Rug Washing/Reproofing - wondering if it's worth doing?

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Has the cost of rug washing/reproofing these days only made it viable if you have VERY expensive rugs?

Or possibly you live in an area that offers a reasonable price for washing/reproofing?

Our local rug wash charges £19.50 for a wash/reproof for an outdoor rug.

My dilemma is I have various rugs, which I guess cost £45-£60 brand new. Just with use they either lose a buckle, a sursingle or sustain the odd rip here and there, so repairs are also due on them if they go in for cleaning.

So when does it become unreasonable to send rugs in for cleaning/reproofing - what's your cut off line re costings versus costings for buying brand new (with obviously the option to sell off your old rug for maybe £8-£10 as a secondhand used with a few bits wrong with it on Ebay) and using this towards the new purchase?

Rambo/Premier Equine I can see the point, as these are expensive rugs. Mine are Shires/Loveson/Weatherbeeta and maybe a Rhino which might be worth doing?

 

[onemoretime]

My local rug wash charges £25 for a wash and reproof of turnout rugs and £20 for stable rugs. I bought a11kg washing machine brand new for £360 it soon paid for itself.

 

[Nudibranch]

I don't bother often as most years I can pick up 70-80 quid rugs for silly money (£17 last time!) as the big man is in an unpopular size. So it's often cheapwe to buy new rugs. I refuse to spend over £100 as he trashes them.

 

[JillA]

I have decided not to have my outer rugs washed/proofed this year as I have a couple of older ones that are no longer waterproof after having been done a handful of times (someone told me recently that for waterproof clothing biological powder destroys the proofing, you need non bio, I imagine the same applies to rugs). I'm planning to power wash the worst off mine and have the liners washed

 

[Quigleyandme]

I buy Premier Equine turnouts and liners in their end of season sales. The liners go in the machine at home (as do stable rugs) and the shells I sneak into the unmanned laundrette in my town. It is easy enough to get rug wash and reproofer and I saw patching kits at MVF the other day.

 

[soloequestrian]

I've given up trying to reproof rugs - I have never had any success, they just leak afterwards. I just don't wash any of them now and have several that are many years old. All Horseware.

 

[Identityincrisis]

I don't wash outdoor rugs now as I believe it destroys the reproofing

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I don't wash my Rhinos as they have liners which go into the washing machine. I just wipe the outers down and if they have very small holes I use Gortex patches to make them waterproof again. If you do need to reproof Graingers is about the best stuff to use. Works really well on seams.

 

[mandyroberts]

I bought a horse washing machine as I hate grubby rugs and all but my NZs are washed regularly. My NZs go once or twice a year for a wash & reproof which costs £12. It sounds like I have a good deal round here - and all my rugs are Rambo/Rhino so worth doing

 

[honetpot]

Mine get rinsed in warm water is a washing machine, which costs about £9 at our local tack shop. Some are about 5 years old. if they have to be repaired they have to be washed and reproofed which is about £25, which I only have done to the expensive ones. Now most of them are not rugged and I always by rugs in sales.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I bought a horse washing machine as I hate grubby rugs and all but my NZs are washed regularly. My NZs go once or twice a year for a wash & reproof which costs £12. It sounds like I have a good deal round here - and all my rugs are Rambo/Rhino so worth doing

Thats a bargain for £12 wash and reproof. Which area are you in Mandy? I am on the Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire border so if anyone around here knows of anyone cheaper than £20 please do let me know (although obviously I don't want to be travelling miles and miles to save a fiver!)

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I don't wash my Rhinos as they have liners which go into the washing machine. I just wipe the outers down and if they have very small holes I use Gortex patches to make them waterproof again. If you do need to reproof Graingers is about the best stuff to use. Works really well on seams.

That sounds a reasonable solution, and putting liners in my ordinary washing machine wouldn't be a problem for me. Hubby would have to get used to horse hairy socks for a while after lol.

How about those stretchy petticoats to go under my rugs? Have two, wear one and one in the wash? Would these stay better than the liners on a pony who lives out 24/7 do you think? Or do you think the liner system would work for 24/7 turnout too?

 

[criso]

I pay £15 for a wash and reproof which looking at what others pay seems reasonable. I try not to do it very often but if I need a repair it has to be done first. My hw and mw turnouts are rhinos or the more expensive weatherbeetas so worth doing. Cheaper no fill turnouts I do at home.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

My local rug wash charges £25 for a wash and reproof of turnout rugs and £20 for stable rugs. I bought a11kg washing machine brand new for £360 it soon paid for itself.

WOW that's even more expensive than my local shop! That's a great idea buying a washing machine to do this. Do you air dry them outside? Then reproof them with a paint on/spray on? Or use the all in one wash and reproof stuff in the machine?

I don't have anywhere to house a washing machine with plumbing and electric laid on for it. It would cost me another £300 to get it plumbed it at the yard I fear?

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I have decided not to have my outer rugs washed/proofed this year as I have a couple of older ones that are no longer waterproof after having been done a handful of times (someone told me recently that for waterproof clothing biological powder destroys the proofing, you need non bio, I imagine the same applies to rugs). I'm planning to power wash the worst off mine and have the liners washed

Yes that's right JillA - you need the proper rug solution or a non bio powder to wash rugs or it will destroy the waterproofness of the material. Have you the liners like in the Rhino system for your rugs? Is this what you mean you will have these washed?

