Washing rugs

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orangegrace

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I have many many (read too many) rugs. I normally take the turnouts to my local laundrette and wash them1in their massive machine but I do worry about then losing there 'waterproofness'
Has anyone every jetwashed them? Do they come us as clean and does it strip the waterproofing out ?!
 
I think that jet washing is too drastic and can damage the rug, but spraying a rug with a normal hose jet can work. The problem I find with home hose or sponge cleaning is that the rug lining can fill up with water and then it takes ages to drain out through the stitching holes, which isn’t very good for the rug.
 
I used a jet wash once, the rug wasn’t waterproof afterwards so I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t tend to have turnout rugs cleaned unless they really need it, as in they are really dirty inside which rarely happens before the rug is damaged and gets replaced anyway.
 
I have a fairly powerful jet wash and I managed to rip a couple of rugs once. I've used a less powerful one with ok results though. You could lie them flat and brush them over with soapy water and then hose off if you have a gate or frame to hang them on.
Alternatively, if you just want to freshen up the inside of the rug, use a steam cleaner to kill off the bacteria and grease. Sometimes I dilute white vinegar in my cleaner. The smell disappears once it's aired.
 
To be honest, I'm not worried about cleaning mine (turnouts), they are literally just going to get dirty again. If they start leaking they will get washed and reproofed by a horse rug cleaning company. Yeah they can stink but I'm sure the horses don't mind!
 
I got sick of my rugs losing their waterproofing when I sent them away to be professionally washed despite them being 'reproofed' so I started washing them myself. I hang them over a gate and scrub with a dandy brush using cold water from hosepipe. It gets them clean enough. I tend to have Weatherbeeta rugs and they have drainage slits to let the water run out.
 
I tend to mainly use liners underneath turnouts, and those can go in the washing machine. I only really care about getting the outside of turnouts clean if I want to reproof, so reproofer sticks.

I have found putting rugs over a gate or garden fence and pressure hosing both sides to be fairly effective to get clean to sell or reproof.

I rarely send anything away and wouldn't put through machine, even without adding soap, machines have soap residue with removes waterproofing.

Other thing can do is baby wipe the grease off the inside.
 
meleeka said:
I used a jet wash once, the rug wasn’t waterproof afterwards so I wouldn’t recommend it. I don’t tend to have turnout rugs cleaned unless they really need it, as in they are really dirty inside which rarely happens before the rug is damaged and gets replaced anyway.
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Completely agree with this - I can buy a cheap rug for not much more than a wash/reproof and it usually lasts a winter. Some I get longer out of so I'm not buying a whole new wardrobe each year.
 
Found jet washing can be too harsh and cause more harm than good. We wait till a sunny day then lay them all out, use a soft brush and soapy water to scrub the mud off then hose clean and leave to dry, if they stink or the liners bad then we leave to soak in an old wheelbarrow full of soapy water and do a bit of handwashing. Every other year we spray them with tent reproofer as well. Some are years old and still going strong. Would never send them to a professional though, seem to ruin them
 
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Peter7917 said:
I never clean them. Literally never. Some are years old. They don't smell the best but they are all still 100% waterproof as a result.
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I don’t either. I had a couple that needed repairing so had to be washed and reproved professionally but they weren’t waterproof at all after that so I use them for indoors now.
 
A very good local equine laundry told me last year to maintain the water proofness (is that even a word) of t/o rugs they should only ever be washed in non bio and at no more than 30 degrees - a not too clued up alternative business ruined one of my Amigo's and a couple of less pricey ones by washing. I never wash them now, and I take the point about pressure washing. Rain will do the job over time :)
 
I never touch the turnouts.. rain washes the excess mud off and avoiding a washing machine means they stay waterproof! Amigo rugs fit so well and arent overly cheap so id rather them abit smelly and muddy AND waterproof!!!
 
Tiddlypom said:
I think that jet washing is too drastic and can damage the rug, but spraying a rug with a normal hose jet can work. The problem I find with home hose or sponge cleaning is that the rug lining can fill up with water and then it takes ages to drain out through the stitching holes, which isn’t very good for the rug.
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I had the lining filling with water when I tried washing with a hosepipe. Great bags of water and I had to punch a small hole in the lining to let it drain. Now I do nothing. Nice mucky waterproof rugs.:D
 
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