Pressure washing turnout rugs - inside & out(?)

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Puppy

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Hello :)

Just a little pondering :)

Very nearly all of my rugs are Rambo/Rhino turnouts and I have never known one to leak, as yet. :) However, as my horses are generally roughed off and living out over winter they do get grotty (specifically my cushingoid's, as despite improving with medication, she has quite a thick and dusty coat). I have previously paid to have the most frequently worn rugs per year professionally cleaned and reproofed, but this seems rather a waste of money given that they are not struggling on the outside as much as the inside.

I was wondering how effective a good pressure washer is at getting the grime off the nylon liners? (and for that matter, cleaning off the outside before packing them away for the summer) Does this do the job? Do people use any detergent? Or would this damage the waterproofing? What sort kind of quality (price range) of pressure washer would I need for such a task?

Thanks in advance :)
 
I haven't used a pressure washer on rugs, not sure how that would work, some of them are pretty powerful and may damage the rugs, and I'd also wonder if it would compromise the waterproofing. I've got a few stable rugs I would be willing to try it on though (they are about ready to walk off on their own :D )
What I do sometimes is lay the rugs out on the floor, hose them down, then get a broom and scrub them on the inside with that, then rinse of with the hose again. You could add some washing powder to this to get rid of some of the grease too.
 
I used a pressure washer on mine a couple of years ago.Think it was too powerful as it ripped the rugs. Also, still needed to use detergent and a broom. Then same problem as washing by hand, the need to Still didn't end up as clean as having them done professionally.
Off to take mine to be cleaned today, its worth the expense to have them back looking like new. Think I have at least 8 to be done.
 
I hang them on a gate, pressure wash, then scrub with fairy liquid and a yard broom, then pressure wash again. I have to admit I've been doing this every year for about 10 years+ on some of my Horseware Rhino/Rambo rugs and they are still keeping horses warm and dry!
 
mil1212 said:
What I do sometimes is lay the rugs out on the floor, hose them down, then get a broom and scrub them on the inside with that, then rinse of with the hose again. You could add some washing powder to this to get rid of some of the grease too.
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I tried that in the past, but it doesn't get off the greasy grime on the inside :(

As I say, my poor cushings girl has skin problems.
 
horserider said:
I used a pressure washer on mine a couple of years ago.Think it was too powerful as it ripped the rugs.
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Crikey! What sort/brand of rugs were they?

My older mare has a load of turn outs that I change frequently, so to get them all professionally done each year is quite an expense.
 
chestnut cob said:
Someone (can't remember who) said to me last year that they don't get their TOs washed and reproofed, they just hose off the inside to get rid of the grime then leave them to dry. So I guess it works :)
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Not for mine (Star's), the grime is too bad, doh! :o
 
fleabittengrey said:
I hang them on a gate, pressure wash, then scrub with fairy liquid and a yard broom, then pressure wash again. I have to admit I've been doing this every year for about 10 years+ on some of my Horseware Rhino/Rambo rugs and they are still keeping horses warm and dry!
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Thanks. What sort of pressure washer do you have? :)
 
The only thing about pressure washing apart from the above problems is that you are potentially washing the dirt into the material. You need to be very careful when using them. I wouldnt use any detergents atall on the material, inside or out, as it could react with the waterproofing and also with your horses skin. The best way is to space out the cleaning of your rugs over the summer months when other expenses are lower, eg bedding, hay etc. When you invest in good rugs like Rambo and Rhino is is worth looking after them properly.
 
Izzwizz said:
The best way is to space out the cleaning of your rugs over the summer months when other expenses are lower, eg bedding, hay etc. When you invest in good rugs like Rambo and Rhino is is worth looking after them properly.
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I do space out taking to get them cleaned, but that doesn't change the fact that is seems a huge amount of money per rug for one that may have only have been worn for a few weeks all year, just because it is grotty on the inside rather than worn to the outside.

My cushingoid lives out all year round, so there are no bedding costs, :) and due to her condition she is not allowed any proper quantity of grass, therefore she has haylage all year round.
 
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I have done this, I layed the rug out flat on the ground then pressure washed along the length of the rug, I held the washer almost the the same angle as the ground (rather than at a right angle to the ground).
I started at the front & worked my way to the back, the force of the water washed the dirt out, was pushed back & then was washed out of the end of the rug.
I only did the inside, never bothered with the outside.
The rug was then put over a gate to dry.
I haven't got a pressure washer anymore so don't bother but I probably would ifI had a horse with the same skin problems as yours.
 
Puppy said:
I do space out taking to get them cleaned, but that doesn't change the fact that is seems a huge amount of money per rug for one that may have only have been worn for a few weeks all year, just because it is grotty on the inside rather than worn to the outside.

My cushingoid lives out all year round, so there are no bedding costs, :) and due to her condition she is not allowed any proper quantity of grass, therefore she has haylage all year round.
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Out of interest, how much do you pay for rug cleaning?
 
Puppy said:
Off the top of my head, I *think* it's £27 for a professional clean and reproof.
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Hmmmn thats quite expensive. I charge £16 for that and use quality products i.e. Nikwax. Interesting that is, whereabouts in the Country are you? My price has only just gone up from £14 to £16, dont think I will ever go above £20. I'm interested to know just for research purposes. Thanks for that info.
 
