When you’re lucky enough to own a Moroccan rug, it feels like the best piece of furniture in your house. It’s soft and subtle, with swirls and patterns that are so beautiful that you want to spend all your time on the floor next to it. But over time, these rugs tend to get dirty fast. Getting a stain out of a Moroccan rug can be tricky, but if you know how to clean a Moroccan rug properly, it will last longer. There are some specific techniques that work best on each type of Moroccan rug. If you follow these tips, your rug will thank you for it!
Table of Contents
Things to consider before cleaning your Moroccan rug:
The needed tools:
- bucket.
- Vacuum cleaner.
- Vinegar and spray bottle.
- Rug shampoo or mild hand soap.
- Soft-bristle brush.
- A clean fence, a few chairs, or a sturdy clothesline.
- And of course, Water.
Typical cleaning time:
- Averages from 45 minutes to three hours.
Generally, small rugs like 60cm (2 feet) x 150cm (about 5 feet) take 45 minutes to clean. Relatively bigger rugs like 250cm (about 8 feet) x 300cm (about 10 feet) take 2 and half hours to clean.
You may need help!
- You can do it yourself: If your rug is tiny/small.
- You need help (+1 / 2 persons): If your rug is medium/Large.
Check the weather.
Check the weather forecast, and make sure that it will be sunny during the next 3-4 days. Why? I’ll let you know later 😉
The cleaning process:
Vacuum your rug on both sides.
Spot treat stains with a vinegar solution.
It’s true! Vinegar is a natural cleaner, and it also happens to be a mild acid. This makes it great for removing stains from carpets and rugs. It’s even effective at getting rid of some of the most stubborn carpet stains—a magic formula for your Moroccan rug if you’ve ever had problems with coffee or red wine rings!
Essentially all you need to do is mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle; then apply the mixture directly onto the stain using paper towels. After letting it sit for about 30 minutes (or overnight), blot up as much liquid as possible using clean paper towels until there are no longer any visible damp spots left behind on your Berber rug. Finally, vacuum away any residue left behind by this process to make sure that every last bit gets removed before proceeding with washing down your rug completely as outlined above in section.
Make your rug washing solution.
Ingredients:
½ teaspoon mild dish soap
2 cups of water
½ cup of white vinegar
½ teaspoon Downy fabric softener (optional)
Mix all these ingredients in a bucket.
Generally, you need 0.52 gallons (2 liters) of this solution to clean a 92cm (3 feet) x 150cm (about 5 feet) Wool Moroccan rug. However, half of this washing solution is needed in the case of a flat Moroccan rug (kilim, Kharita…) of the same dimensions.
Tip: Before using this homemade solution or in case you want to use a professional carpet shampoo. Make sure to test it out before you apply it to the whole rug. Apply a little to a small corner or patch (colored one), mix in some water, and let it settle for a few hours. Go back and rinse that spot off. Check carefully to see if there is any color damage or fiber damage.
Wetting out, soaking, Rubbing Your rug.
Pull out the garden hose and give your area rug a good rinse. And make sure to get it too wet, you need to prepare it well for washing solution/the shampoo application.
Work washing solution/the rug shampoo deep into your Moroccan carpet fiber and leave it for about 5 minutes.
Then, take your brush with soft bristles, and a stout handle and agitate the cleaning solution in the carpet, this helps break up dirt from within the fibers.
- Note: This step will require a lot of scrubbing and foam. Dress accordingly, get the rug really wet and focus on any stains.
- Note: The scrubbing nature depends heavily on the type of Moroccan rug that you are washing. Oppositely to Boucharouite rugs, Kharita rugs, Flat kilim rugs… that need relatively harsh scrubbing pressure. Beni ourain rugs, Boujad rugs, azilal rugs; wool Moroccan rugs in general, need gentle scrubbing.
- Tip: In case you want to use a professional carpet shampoo. Make sure to test it out before you apply it to the whole rug. Apply a little to a small corner or patch (colored one), mix in some water, and let it settle for a few hours. Go back and rinse that spot off. Check carefully to see if there is any color damage or fiber damage.
Rinse the rug with clean, cool water.
Identical to not rinsing your hair thoroughly under fresh water from shampoo. It will leave a sticky residue and the rug will re-soil (recollect dirt) very rapidly and become sticky.
