Machine Washable Rugs That Are All Natural And Non Toxic
I get asked about our washable rugs everyday by people, especially parents that can't believe you can put them in a washing machine. Yes you can wash these rugs at home or in a laundromat. Which makes them the perfect rug for kids, families, pets and allergy or asthma sufferers.
At Oh Happy Home we have designed a range of round washable rugs and rectangle washable rugs for your family.
Not All Washable Rugs Are Created Equal
Let me tell you a bit about our washable rugs and why on so many levels they are good for you, your family and the environment.
Firstly our rugs are made with 100% Cotton with no backing - so that means no nasties non toxic chemicals are used in the production. We have noticed that there are a few more washable rug brands out there claiming to use non toxic materials in the forms of nano technology textiles. The issue with these new fibres technology is little research has been completed into the effects on our bodies and environments let alone the long term effects. We prefer to stay as natural as possible the way mother nature intended it.
Why Cotton Rugs Are Good
Cotton rugs are sustainable, made with natural fibres only. Instead of throwing out your rug when its dirty you can wash it over and over again. At the end of its lifetime this fibre will eventually breakdown after in about 50years. Unlike other cheaply made rugs like polyester or machine made rugs that typically take over 200 years to biodegrade. When buying a rug online make sure you think about its overall lifespan. Choose a rug that will last you through many seasons and years and will break down eventually. Cotton and wool rugs are a logical choice.
The Dangers of Polyester Rugs
So what is a polyester rug? You can find out more over on Wool or Cotton Rugs Vs Synthetic Rugs blog post but put simply it is a manmade chemical fibre that is cheaper to produce.
Often cheaper means harmful. Whilst they are stain resistant they come with nasty chemicals to make this happen.
Polypropylene or polyester rugs contain toxic byproducts which when inhaled may cause certain problems like headache, allergies, dizziness, or nausea. These gases are the “new carpet” smell that you get when the carpet is new.
Our cotton washable rugs can be washed in a domestic washing machine, laundromat or at a drycleaners.
Our washable rugs are made with 100 % cotton and yes you can wash them.
How To Wash Your Machine Washable Rug
The smaller sized rugs up to about an 8kg can be washed many times over in your domestic washing machine where as the larger sized living room rugs of 2 x3m size or 8 x 10 ft size will need to be taken to a laundromat or drycleaner.
The size of laundromat machine required will be around a 12-16kg machine and will set you back around $12-15 a wash.
Washing Machine Settings
Use a cold/warm setting and a delicate/bulky wash cycle. Hang outside to dry and once fully dry vacuum as per normal to fluff up your rug.
Our rugs can also be tumble dried on medium heat in the wetter months and it makes them all fluffy and new again!
Make sure your machine is large enough for your rug - space in the machine is required to give a good wash and not damage the fibres.
Our larger sized cotton rugs may not fit in a domestic washing machine and will need to washed at the laundromat or a drycleaners.
Make sure your machine is large enough with space for your rug to move around.
Rug Sizes and Approximate Weights for Washing Machines :
120 x 180cm 3-4kgs - needs at least a 5-6kg machine
150 x 210cm -6-7kgs - needs at least a 9kg machine
200 x 300cm - 10-12kgs - needs at least a 13- 15kg machine
Trouble Shooting:
If the fibres have balled up and look rough this means your machine is too small.
Wash it again in a larger machine and the rug should spread out its fibres again and be all soft and fluffy.
Can I Tumble Dry My Rug?
Our rugs can be tumbled dried on medium heat. We find that placing your rug in a dryer on will also help to fluff up the fibres beautifully and soft once again and should look like new!
Vacuuming Washable Rugs
Washable Rugs can be vacuumed and we recommend vacuuming in the same direction towards you. Cotton Rugs are lightweight and then do not have a backing so it can make it difficult to vacuum with powerful suction. Adjust your suction setting if you can.
Be careful with a rotating head vacuum cleaner on cut pile rugs - they can damage the rug and pull the fibres out if used incorrectly.
Here is a recent photoshoot we did at my local laundromat. We washed our Cotton Berber Black in around 40mins and it cost me $12. Use normal washing detergents - don't use bleach. Set the machine to a cooler setting, 30 degrees is good as you do not want your cotton rug to shrink!
Take a magazine to bide your time.
Drying Your Machine Washable Rug:
We wholeheartly recommend you using the dryer to dry your rug. You can either hang them out to dry on a sunny day and then vacuum to fluff up the fibres again or dry in a tumble dryer.
However the rug does get heavy when wet so if you want to put it in the commercial dryer on a warm setting just to take the very wet out of it you can. We did this for about 30mins on a warm setting as we washed ours on a cold day.
My Cotton Rug Looks A Bit Bedraggled And in Need Of A Refresh
Cotton can look a bit bedraggled after it's washed but a shake and a vacuum will fluff up the fibres again.
We have washable round rugs USA and they can be shipped to the USA and Australia.
One more thing is that cotton is a natural product so like other natural fibres it will pill slightly at first. Over vacuuming will not speed up the process but can damage the the cotton fibres. We recommend a weekly vacuum and a shake in between.
Why not do a few loads while you are there at the laundromat and take your doonas and blankets for a wash all at the same time?
Check out our full range of natural, sustainable, washable rugs here.
If you liked this blog you might also like our blog The Australian Dreamweaver Behind Our Non Toxic Eco Friendly Rugs
