This post is a brief guide on How to clean bath rugs of different kinds with safety. We are all well familiar with the Bathroom Rugs, some recognize them even as Bath Mats, or Carpets as well.
Of course, they are available in the market in different varieties, designs, materials, and colors. Non-slip or rubber-backed bath rugs are the best types since they prevent us from slipping while allowing water. Hence, you can choose one as per your need and budget.
A bath rug is generally placed near the kitchen sink, washbasin, outside the shower, or a bathtub. It is a fact that leaving the sink or shower curtain unwashed is a direct invitation to the mold growth and bacteria on them.
We have realized one thing in the past few years how important it is to sanitize ourselves and our homes regularly. Hence, cleaning a bath rug is a part of it.
How many of us do care about the cleaning of our Bath rugs?
It is necessary if you desire the prolonged life of a Bathroom rug.
Do you clean your Bath mats or rugs regularly? If yes, then whether your procedure of washing or cleaning the Bath carpets is safe for them! You need to properly handle the rugs that come with rubber backing to prevent them from any damage.
Hence, read this Bathroom rugs cleaning guide in full to explore the possibilities. It will also confirm whether you are doing it right or you have to change the way you are maintaining your Bath mats.
What are the different methods to Clean Bath Rugs?
There are only two ways for cleaning your home mats, carpets, or rug that you use in the bathroom and/or kitchen:-
1) Machine Wash
First, you must know the right way to clean the bathroom rugs. So check for the care label found usually on the bottom of rugs. Try to check whether the product is fit for washing on a machine. Manufacturers provide safety measures to take care of while cleaning their bath rugs using a dryer or washing machine.
It would be best if you note down somewhere about the cleaning or care instructions regarding bathroom rugs in your home. So that it would be convenient for you to refer to it every time you wash the bathroom rugs.
Process
-Take your rugs off outside your home in an open environment and try to remove as much debris or dirt from them as possible. Hold it vertically at the two corners, move it up & down to shake and remove dry dirt from the rug. In this way, you can proceed ahead to clean the bathroom rug in a more manageable way. At least, it will not clog extra grime and debris inside the washing machine. You can choose to wash the rugs separately or mix them with the bath towels. The aim is to sanitize them in the load well and to get the smell out of the bath rugs.
2) Hand Wash
A gentle alternative to the washing machine is to wash using hands and offer equal efficiency of cleaning.
Process
-Go outside and shake the kitchen or bathroom rugs. Prepare handwashing cleanser using Bucket, Toothbrush, Laundry Detergent, Water, and Vacuum. Now you are ready to start the cleaning process. Remove loose dirt by using a handheld or regular vacuum cleaner on the carpet fibers. Use a large bucket, put some detergent in it about a cup and fill it with warm water. Use a clean soft cloth and dip it in the mixture. Next, lose the dirt by starting dabbing the rug. Flip it and repeat the same process on either side. Take the toothbrush, dip it into the bucket solution, and use it to scrub stained areas of the rug on both sides. Let the carpet air dry by hanging it outside.
What are the different types of Cleansers useful to wash Bathroom Rugs?
After going through the above general tactics to clean bath rugs or mats, you might be having certain doubts in mind. They might be regarding whether you can use any other cleanser agents than what has been mentioned above. So the answer to it would be a YES.
Following are some Options of Cleansers that you can use to clean your Bath rugs depending on the situation or their availability:
a) Cleanser-1: Using Baking Soda
Every homeowner needs to keep baking soda. It is useful not only to help in cooking certain recipes but also to work as an effective ingredient for cleaning purposes. So, why not be used even in washing bathroom rugs.
Process
-You can make a Baking soda cleaner for rugs using a Spray bottle, Water, 1 tbsp Vinegar, and 3 tbsps Baking Soda. Mix water, vinegar, and baking soda in a spray bottle to the top. Spray this mixture on the stained parts of the rug like cleaning a phone case made of rubber. Make circular motions while scrubbing the processing area using a rag or clean cloth. You can use shower water or a tub full of water to rinse the rug. This cleaner can also work as a carpet adhesive remover by adding the lemon’s citrus juice and some more vinegar i.e. about 2 tbsps.
b) Cleanser-2: Using Borax
You can use Borax, Laundry Detergent, and Oxygenated Bleach to clean the Bath rugs.