That’s why It is highly recommended to place the rug outdoors and use a hose to clean and rinse the rugs multiple times to remove ALL of the cleaning product/the homemade washing solution mentioned above.
Finally, get as much water out of the rug as possible by rolling it out and wringing it out.
Let it air out, Let it rest.
Rig your rug up so that airflow and sunlight can reach the entire rug. If possible, hang it up on a fence, a few chairs, or a sturdy clothesline! When you notice that the exposed side to the sun is dried out, flip it over to expose the back side. This allows UV radiation to permeate the rug fully.
Usually, the back side takes much less time to dry up.
🆘 Keep in mind that the airflow and sunlight are essential to avoid any possible odors from your Moroccan rug‼️
Depending on the time of year and humidity, drying out your Moroccan rug can still take 1 day up to five days. Here in Morocco, It takes 12 hours to 2 days for a rug to dry out. Because Morocco gets plenty of sun all year round.
Briefly:
In order to sum up, let us answer together again, the question of “How to clean or deep clean/wash My Moroccan rug?”
1sth: Check the weather forecast, and make sure that it will be sunny during the next 3-4 days.
2nd: If you have a large Moroccan rug, ask for help.
3th: Prepare a bucket, Vacuum cleaner Vinegar, spray bottle, rug shampoo or mild hand soap, soft-bristle brush, a clean fence, a few chairs, or a sturdy clothesline, and of course, Water.
Step 1: Vacuum your rug on both sides.
Step 2: Spot treat stains with a vinegar solution.
Step 3: Make, prepare or buy your rug washing solution.
Step 4: Wetting out, soaking, and Rubbing Your rug.
Step 5: Rinse the rug with clean, cool water.
Step 6: Let it air out, Let it rest.
Your FAQS
There are three things to consider before deep cleaning your moroccan rug:
Generally, Wool Moroccan rugs need a double amount of cleaning solution and water, compared to flat Moroccan rugs (kilim, Kharita…) of the same dimensions.
However, oppositely to Boucharouite rugs, Kharita rugs, Flat kilim rugs… that need, and can handle relatively harsh scrubbing pressure. Beni ourain rugs, Boujad rugs, azilal rugs; wool Moroccan rugs in general, need gentle scrubbing.
Another thing that you need to consider when washing your Moroccan rug is its coloring/dying nature of it.
You’ll usually hear that your Moroccan Berber rug is made using natural colors. Or a high-quality dying solution. But NO! A lot of Moroccan rugs on the market are made using a cheap dying solution. Not all of them of course, but you don’t want to be shocked when you discover that your Moroccan rug’s colors running or bleeding after you wash it. right?
To avoid that, make sure to test it out before you apply it to the whole rug. Apply a little to a small corner or patch (colored one), mix in some water, and let it settle for a few hours. Go back and rinse that spot off. Check carefully to see if there is any color damage or fiber damage.
All that is said above, is about newly made Moroccan rugs. But when it comes to vintage Berber Moroccan rugs, you don’t need to worry about colors running or bleeding. That is if you’ve purchased an authentic rug.
Seeking attention or taking revenge on you… Your pet can make its calling card on your tribal Moroccan rug.
Because of its highly acidic nature, pet urine CAN negatively affect Moroccan rugs (except boucharouite rugs). To avoid that, first thing first, act quickly. You need to wear gloves. Soak up with the help of paper towels as much moisture as possible. Repeat that until the moisture is gone. Do not press down on the towels to avoid pushing the urine into the carpet padding.
Mix the same amount of white vinegar water in a bucket.
Then, take your brush with soft bristles, and a stout handle and agitate this solution in the carpet, this helps break up dirt from within the fibers and gets rid of the smell in the pet’s urine. Let the solution sit on the stain for at least 10 minutes.
Again, Soak up as much moisture as possible with the help of clean cloths or paper towels. A wet-dry vacuum can also work very well for that purpose.
I’ll be pleased to answer any further queries you might have. Contact us!
Conclusion:
I hope this article has helped you learn how to clean your Moroccan rug. This is one of the best ways to keep it looking good and lasting longer, so don’t forget! A little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to taking care of your home decor. Okay, okay, It is not that easy to clean your Moroccan rug. But, come on!!! It deserves it!
Now that you know all the different steps involved in cleaning these beautiful works of art, get out there and do it!
