Shag rugs take a lot more effort to clean than regular pile rugs, so make sure that you are ready to make that time commitment before you buy one or you will either have to throw it out or have it professionally cleaned. This is especially a warning if you want to buy wall-to-wall shag carpeting. However, if you already have shag carpeting and it is already showing signs of dirt, here are some steps to get it looking fresher and cleaner.
Step 1: To clean the rug, sweep it with a regular bristle broom. This will loosen deep down dirt and ‘wake-up’ the pile of the carpet. Then you can vacuum the carpet to suck up the loose dirt. Make sure to do this twice a week (yes, twice) to keep the carpet looking fresh. This is how much work it will take to keep these shag carpets clean. These carpets are known as dirt magnets that also trap it and keep a hold of it until it gets ground in, so keeping it swept and vacuumed often is a must.
Step 2: Whenever you can, take the rug outside and hang it over a balcony or clothesline and beat it gently with the broom you use to sweep it. This will knock a lot of the trapped dust and dirt out of it and get it much cleaner than just sweeping and vacuuming. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you can’t do this, but if you invest in a heavy duty vacuum, you can still keep the carpet fairly clean.
Step 3: You will have to steam clean shag carpets every six months so keep them really looking fresh. You can either rent a machine or have them professionally cleaned if they are more expensive shag rugs. If your shag rug is an area rug and you rent a machine, you can do your upholstery at the same time.
If cleaning a shag rug by yourself seems like a lot of work why not give us a call today and get a quote instead. Our number is 1300 931 391.