Process
-Two capsules of bleach, Borax of about half a cup, and regular measure of laundry detergent to your laundry load. This mix as a cleaning solution is required to kill spores, mold, mildew, and to clean the black mold. Avoid using white vinegar or regular bleach since it could result in damaged carpet or break down of the rubber back. Use a gentle setting to wash the rugs using cold or warm water. Hot water can lose the fibers and they may detach from the rubber backing. Try to air dry the clean rugs outside on a clothesline. Use the tumble dry option to dry them for 20 minutes in the machine. Set only the lowest setting of the heat and once done, immediately remove them to prevent wrinkles.
c) Cleanser-3: Using Hydrogen Peroxide
It is considered the quickest way to Clean Bath Rugs.
Process
-In case you are having less time to clean the bathroom rug, you can use a cleanser made of water and hydrogen peroxide. First, shake the outer debris or dirt from the rug outside. Use a dry rag and apply a small dab of hydrogen peroxide to it. Now dab peroxide to the stains on the rug and keep it aside for ten minutes. Further, take the rugs outside, keep them under the hose to rinse the rug, and remove the peroxide totally from it. Take it outside for air dry.
Caution:- Before using the hydrogen peroxide method to wash your bath rug it would be a better idea to test it on a corner in a small area of it. It would let you know about whether peroxide is harmful or not to be used for your rugs since it could damage their color or dye.
d) Cleanser-4: Using Dish Soap
You can simply use your regular dish soap that has degreaser qualities as a cleansing product or cleanser to clean the rug.
Process
-Fill the kitchen sink or a tub with cold water and make it sudsy by adding soap to it. Let the bath rug be soaked in that solution for an hour. Take out the rug and squeeze the excess liquid out from it and rinse it using freshwater. You can use this solution to clean the wool rug as well. To avoid submerging the wool rug, apply cleaner on the surface by spritzing and use a microfiber cloth to scrub it. The process of rinsing is the same as normal.
e) Cleanser-5: Very strong Bathroom Rug Cleaner
Sometimes the above methods are not sufficient to clean bath rugs having rubber backing. A hard cleaner solution is made with water, a soft bristle brush, white vinegar, and oxygenated bleach. This powerful cleaner can help you remove dirt from rugs that contain lots of stains. This technique is also known as bleach cleaning. Before proceeding ahead, make sure it is safe to clean the rug with bleach. Refer to the care label on the product for the same. Always use rubber gloves while performing bleach. Leave the door and window open to avoid harm from fumes.
Process
-Take a large tub, fill it with the cold water of about 10 gallons. Add white vinegar and oxygenated bleach each of one cup to the water. Keep the rug soaking in the solution for about an hour! Take a soft bristle brush and use it to scrub the bath rug. Lift out the rug from water and remove the excess liquid from it by squeezing it. Let it air dry outside preferably on a clothesline. Drain the tub and thoroughly rinse or remove excess grime and chemicals.
Can we treat all kinds of Bath Rugs the same while cleaning?
If you have any question like this in mind, then the answer to it would be a No. As mentioned earlier, bath mats, rugs or carpets are made of different materials. Hence, it would be the possibility that one or more of the Cleanser methods above might not be suitable for the upkeep of a Rug made up of a certain material. So, we all need to have information about them as well.
i) How to Clean Bath Rubs with Rubber Backing?
Rubber mats, carpets, or rugs are the important part of our bathrooms. They avoids any accidents, injuries, or even deaths that could happen while a slip from a wet floor during the bath. You can’t use the standard methods to safely clean rubber-backed rugs. Hence you need to know some gentle ways to clean your bathroom rugs with rubber backing for their long time use.
No need to clean the bathroom rugs deeply every time! If you think the rugs are not that dirty, then take them outside and shake well to remove the excess dirt. Otherwise, flip the rug on a clean surface to make the rubber side face upwards. Take a clean good quality microfiber cloth and use it to wipe the rubber portion. You do not need to use water in this quick way to clean the bathroom rugs especially their rubber backs. After all, a microfiber cloth can attract tiny dirt and dust particles.
ii) How to Clean a Memory Foam Bath Rug?
A bath mat or rug made up of memory foam feels nice to our feet and absorbs moisture. You can make this cleaner using Baking soda, Laundry Detergent, and Water. Use lukewarm or freshwater to fill in the sink or tub. Mix laundry detergent into the water till you will see suds. Take 1 tbsp of baking soda and sprinkle on the solution. Now put the rug in this cleaning solution and remain it soaked for about two hours. Use your hands to squeeze the rug within the liquid solution, lift it outside, and take out the excess solution. Let it dry in the open air by placing the rug outside the clothesline.
How often do we need to Wash/ Clean Bath Rugs?
Dampness, low light areas, lack of enough airflow, and low humidity are common in our bathrooms. Not only sink and floors, even accessories like tub, shower, rugs, and other parts of the bathroom are affected by the bacteria.
