How do you scrub rag rugs with soap?

Further down in the post, you'll find pictures, detailed instructions, and tips on which products you need to successfully scrub your rugs with soap.

 

 

Rag rugs are often handmade by experienced hands that have carefully saved fabrics, cut them into rug strips, planned the colors, set up the warp, and then woven the rug.

 

A fantastic example of reuse and a craft that deserves respect and care. Look after your rugs by scrubbing them with soap the traditional way. If you have access to a dock, this is of course easy and traditional, but a garden hose on a lawn works well too. Naturally, common sense applies, so you must not wash your rugs where it is unsuitable or prohibited. Never wash anything other than ordinary household rugs in the lake. For example, car mats or items stained with environmentally hazardous substances must be washed where there is an approved drain. Here's a blog post about how to do it the traditional way.

 

You'll need:

1. Traditional solid soap

2. Scrub brushes – preferably a softer brush, such as one made with tampico fiber

3. Water

 

 

 

Here's how:

 

1. Soak. Place the rugs in the lake or a tub if you are not working from a dock, and leave them there until they have sunk and absorbed plenty of water. Rag rugs may consist of several different materials, all of which take different amounts of time to soak, so let them take the time they need.

 

 

2. Apply the solid soap directly to the brush and work along the lines—one color at a time. It should lather, and if needed, add more water. 

 

 

3. Pull part of the rug onto the dock/surface (a lawn also works) and scrub one section at a time.

 

 

 

4. Rinse with a hose or bucket, roll up the scrubbed section, and pull up more of the rug. Continue this way until the rug has been scrubbed. Those who are thorough should now do the same on the other side.

 

 

 

5. Then rinse the rug.

6. For the rug to dry within a reasonable time, it must now be walked on. Unroll part of the rug and walk along it, moving your feet a little at a time, simply to press out as much water as possible.

  

 

 

7. Once you have stepped on the entire rolled-up rug, take the whole roll and strike it several times forcefully against an edge or stone to get even more water out of it.

 

 

 

8. Now it is finally time to hang your rugs up to dry. Remember to hang the rugs lengthwise as shown in the picture. By doing this, you avoid the risk of any of the lines/colors in the rug bleeding and running into another color. As mentioned, rag rugs are a beautiful old form of reusing textiles that would otherwise have ended up in the trash, but this also means that the materials in the rug may vary, so the safest option is to dry the rugs as shown below.

 

 

The Västerbottenssåpa store

 

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 Questions and answers

 

- Why do we recommend soaking the rag rugs before scrubbing them with soap?

By soaking the rugs, they absorb water thoroughly, which facilitates the cleaning process and makes it easier to dissolve the dirt.

 

 

- Why is it important to use solid old-fashioned soap to clean rag rugs?

The solid soap is effective for lathering and gently breaking down dirt in the fabrics. Its historical use in traditional cleaning makes it suitable for this purpose.

 

 

- How should you hang the rag rugs to prevent the colors from running together?

To prevent the colors from blending, we recommend hanging the rugs lengthwise, with the lines vertical, so that no color runs into another.

 

 

- Why is it important to step on the rugs and then beat them before drying?

By stepping on the rugs, excess water is pressed out, which helps them dry faster. Then beating them against an edge or stone helps remove more water and freshen up the fibers.