There is a company in Marin that holds the seat of popularity for in home area rug cleaning because they claim to do an excellent job of cleaning an area rug in your home. It’s popularity comes from the low price tag. The caveat is that they don’t clean rugs any other way, so of course they think they are the best.
Mother Nature’s Cleaning can also clean area rugs in your home, but since we clean rugs of all types both in your home or in our state of the art facility – we will do it better than the rest. We have three decades of experience in area rug cleaning and can tell you without a doubt that it is quite rare to do an amazing job cleaning an area rug when it’s still in your home.
However, there are a few choice exceptions to that rule. Last week, one of the technicians sent me an image of this rug…
It made me smile because I have a similar rug in my own home and it is cheap as heck, but I love it! It’s an affordable choice for families with pets and children because the pattern is printed onto a very forgiving synthetic fabric. The surface of the rug mimics an oriental style rug, but it has no pile and no weave. Due to the simple construction of this rug, it is in fact better to clean in your home over our facility, so I gave the technician and the green light, and this is the result…
It turned out amazing and it cost the customer less than $100 to do it when added to their other items!
So that brings me to my list of some of the rugs that are actually worth cleaning in your home rather than in our facility. The list is limited and there is an (*) asterisks next to each item that will clean up better in our facility, but we still often recommend doing it in your home for reasons of value, and return on investment. (sentimental pieces are always an exception and should be revered with a facility cleaning.)
- Printed rugs like the one I just mentioned or machine washable style rugs are best cleaned with our steam cleaning equipment.
- Commodity style rugs like those you get at home stores don’t cost enough initially to justify a full immersion hand wash because you will spend more cleaning than you did to actually buy it the first place
- Synthetic rugs from mid-range furniture retailers (think Pottery barn, West Elm and another branded home stores) can be maintained nicely in your home, but should still be taken to the facility for a good dusting now and then. Frequent vacuuming can eliminate the need to have it professionally dusted.
- Floor floor tiles/carpet tiles. Stiff rugs that have a very low pile are best cleaned in your home.
- We can perform maintenance cleanings on most low to medium pile wool rugs as long as they are machine tufted. You can recognize these rugs because they have a fabric backing that hides how they were constructed. Like Their synthetic counterparts, these rugs should be brought in for a good wash every couple of years, but in between, a surface cleaning is sufficient if you are vacuuming regularly. (That means vacuuming every two or three days.)
The list of things that you should not clean in your home is significant. I’m not going to list them all here, but encourage you to call a professional when in doubt, or even if you are sure just to be extra sure!
Rugs that are absolutely better off being cleaned in our facility and SHOULD NOT be cleaned in your home if you expect a good result:
- Any rug with urine on it
- All shag and other high pile rugs
- Rugs made from mercerized cotton, viscose, silk, or a high-end wool,
- Floppy rugs with low pile or woven construction.
- Navajo, needlepoint, braided rugs, rugs that have over painting, or rugs that are known bleeders such as Moroccans or known to shrink unusually like Afghans.
- Rugs with excessive soiling or rugs that are not vacuumed regularly
If you call someone who tells you with confidence that they can expertly clean any rug without removing it from your home, maybe don’t trust their knowledge and expertise, because it is limited. These companies may not ruin your rug, but they aren’t going to get it as clean as they claim.
Call a professional who has cleaned every type of rug with every different type of cleaning method and ask them questions to find the answer that is correct, not just what you want to hear. Professionals with integrity will find an option within your budget, but will not mislead you. Make sure that you know what you’re getting.
Call Mother Nature’s Cleaning for an array of area rug cleaning options in Marin County to fit any budget!
Happy Cleaning!
