Advice - Cleaning Wool area rugs?

[Mikey0709]

I'm asking the experts again!!!

I have 2 area rugs - - probably 9x12 that have seen better days thanks to sippy cups, juice boxes, PLAY DOUGH... and everything else!

They are not Majorly expensive - - but 100% wool (maybe pottery barn quality/price?). A few hundred dollars new. They are darker colors, some oriental-type patterns.

Any advice on cleaning these? how to go about it? Do services do this?

BOY do they need it - - cause i'm not ready to part with them yet..... BUT need to do as economically as possible. The pattern hides ALOT of the mess - - but i can only imagine what WOULD come out of them.

ANYONE KNOW? Or done this???? Is there somehow to clean yourself? Cheapest way to go about this!!!!

[Mikey0709]

Anyone ever do this???

[jench]

We have a bunch of rugs just like that - PB wool - and I use our wet vac on them every so often (or after a big spill). It's not a steam vac b/c you just use really hot water, but it does a decent job at extracting "stuff" from the rugs. (urine & vomit - from kids & pets) juice, milk, dirt/mud) not sure about play-doh though!) The water that comes out is so, so gross!

We also used a service on one (off-whitish) rug, and although they probably did get out more general dirt more efficiently than I was, their methods didn't do any better on one particular reddish stain I was trying to get out.

Good luck!!

[waitingforgrace]

I'll ask DH when he gets home. He used to work for a high end antique full service rug shop. They cleaned and repaired über expensive rugs. I keep getting on him about cleaning our family room rug. A cream patterned wool and silk rug seemed like a great idea per-kids :rolleye0014: