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Post by BDG on May 29, 2008 2:03:51 GMT -5
Hubby wants to take the 8x11 ft. rug to the car wash and wash it, I'm not sure if we can lift it when it is wet and put it back in the truck, has anyone here ever done this?
I suggested washing it with the water hose and letting it dry out in our gazebo, we put down a 10x12 floor using the 12 inch square paver's with a layer of sand underneath. Hubby for some reason is totally against this. I don't know why.
If you are wondering why we don't clean it using our shampooer, it's because we have replaced this rug and the room we want to put it in is completely covered with furniture, so there is no way to get it completely clean if we put it down before we clean it.
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Post by ramatama on May 29, 2008 5:27:19 GMT -5
I just washed a rug of similar size -3 days ago. I picked a time when they forecasted 3 days of sunny and hot weather. I swept driveway. I used half a cup dissolved clothes detergent and quarter cup dishwasher detergent into bucket of warm water and with a scrub brush on a pole scrubbed soap into thoroughly vacuumed rug ( it was full of dd's matted hair -ugh!) then with hose with power nuzzle setting, rinsed it off. I inclined the rug onto a picnic table to let most of the water drain out, then lifted the (heavy but managed Ok) rug onto table and let it dry in the hot sun. When it was half-dry i turned it on its axis so as to minimize the bumps from the table. It took 36 hours to dry. It looks great now!
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Post by glowworm on May 29, 2008 7:39:11 GMT -5
Let's say you do take it to the car wash and wash it there. Where does hubby plan to put it to dry? He can't leave it in the car wash for two days while it dries.  |
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Post by BDG on May 29, 2008 11:59:17 GMT -5
He intends to bring it back to the house and put it in the yard and the sun to dry. It's the picking it up part I am concerned about we both have bad backs and his hand is not completely healed from surgery.
He doesn't like the gazebo idea because my 7 cats have taken that for themselves, they lounge on the chaise lounge and just in general seem to be at home there. I'm afraid they will pee and poop all over it if we put it in the gazebo. There does not seem to be any way to do this without some sort of hindrance blocking my path.
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moineau
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 57 
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Post by moineau on May 29, 2008 13:07:51 GMT -5
I may have the wrong end of the stick but...could you use an electrical extension lead to take the carpet shampooer outside...I am assuming it leaves the rug drier than any of the other options...then could you bring it in straight away before the cats got to it?...or then maybe put it in the yard....or if it is no so wet/heavy after using the shampoo machine, after using that, put it in the back of the truck anyway and leave it to dry in there?
I hope that makes sense.
Moineau
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Post by glowworm on May 29, 2008 20:34:13 GMT -5
Maybe wash it on the gazebo and then drag it over in the grass to dry?
Probably easier to drag it across the yard than to lift it into the back of a truck.
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Post by suchamess on May 29, 2008 20:37:06 GMT -5
I have been wondering how to clean one of my rugs. Unfortunately, it is new and was $60. The cat peed on it. It is about 5ft x 3 ft, so it won't fit in the washing machine. I filled up the bath tub with water and detergent, let it soak overnight, then hung it outside. Still smelled like pee I've scrubbed, used carpet cleaners, pet products, etc and still can't get the smell out. Any ideas on how to get it out? Keep in mind the rug will either need cleaned in the tub or outdoors..I do not want to throw it out  |
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Post by crazycatlady on May 29, 2008 21:55:42 GMT -5
If you have a truck, couldn't you hang the rug over the edge of the truck, so that after you hose it off, you could just pull it into the truck bed a little more and drive home. Then it can dry in the sun?
The carwash does blast the water really forcefully. DH used it to get cat pee out of the mattress of a portable baby bed. It did get the stink out, but I threw the mattress away anyhow...couldn't see laying a baby on it ever again!
For the cat pee smell on the rug, Suchamess, I wonder if an enzyme cleaner would help? Or maybe oxyclean? I know that vinegar can take cat pee smell out, but it might hurt the color.
Best of luck to you both in cleaning those rugs!
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Post by reesa on May 29, 2008 23:15:10 GMT -5
I found that oxyclean only really works on fresh pee stains. (I had a big struglle with carpet recently, the history is in the general section in the thread "from the old site")
I used scrubbing bubbles on mine. It got rid of the stain. Then I used baking soda and water adn put it in the areas that were smelly. I waited a day after that then vaccuumed everything up. Got rid of the smell then, that combination.
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Post by suchamess on May 30, 2008 18:37:44 GMT -5
I'll have to try that. I have oxyclean and vinegar. Would vinegar hurt cream color? The rug is maroon and blue on the edges, but the middle where the smell is located is cream
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Post by crazycatlady on May 30, 2008 21:58:04 GMT -5
I don't know...best to test to see if it is colorfast!
And I seem to remember a post at the old boards about Listerine in a carpet shampooer to clean stink out of carpets.....
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Jun 1, 2008 7:05:15 GMT -5
When my daughter was being toilet trained, she had an accident and peed on a fabric covered chair. I soaked up as much as I could with towels, then poured diluted (50-50 with water) Listerine on the chair seat. I then let it alone for about a week and it dried up. No more smell. Going to a car wash sounds like it might work, let us know!!!
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Post by comingclean on Jun 3, 2008 19:26:39 GMT -5
Hey, I use vinegar on a lot of laundry. Matter of fact, I use it in place of fabric softner on towels (keeps them absorbent -- fabric softer causes them to repel water) and I also use it to remove pee smells from clothes (old cat -- don't ask,  ). I've never had any colors run or fade from using vinegar in any strength. I believe that when you dye fabric you typically use vinegar to "set" the color in. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Let us know how you get it clean, i have a 5x8 rug that I need to wash too and i don't want to use the carpet cleaner because my rug goes OVER my carpet so i don't want two levels of wet.  |
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Post by BDG on Jun 4, 2008 0:08:06 GMT -5
Well I have washed them outside before, I would wet them down good with the water hose, mix a couple of gallons of water with laundry detergent, then using a good stiff broom I dip it in the soapy water and scrubb about a two square foot area, continue until I got the whole rug clean then rinse with the water hose using a pressurized nozzle, you can buy at the dollar store for a couple of bucks. Let dry, it usually takes a couple of days, if you leave it in the sun too long like for a week the sun might actually pull and change the colors in the rug.
If you have a tarred or concrete driveway, you might be able to use the carpet cleaner to clean the rug out there, it would dry out much quicker and there would not be any scrubbing involved. This is what I would do, but my driveway is gravel.
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rhall
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 18
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Post by rhall on Jun 5, 2008 11:57:39 GMT -5
Do it at the house on any level surface. You won't be able to lift the rug when it's wet and you will stretch it to death too.
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