Rug Wash/Proofing

[beckieswann]

I was just wondering if anyone actually sends their rugs off to be cleaned and reproofed or do you do it at home, and if so how?

I'm looking at just cleaning mine this year and next year reproofing - but how do you go about doing it? Is it just a case of wash them in the bath and then reproof once cleaned in the bath?

Sorry complete numpty question - never had to do it before!

(Also ours don't fit in the washing machine!)

 

[BigRed]

I always send my rugs away. Pretty much all the feed shops around me have companies collecting rugs, they are gone for a week. They come back immaculate, for £10 to £15. I would not bother doing it myself for that much money. If you have loads of rugs, just do a couple a month, over the summer.

 

[Bugly]

This summer I have sent all my expensive rugs (all the HW FALS) off for a proffesional wash and re-proof.

The others, i.e spares, cheapo ones i'm not too worried about and LWs I have been doing myself.

Following HHO advice I've used Nikwax products and found them fab.

I soak the rug in a plastic bin for a day, then lay it out on the yard ontop of a clean tarpaulin. I then rinse it off by hanging over a stable door. you then need to leave it for 2/3 days to dry off (sunshine required!). I then use nikwax rug wash and get scrubbing! I have reproofed them all using the Nik Wax reproofer. You damp the rug, mix the reproofer with warm water, sponge it on, rinse it off and hey presto- one waterproof, clean rug!

You can use alot less reproofer than they say on the bottle.

Youv'e probably left it a bit late now though- you need lots of warm weather to do it yourself.

Obviously its time laborious too- but i have 30 rugs to clean a season and cant afford for them to all be done professionally. I take one a month to the washers to spread the costs a bit.

 

[beckieswann]

Thanks for that bugly - probably have left it a bit late! But it was just his LW, MW turnout and his fly rug - which I was planning to just power wash anyway. So I'll attempt to do it spring time - just annoying for storage as they'll be a bit smelly!

Also thanks tracey - didn't realise cleaning was as "inexpensive" as that (still expensive mind, lol)

But thanks for replying

 

[HoHum]

I re-proofed my heavy weight turnouts at the end of the summer by spraying with a product sold for brick work, but on the small print also said it was suitable for fabrics..Think it was Thompson Weather Seal. Comes in about a gallon tin (£15 ish) which i poured into a spray bottle amd sprayed each rug v well. Think did about four or five rugs with the gallon.

 

[soulfull]

left mine too late too

 

[Izzwizz]

Think lots of people have left it late to get their rugs done. I wash and re-proof rugs as a business and have had a sudden influx of turnout rugs to do. The heavyweights are the most "challenging" at this time of year with the not so warm weather but I generally turn them round in a week. Like your method Bugly but it does sound time consuming when it only takes me 1 1/4 hrs to wash and re-proof a rug. Nikwax is the best in my opinion, its all I use and fingers x its not let me down. Never heard of anyone using the weather seal product, hope it allows the rugs to breathe and doesnt give off fumes or damage the fabric of the rug.