 

[eggs]

About 15 years ago I bought a large American Maytag washer for the yard. It wasn't cheap but everything goes in it from dog beds to saddle cloths to all my rugs. It is big enough to take a 6'9" heavyweight turnout with hood. I wash stuff very regularly and my turnouts once a year on a 30o long wash with NikWax rug wash. I have never reproofed a rug. Most of my rugs are Rambo, PE, Bucas or Fal.

I was talking to the lady at my local tack shop who runs a rug washing business and her view was that it was probably more sensible to buy cheaper rugs and to just ditch them at the end of the season and buy again for the following year.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I don't bother often as most years I can pick up 70-80 quid rugs for silly money (£17 last time!) as the big man is in an unpopular size. So it's often cheapwe to buy new rugs. I refuse to spend over £100 as he trashes them.

Thats lucky I wish I could pick up good rugs at that price, I'd not bother to wash mine either! Sadly mine is a popular size, but with things in the field which they can catch them on, I really don't want to spend out £100's on more expensive rugs, so about £60 is my maximum.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I buy Premier Equine turnouts and liners in their end of season sales. The liners go in the machine at home (as do stable rugs) and the shells I sneak into the unmanned laundrette in my town. It is easy enough to get rug wash and reproofer and I saw patching kits at MVF the other day.

Similar system to the Rhino/Rambo system I guess. I've not invested ever in a Premier Equine as been told they are mega heavy when wet and take ages to dry off. I don't like handling heavy rugs at all.

Amazing you can sneak in your launderette with them, I am half tempted to but afraid of being caught out!

If it wasn't for the fact I need repairs doing to this rug, (cost £60 new) but now has front strap buckle missing, a tear in the rear about 3" and a few tears on the neck cover, I probably would just wash it and patch it myself. But I am not able to do the strap missing. If the repairs are going to be like £15-£20 and the wash/proof £20. I'm 2/3rds to a brand new rug, and can sell this one unwashed for say £10? Its heavyweight and combo neck, Shires 300 tempest.

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

I've given up trying to reproof rugs - I have never had any success, they just leak afterwards. I just don't wash any of them now and have several that are many years old. All Horseware.

Oh no - that's not good with Horseware rugs - don't they come with a 3 year guarantee against leaking? Are you washing them in the right rug solution stuff I wondered?

I am a believer that rugs are waterproof from under the material - and not what's added on top in reproofing. If the underside starts to peel or perish then no matter what you put on top won't solve the problem, it might initially help for a few days/weeks however? But it won't make them waterproof for say the winter season.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

My Rambos I get washed and reproofed every couple of years at about £20 a time. Both rugs over 10 years old and completely water-proof. My light-weights I wash and reproof myself once a year - both Amigos and still waterproof and 3-4 years old.

Lightweight stable rugs and sheets go in my washing machine. A couple of the heavier weights get washed once a year for £12 each. Normally wears a sheet underneath that can be washed more frequently.

He’s not a dirty or rug wrecking type so that helps.

From an environmental point of view it’s better to clean and repair than throw away every year into landfill. If you keep spare straps etc off rugs that have completely had it then repairs are pretty cheap.

 

[JillA]

Have you the liners like in the Rhino system for your rugs? Is this what you mean you will have these washed?

Yes, I have the Amigo system. The 100gm is okay in the washing machine but does need a presoak to get it really clean. I'd rather pay someone else to do the 200 and 300gm ones to get them clean enough, the don't move around enough in my domestic machine

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

About 15 years ago I bought a large American Maytag washer for the yard. It wasn't cheap but everything goes in it from dog beds to saddle cloths to all my rugs. It is big enough to take a 6'9" heavyweight turnout with hood. I wash stuff very regularly and my turnouts once a year on a 30o long wash with NikWax rug wash. I have never reproofed a rug. Most of my rugs are Rambo, PE, Bucas or Fal.

I was talking to the lady at my local tack shop who runs a rug washing business and her view was that it was probably more sensible to buy cheaper rugs and to just ditch them at the end of the season and buy again for the following year.

You've probably paid for the machine in 15 years with all that lot being washed haven't you eggs? And clean rugs always available, how lovely to have this facility. All those makes are very good makes interesting to hear you've never reproofed, you've obviously washed them well with the right detergent, so it is possible.

Interesting comment from lady at the tack shop that washes rugs as a business. What does she consider cheaper rugs I wonder, which aren't worth washing or repairing after a few months of wear? £20? £40? £60? As this is sort of the value of rug I have at the moment a £60 heavyweight turnout with neck attached. Had 3 months wear over the winter worn 24/7.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

That sounds a reasonable solution, and putting liners in my ordinary washing machine wouldn't be a problem for me. Hubby would have to get used to horse hairy socks for a while after lol.

How about those stretchy petticoats to go under my rugs? Have two, wear one and one in the wash? Would these stay better than the liners on a pony who lives out 24/7 do you think? Or do you think the liner system would work for 24/7 turnout too?

My two live out 24/7 but do come in during the day for a few hours for hay, Hoof cleaning and a snooze. The liners go on a quick wash and dry in that time which is why I find them so versatile. They also never rub or slip sideways like some rugs do. Love the Horseware system.