloth, then blot again with cold water and a drop of mild detergent. | Rinse-blot with plain cold water so no detergent is left behind. Air dry. |
| Pet accident | Blot up everything you can, then flush the area with cold water and blot again. | Machine wash with a mild detergent and a splash of white vinegar in the rinse. Vinegar kills the odour that detergent only masks. |
| Mud | Nothing. Let it dry completely - this is the one time you wait. | Break the dried mud up, vacuum it out, then wash. Wet mud smears; dry mud lifts. |
| Grease or oil | Cover in cornstarch or baking soda and leave for 20 minutes to absorb it. | Vacuum, then wash with a mild detergent. Repeat once if a shadow remains. |
| Ink or marker | Dab - do not rub - with a cloth barely damp with rubbing alcohol. Test a hidden corner first. | Cold-water blot to lift the alcohol out, then machine wash. |
| Candle wax | Let it harden. Do not pick at it. | Scrape off the bulk, lay brown paper over the rest and press with a warm iron - the paper absorbs the wax. Then wash. |
Everyday care
Vacuum
Suction only, no beater bar on a high setting. Go with the pile, not against it. Once a week is plenty in a living room; more in a hallway.
Rotate it
Turn the rug 180°. Sunlight and footfall are not evenly distributed, and rotating means the rug wears and fades evenly rather than in a patch.
Use a rug pad
It stops the rug sliding, adds cushioning, protects the floor underneath, and - the part nobody mentions - it roughly doubles the life of the pile by absorbing the impact of every footstep.
Snags and sprouts
A loose tuft is normal in a handmade rug. Never pull it. Snip it level with the pile using scissors and it will disappear.
Shedding in the first few weeks is normal. Loose fibre left over from the tufting works its way out for two to four weeks. It is not the rug falling apart. Vacuum it up and it stops.
What will actually ruin it
Safe
- Cold or lukewarm water, up to 86°F / 30°C
- Gentle or delicate machine cycle
- Mild liquid detergent, used sparingly
- White vinegar in the rinse for odour
- Air drying flat, indoors or in shade
- Tumble drying on no heat only, if you must
Never
- Bleach, of any kind, at any dilution
- Hot water or a hot dryer - it will shrink and set the backing hard
- Fabric softener - it coats the fibre and kills the texture
- Dry cleaning chemicals
- Steam cleaning or a carpet shampooer
- Rubbing a stain, or scrubbing with a stiff brush
- Drying it in direct sunlight - the colour will go
What people ask us
Will my 8 × 10 fit in a washing machine?
No. Anything above 5′ × 7′ needs a commercial drum at a laundromat, or you spot-clean it at home and take it in once a year. Every rug up to 5′ × 7′ goes in a standard household machine without drama.
Will the colours run?
They should not - the yarn is colourfast dyed and every rug is washed by us before it ships, which is exactly the test that catches a bad dye lot. Wash it on its own the first time anyway. Belt and braces.
Will it shrink?
Not in cold water. It will shrink in hot water, and it will shrink in a hot dryer. Both of those are on the never list for that reason.
What about the rug pad - can that be washed?
Rinse it in cold water in the bath and hang it to dry. Never put a felt-and-rubber pad in a machine or a dryer.
Something went wrong in the wash. Now what?
Call us. If a rug fails in a normal cold wash within the first year, that is a manufacturing fault and we will replace it. That is what wash-testing every rug before dispatch is supposed to prevent.
Still not sure? Ask a human.
A rug specialist will talk you through size, colour and weave - no hard sell, and no charge for a second opinion.