Cleaning

Dad’s genius method for cleaning rugs

Brilliant!
Living room with geo patterned rug on floorChris Warnes

Rugs are a hotbed of hair and other household debris. And if we really stopped to think about it, most of us would rather not know what’s lurking in-between the fibres. 

Cleaning, however, doesn’t have to be difficult, thanks to one dad.

Writing an article for The Kitchn, journalist Geraldine Campbell shares her dad’s hack for cleaning rugs.

“I have to give credit where credit is due — and my favourite trick for ridding rugs of dirt, dog hair, and whatever else ends up embedded in my treasured carpets — comes from my dad,” Geraldine writes.

Living room with geo patterned rug on floor
(Credit: Chris Warnes)

How it works

First, vacuum your rug like you normally would. Then, flip it upside down and vacuum again.

“This has the effect of sucking dirt out, but also (somehow?) pushing dirt from the front side of the rug. If you lift up your rug, you’ll see,” says Geraldine.

“To avoid getting all that dirt back in and on your rug, you should fold up half of the rug so that it sits on the other half, vacuum the dirt from the floor and then repeat on the other side.”

Repeat this process until there’s no more dirt coming out of your rug.

This article first appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.

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