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Snow Means Clean Rugs

© Debra Eversole

A long time ago, I read where someone took their woolen rugs outside into the snow to clean them. While none of my home's interior floor covering are made of anything close to the quality of wool, I thought I'd give it a try. Wow, does it ever work! While I don't exactly understand the science of this method, allow me to share the procedure with you.

1. Shake out or vacuum the rug/rugs of choice on both the front and the back.

2. Lay it, right side up, in freshly fallen snow, the fluffier the better.

3. Rub fresh into the nap or top of the rug.

4. Allow it to remain there for at least 2 hours, even if it's snowing outside.

5. After the time has passed, pull up the rug, shake it out and place it upside down in a new spot. Again, rub snow into the underside, just as you did in number 3 and allow it to sit in the snow for 2 hours (as in number 4.).

Now, if your rugs are terribly soiled, you'll have to repeat this process several times before they'll be really clean. However, for normally soiled carpet pieces, the once-over treatment should work.

Bring your snow-cleaned floor coverings into the house and place, right side up, on several layers of newspaper. It will take about 24 hours for the rugs to dry completely, sometimes longer. Once they are dry, vacuum each side well prior to putting them back in their spots.

Please note that this is mostly for cotton, wool, polyester and other such throw rugs. For natural floor mats and such that are made from sisal and other materials, the procedure probably won't work due to the nature of them.

If you have stubborn stains you'd like to remove, please visit the following: Good Housekeeping: -- The Cleaning Solutions http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/gh/advic...