So, there is no perfect time or frequency of washing the bath rugs. It all depends on the type of use cases like;
- If there are any children in the family,
- Where is the position of the bathroom?,
- Whether the rug is placed in the kitchen?, and
- The probability of using it like if a rug is placed in a common bathroom (all-time use) or a private one (with occasional use).
How to Dry a Bath Rug?
The best way to remove the wetness after washing or cleaning a Bathroom mat/rug is to let it be exposed to sun rays or in the open air! In case of loss or absence of sunlight and you want the rug to be dried sooner, so you could use a dryer but only for a short time.
- Prefer a gentle air dry or low heat setting of the dryer and use it only for about 20 minutes. Too high heat can damage the rubber at the back of the rug.
- Avoid sitting the rug in a dryer most of the time.
-If you can see much wetness in the rugs after a drying cycle, you can go for another tumble cycle of 10-20 minutes.
- Do not try to dry bath rugs 100% in the dryer. Instead, let it be done organically in the open air by hanging them in a rack.
- If the clothesline is not there, just put a washed rug to be hung over the chair or fence to let it dry.
14 Essential Tips to Clean Bath Rugs
Bathroom Rugs can made be of different materials. For machine wash, the best-suited ones are the rugs made using either plastic, memory foam, polyester, nylon, chenille, or cotton.
Here are some helpful suggestions to take care of your Bathroom rugs while washing/cleaning them to ensure their long usage;
- Shaking a bath math outside can help you to easily remove any lint, paper, or hair from it as possible before washing.
- Always first fill the tub with water and then put the additives on it if the aim is to remove the stains. However, adding laundry soap is an exception, and you can put it before water as well.
- Use low speed on the machine for washing.
- You can prefer to wash two or more bath rugs at once using hand wash. It will help you to save your time and efforts in checking and cleaning each of them one by one every one or another day. Do not wash more than two to three bath rugs at once in the machine washing.
- Use hot water to wash the washing machine after washing bathroom rugs in it.
- Avoid washing machines to clean rugs with rubber backing since the rubber can peel off and clog the pump.
- Rugs require less detergent (preferably one made for washing delicate items), so use half than what is mentioned in its packet.
- You can use natural oils such as a tree oil (even a white vinegar) to make the rug smell good.
- While loading the rugs in a top-loading washing machine, place them evenly all over the agitator at the center. You can add some bath towels to make the necessary balance in the load.
- Avoid using chlorine bleach or hot water setting as over overtime it could loosen the glue and result in the breakdown of the rubber backing.
- The spray setting should be lighter to rinse the bath rug after letting it sit for about 10 minutes in an outdoor wash.
- Never mix your clothing with rugs while washing.
- Set the delicate cycle for a large load before adding the cold water to the machine. The rugs needs enough room so that they can tumble well in the wash.
- Not every time you need to wash to clean the bathroom/kitcheen rugs. If you think after outdoor shaking there is nothing there to clean then simply place the rug in direct sunlight or fresh air for some minutes.
Bottom Line
Mats, Carpets, or Rugs that we usually use on the floors of the kitchen are also among the standard items in our bathrooms that we often overlook to clean. Bathroom rugs need to look fresh and clean always since they can accumulate pathogens and filth.
It also avoids the possibility of fungus, mold, or mildew growth in your home. You definitely would not want any of your family members especially kids to catch any disease due to uncleaned bath rugs.
Every bath rug has an expiry time so if you are feeling them looking extra dingy then replace them with the new ones. If you see that the back rubber of the rug is peeling out then this means there are loose threads on the carpet, so avoid using it anymore.
If your bathroom rug is not having any care label then do not worry! You can follow the cleaning steps mentioned in this article to lessen the possibility of its damage. These cleaning tips will suit and work on all quality of rugs independent of their price ranges.
You might have stopped using the bathroom rubs with rubber backing only because they get ruined earlier or they have shorter life, but it is not the truth! The main reason behind it would be the way of washing that you might have used to clean them till now.
Do you know some manufacturers of bathroom rugs recommend washing them even before their first time use? It is to remove the leftover residue smells from the factory. However, many users won’t refer to the care label about such instructions and use it the way they want it to be.
So these small mistakes will matter a lot to the lifelong usage of your bathroom rugs especially those that come with rubber backings.
Overall, Bathroom rugs with rubber base or back need proper care both while their washing and drying process.
Now you are well aware of the different means to clean bath rugs at your home. So, do not wait for the mats, carpets, or rugs of your home to produce a bad smell before you think about cleaning them!
