- Mon–Fri 8am–7pm
- New Richmond, WI & 30 miles around
Rug steam cleaning
Area rugs and runners get a gentler pass than wall-to-wall carpet — enough to lift the dirt and the odor, controlled enough to protect the dyes and the backing.
Why rugs are different
A rug is not just small carpet.
Wall-to-wall carpet is fixed down over a pad, and it is nearly always synthetic. An area rug sits loose on a hard floor, is often wool or cotton, and frequently carries dyes that were never meant to get wet. Treating one like the other is how rugs get ruined.
So the pass is gentler and the sequence is different. We identify the fiber, test the dyes in an inconspicuous corner, and get as much dry soil out as possible before any moisture goes near it — because wet dirt in a wool pile is far harder to remove than dry dirt.
Then it is a controlled extraction with less water and more recovery passes, followed by careful drying. The aim is a rug that comes back brighter and still flat, with the fringe and the backing intact.
Straight answers
What we can clean, and what needs a specialist.
Most household rugs are straightforward. A few genuinely are not, and we will tell you which yours is before we touch it.
We clean these in your home
- Synthetic area rugs — nylon, polyester, olefin and polypropylene. The most forgiving of the lot.
- Machine-made wool — with a gentler pass and controlled moisture.
- Cotton flatweaves and runners — hallway and kitchen runners take a beating and clean up well.
- Indoor-outdoor rugs — usually the easiest job on the list.
- Pet accidents and general soil — same treatments as carpet, applied more conservatively.
These need a rug specialist
- Hand-knotted oriental and Persian rugs — these are properly cleaned by full immersion washing off-site, not in place.
- Silk and viscose — also sold as art silk, bamboo silk or rayon. Viscose in particular can be permanently damaged by water alone.
- Antique or heirloom pieces — the value is worth more than the convenience of an in-home clean.
- Rugs with dyes that bleed on testing — if the colors run on a test patch, we stop. That is exactly what the test is for.
- Anything already coming apart — loose foundation, dry rot or heavy fringe damage should be repaired before it is cleaned.
If your rug is in this column we will say so and point you toward someone who does that work, rather than risk it for the sake of taking the job.
How the job runs
Careful, in that order.
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Identify and test
Fiber type and construction first, then a colorfastness test in a corner nobody sees. This is the step that decides whether the job goes ahead at all.
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Dry soil removal
As much loose grit out as possible before anything gets wet. Wet dirt in a wool pile is far harder to shift than dry dirt.
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Pre-treat
Spots and pet areas get treated individually, matched to the fiber rather than applied by default.
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Controlled extraction
Less water than carpet, more recovery passes. The rug should come out damp, never saturated.
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Dry and finish
Groomed in one direction and set up to dry properly, with airflow underneath so the floor beneath it dries too.
What does it cost?
Rugs are priced by size, fiber and condition. Because the right method depends on what the rug is actually made of, an accurate number needs eyes on it — the quote is free either way, and if we think it needs a specialist we will tell you at that point.
Before you book
Rug questions we get every week.
No — we clean rugs in your home, the same as everything else we do. If your rug turns out to need full immersion washing, that is an off-site job and we will point you to someone who does it properly rather than improvise.
That is exactly what the colorfastness test is for. We test in an inconspicuous corner before any general cleaning starts. If the dyes move on the test patch, we stop and talk to you about it.
Machine-made wool, yes, with a gentler pass and tighter moisture control. Hand-knotted wool rugs are a different animal and are better served by immersion washing off-site.
Fringe is the most fragile part of any rug and it is where damage shows first. We clean it carefully and by hand where needed. If it is already fraying badly we will point that out before starting.
Usually similar to carpet, 4 to 8 hours, though thick wool can take longer. We set it up with airflow underneath so the hard floor beneath the rug dries as well — trapped moisture under a rug is how you get a mark on the floor.
Yes, and that is how most people book it. Doing both in one visit is more efficient for us and usually works out better for you than two separate trips.
While we are there
Most people book more than one.
Ready when you are
Bring the colors back.
Free quote, straight answers, and a firm price before any equipment comes off the truck. Serving New Richmond and 30 miles around it.
Monday–Friday, 8:00am–7:00pm Central