I love rugs; they bring so much character to a space! Print, texture and color all play an important part in a room’s ambiance. We prefer to have wood floors throughout our home so having rugs helps to “soften” a room both literally and aesthetically.
When I heard about the Ruggable brand a few years ago, I thought that having washable rugs was SUCH a brilliant idea — especially for homes with littles, pets, and the accident-prone. 😉 If you’re unfamiliar with the Ruggable brand, they sell a variety of rug styles and sizes that can all be cleaned at home in your washing machine! No more specialty carpet cleaning devices or expensive dry cleaning bills in order to take care of your rugs! At the time that I found out about them we were perfectly happy with our existing rugs and never had any issues so I just tucked the idea away in the back of my mind. Well, fast forward to spring of 2020 and I quickly had to reevaluate our rug situation.
Keep reading for our honest review and a discount code at the end of the post!
WHY WE PURCHASED
The above photo depicts the circumstances that prompted us to look into purchasing a Ruggable rug. Sometimes having a dog is messy 😬, especially as they age and our pup is turning 14 this year! His little old man bladder just isn’t what it used to be and the poor guy had an accident in the house. Unfortunately, this rug (that I loved so much!) was actually a very inexpensive rug from IKEA from 2013 and it would have cost more to dry clean it than it was worth and this exact color / style / size is no longer available so it was time to say goodbye and find another solution.
I was so sad to get rid of this grey shag rug because I loved the textural element it added to the space. It was so serendipitous that Ruggable had launched their very first collection of Shag Rugs just before this incident happened so I was able to add texture back into the room while also choosing a product that was pet-friendly for any future piddles. I was originally going to choose the “Stormy Grey” color which is similar to our original rug, but in a much darker shade. However, we ended up going with the “Polar White” to brighten things up as our flooring and furniture are both already very dark and in the 5’x7′ size because it worked best for our space. I wouldn’t normally get a white rug because white obviously shows dirt and is tough to keep clean, but now that easily washing a rug at home is an option I figured WHY NOT?! This light rug color really brightens up the room and I love it.
It seems that the Shag Rug style is sold out currently (and possibly permanently?), but the Plush Rug options (Polar White / Stormy Grey / Oatmeal <— limited edition color) look like decent substitutes… the pile is just much shorter so the textural effect isn’t quite the same. *UPDATE* Ruggable recently launched a Gen 2 shag rug in four colors that seems to be improved from my version!
DETAILS
The Ruggable Rug System comes in two pieces: the nonslip pad underneath and the rug topper. The grippy pad clings to both the floor as well as the rug to keep it flat and in place. The rug is slightly larger than the nonslip pad (in an effort to hide the pad from view) so keep that in mind when aligning your rug topper.
Since ordering our rug, Ruggable has started offering cushioned rug pads, and I think it would be a good idea to upgrade our Classic Rug Pad to the new one that would provide us with some extra cushion underfoot. Thankfully, they’re available to purchase separately from the rug toppers (as replacements) so we don’t need to order a whole new rug to get one!
The pile is nice and high and looks like any shag rug, but this one is secretly washable! It’s also soft underfoot and is a slightly creamy off-white color (not a synthetic-looking pure white) which gives it some warmth without looking dingy.
CLEANING
Our dog has only had one accident on our Ruggable rug (so far) and it was just as easy to clean as the brand advertises. However, I will say that this particular style (the shag rug) has to be hung up to dry instead of tumbled in the dryer because of the fibers’ special material which, admittedly, is a bit of a pain in the neck, but that’s part of the sacrifice for a shag style rug. (Of course I picked the most high maintenance style of these super low-maintenance rugs… lol). Thankfully, our shower curtain is anchored to the walls so it was able to hold up the heavy, wet rug while it dried, but just be aware of this logistical factor when ordering your rug if you’re also interested in the texture of a shag rug.
Ruggable rugs are compatible with most standard washing machines, but, just to be safe (and to make logistics and size ordering a bit easier), the brand has posted this helpful washing machine rug guide on their website.
MAINTENANCE
For routine maintenance, I use my Dyson upright vacuum with the brush head turned off as a way to grab any large pieces of dirt or whatever may have found its way to the rug. To fluff the fibers I just use the vacuum’s hose with the brush attachment (with the hose held at an angle so the rug doesn’t get stuck from the suction) and move the hose in a circular movement across the rug to get some fluffy textural swirls.
If the pile gets a bit matted, dilute some fabric softener with water (at a 1:1 ratio) and add to a spray bottle, spritz the tangled portions with the mixture and then gently brush through the pile to smooth, detangle, and refresh the fibers. As a best practice, try to start brushing at the end of the tangle and work your way down toward the mat (the same way you would work a knot out of your hair, starting at the ends and working up toward your scalp).
Treat any stains by spritzing the area with this product before putting in the washing machine. We also use this detergent (fragrance-free here) when laundering anything, but it definitely works for the rug as well.
The topper is super easy to replace on the top of the Rug Pad post-cleaning. I recommend rolling it up as it was when you received it because this is the easiest way to (a) transfer the rug between rooms, and (b) align the topper with the pad (it’s so grippy!).
I didn’t want to write this post until we had lived with the rug for a while so now it’s almost been a year since we received our pet-friendly rug I finally feel confident sharing our experience. All in all, we would absolutely get another Ruggable rug for our home, especially for the “high traffic” areas of our home such as the dining room and living room; we are very happy customers! If anything, I think we’d like to upgrade our rug pad to the more cushioned option, but that’s it!
If you’re interested in getting a Ruggable for your home, you can get 15% off your first purchase by following this link!
Please let me know if you have any questions in the Comments section below! I’m more than happy to share more details of our experience if I missed anything.
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie