How to Clean a Rug with a Pressure Washer

As a carpet owner, I know that rug cleaning is a hard and time taking process. I decided to make it easier for myself. So I used the pressure washer to do the cleaning job faster. But how can you clean the rugs with a pressure washer?

As a general rule, cleaning a rug with a pressure washer is a 5 step process. First of all, you have to put the rug outside. Then it’s necessary to apply the carpet soap/detergent. You may use the special tip of the pressure washer to do it. Then scrub the rug with a brush. After that, take the pressure washer again to rinse the detergent residue from the rug pile. Finally, dry the rug away. Read further to know, what types of rugs you can clean with a pressure washer. 

What is a Pressure Washer and How Does It Clean Rugs?

I am always into wellness and health if it deals with my home space. I know, that each room in my house has some mood and sparkles with joy. I like rugs and carpets, which I am sure, add some beauty and coziness to my space. But I hate cleaning them. It’s always a hard exhausting job – to wash the rug, rinse it out and then dry it down. Of course, many carpet owners solve this problem easily – they simply take the carpets to a professional cleaning company and then get an absolutely clean rug. The only problem, as usual, is it costs $200-300.

One of my readers advised me to try a pressure washer to clean the rug fast, very carefully, and for nothing. The only investment you have to make is to get the pressure washer and some carpet detergent. 

I read a lot about various kinds of pressure washers and then used this powerful device by myself. Now I am going to dive into this topic with you.

So, what is a pressure washer?

A pressure washer is a powerful tool, which becomes in hand when it is necessary to clean thoroughly the wide and very dirty area. The main principle of its work is simple. It takes the low-pressure water from the hose and then boosts it with much higher pressure due to the special pump. The pressure washer is powered either by an electric motor or by a gasoline engine. The water comes out of the special tip under high pressure, which allows the machine literally to break down dirt, dust, and debris.

With the help of a pressure washer, it is possible to clean

• Sidewalks
• Patios
• House exteriors
• Cars
• Carpets/rugs

You can clean with a pressure washer almost everything, which needs to get rid of dirt. The only thing you should keep in mind is that you mustn’t clean with this powerful machine anything alive – pets or people. As the water comes from this device under such a high pressure, it can hurt any living being, if it touches it.

To the functional end of the pressure washer, from where the water comes, you should attach a special tip. Usually, the pressure washer has several tips, which differ according to their power. The tips are of different colors, as usual, the most powerful is a red one, while the weakest is a black one. To clean the rugs, you should use the tip of medium power. Nevertheless, the final choice depends on the type of carpet pile.

I am going to give you general recommendations, on how to clean the various kinds of rugs with a pressure washer.

Can You Clean Shaggy Rugs with Pressure Washer?

Just to remind you, shaggy rugs usually have a long fluffy pile. The ends of the long threads of the shaggy carpets are usually trimmed and look sharp like pencils. Usually, the shaggy rugs look great, but it is so hard to clean them. I usually clean my shaggy carpet with a pressure washer, and I am very happy with the result, I get.

My shaggy carpet is made of propylene. It is a synthetic material, and I am sure, the pressure washer with the team of medium power won’t do it any harm. Nevertheless, shaggy carpets can also be made of natural materials, like wool or cotton. In this case, I advise using the pressure washer cautiously. Probably, it is better to choose the tip with the lowest pressure or even refuse from using a pressure washer in your case.

Can You Clean Plush Woven Rugs with Pressure Washer?

Many homeowners like luxurious plush woven rugs for their bedrooms and living rooms. No wonder, because they look luxurious and feel very soft and delicate to touch. Nevertheless, each owner of a plush woven rug knows that cleaning it is a kind of headache. The dirt and debris residue is so noticeable on the plush rug surface. And you should spend long hours scrubbing and cleaning all that mess.

I like to use the pressure washer to clean the fluffy plush carpets. First of all, the dirt becomes diluted under the powerful jet of water. Besides, it is easy to rinse the detergent residue from the plush pile with the pressure washer.

Very often plush woven rugs are made of synthetic kinds of materials, like nylon or olefin. The pressure washer will not harm these kinds of fabric. I recommend using the pressure washer wisely if your plush rug is made of wool. In any case, do a test wash on the small part of the rug.

Can You Clean Berber Rugs with Pressure Washer?

Berber rugs are different from the others with their unusual pattern. Very often such carpets are of some light color, like white or beige with the darker hues of pattern on it. Traditionally, Berber carpets were made of sheep wool, but nowadays they are affordable in various kinds of synthetic materials. 

You can clean Berber carpets with a pressure washer. Although Berber’s pile consists of uncut loops, which are prone to snags, the water, which boosts under high pressure, will not harm them.

General Recommendations on Cleaning Rugs with Pressure Washer

So, now you know, whether you can clean your rug with a pressure washer or not. It’s time to look at this process closer and define step by step, how to clean the rug with this device.

To start cleaning you need a pressure washer, of course. Besides, get the following things for fast and successful cleaning.

• The garden hose, on which base the pressure washer will work
• The carpet soap/shampoo/detergent
• The scrubber
• The carpet brush 
• The dryer

Here’s the step-by-step guide to help you clean the rug.

Step 1: Take the rug outdoors

Cleaning the carpet with a pressure washer is quite a fussy thing. The powerful jet of water will dilute the dirt and debris. There will be a lot of dirty and soapy water around, so find the right place, where you can arrange that mess. The great idea is to clean the rug with a pressure washer outside. Make sure, that the place you’ve chosen is flat and clean.

Step 2: Apply carpet soap 

It’s time to apply some carpet soap or detergent to the rug surface. Use the weakest tip of the pressure washer to do it. It is suitable for spreading detergents. 

Step 3: Scrub the rug

Get some carpet brush or scrubber to rub the rug’s surface. Clean it thoroughly to make all the dry dirt and dust go away. If you have some stubborn stains, like from ink or chocolate, just hold it under the jet of water from the pressure washer. This is a great way to get rid of stains and spots, which are hard to remove.

Step 4: Rinse the rug with a pressure washer

I am sure, you know how important it is to rinse the carpet pile carefully from soap and dirt residue. The soapy carpet fibers become sticky. The pressure washer works great. It boosts water with a huge force, so you may be sure, that the carpet pile will be soap-free.

Step 5: Dry the rug away

After the powerful water jet from the pressure washer, the rug fiber is completely wet. You know, that it’s very important to dry the rug away properly to avoid mold and mildew. I recommend leaving the rug in the sunlight for 2-3 days. And then dry it with a fan for 1-2 days to be sure, that its pile contains no extra moisture.

And your rug is ready! Put it on the floor in your room and enjoy its great look and fresh smell. 

If it’s still unclear to you, how to wash the rug with the pressure washer, just watch the video:

Conclusion

As you’ve seen, cleaning the rug with the pressure washer is easy, cheap, and fast. You have to invest just once to get this wonderful tool – and after that, the carpet cleaning process will be a pleasure for you. The pressure washers usually have different kinds of tips, starting from the most powerful and ending with a weak one, suitable for more delicate work. With various kinds of pressure washer tips, you can clean many types of rugs: Berbers, plush rugs, etc. Be careful with using a pressure washer with wool rugs! It is better to do a test wash on the small area of the rug to be sure, the tool won’t damage a fragile fabric.