I'm in Cambridge, so a pricey place to keep a horse!

I've just been thinking and it may be only £24 for proofing & cleaning. I think the last one I paid £27 because they stitched a D ring back on for me too... Either way, you get the idea - it's pricey, and my mare has 8 turnout rugs, so it all adds up!! Not that I get every single one done, every single year, but they do get grimey inside very quickly and it just seems so unnecessary... Have put her onto Outshine recently in a bid to improve her coat. Picky girl won't eat oil her feed... I swear she loves to be expensive to keep! :D
 
Izzwizz said:
Hmmmn thats quite expensive. I charge £16 for that and use quality products i.e. Nikwax. Interesting that is, whereabouts in the Country are you? My price has only just gone up from £14 to £16, dont think I will ever go above £20. I'm interested to know just for research purposes. Thanks for that info.
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PS - do you pick up and drop off for mass loads?! :D
 
pressure washing is fine, used to do up to 250 rugs a year like this years ago.
I lay them down on concrete, do the outside first, then turn over and do the inside, stand on surcingles & legstraps to hold them still as if they flick round under pressure they can whack you!
I wore waders to stop getting soaked, got some strange looks but it does get them clean.
To rinse I put them in a watertank with some jeyes in to kill bacteria, you watch how the leg straps turn a different colour as you do it!
Oz :)
 
Puppy said:
I'm in Cambridge, so a pricey place to keep a horse!

I've just been thinking and it may be only £24 for proofing & cleaning. I think the last one I paid £27 because they stitched a D ring back on for me too... Either way, you get the idea - it's pricey, and my mare has 8 turnout rugs, so it all adds up!! Not that I get every single one done, every single year, but they do get grimey inside very quickly and it just seems so unnecessary... Have put her onto Outshine recently in a bid to improve her coat. Picky girl won't eat oil her feed... I swear she loves to be expensive to keep! :D
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Had a bit of a think about it all for you. If you get some Numed Wash or Nikwax wash from a Saddlery then mix a small amount with warm water and gently sponge off the grime, that should work. Then give it a gentle rinse with a pressure washer to rinse the dirt off by not having it set on a high pressure setting. That should help get your rugs clean on the inside. Those products are soap based and wont damage a thing and are designed for horses therefore skin friendly.

If you want to then keep your rugs clean inside, buy yourself a Rambo Duo Liner in the lightest weight available, the 100g one I think is the lowest. This can then be worn under the rugs, fastens with velcro at the front and clips on your rug with fasteners which are at the rear of the liner at each corner of your rug in use at the time. They will work with any rug, it doesnt have to be a Rambo. That way you can wash the liner at home yourself and your rugs will stay clean. They keep your horses coat shiny too and dry very quickly.
Cost around £26 ish to buy.

I do collect and drop off rugs locally in answer to your final question. Hope the above helps you. Would save you a lot of money in rug cleaning, your right it is expensive in your neck of the woods. Dont think I would have much work coming in if I charged that amount!
 
I have a Karcher pressure washer and pressure washed a lightweight Rambo Wug with Fairy Liquid - BIG mistake. The Wug was never wasterproof again :o(

Similarly I sent a Rhino Wug for professional washing and reproofing, again BIG mistake as it was never fully water proof again.

Now I never bother to clean my turnout rugs. I do however wash my stable rugs at home and change rugs every week to 10 days, thus keeping the coats clean which in turn helps to keep the inside of the turnout rugs clean.

A friend uses cotton sheets under her rugs, stable and turnout, with great success. I tried it but unfortunately after a week or so my arab showed signs of rubbed shoulders so I stopped using them.
 
Puppy said:
Crikey! What sort/brand of rugs were they?

My older mare has a load of turn outs that I change frequently, so to get them all professionally done each year is quite an expense.
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Rambo, Rhino and Fal. The Rhino's came off worse, but the pressure washer was a Karcher, and having laid them flat on concrete, I'm guessing the power was too much.
 
I've always pressure washed my horse rugs with no problems. Like someone else said, I use the pressure washer on an angle and you can see the dirt washing out. I do them on the ground then hang them over a gate to dry. My rugs are mostly Rambos, Rhinos and Amigos. I had them done professionally for a couple of years but the Rhinos came back not waterproof.
 
I have used a karacher pressure washer on all sorts of rugs, never had a problem. If your rugs have the nylon lining, that washes much better than the duvet style ones. Only problem is it doesnt get rid of that nasty poopy sweaty stench rugs seem to accumulate
 
Mine head for the local saddlery for a good wash & re proof. At $10 roughly 5pounds it's really worth it. Don't have to spend my precious time fighting with a wet rug. They come back smelly sweet, bone dry and ready to put away till next time. Just packed away the summer rugs as they have all gone into their autumn jammies. The re useable shopping bags from the supermarket make the ideal storage bags.
 
Could you not use rotating summer sheets that will go in the washing machine as a base layer? Then you could change turnouts less often and the inside wouldn't get so dirty.
 
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