Yes, you are using a bathroom rug, you should know, you have to clean it once or twice a week. Let us learn how to wash bathroom rugs and keep the bathroom germ and debris free! To keep your bathroom free from dirt, debris and germs, washing the mat is mandatory because mats carry the most germs.
However, you cannot clean all the bathroom rugs in the same manner. And so, we are here to aid you a bit! There are several ways of washing bathroom rugs and we will tell you most of it. Your house deserves love, not dirt! And how to do it! Let us check it out!
Contents
The Procedure of Washing Bathroom Mats
Step 1: The Loose Dirt
The first thing you should do with your bathroom rugs is to jiggle them a bit. Yes, it sounds a little odd but that’s how you take out the loose dirt. In most cases, the loose dirt of the air gets inside the rugs.
Along with this, you clean your feet on the rugs and when the rugs get dry, the dirt gets dry too! As a result, your bathroom rug is the home for a lot of loose dirt. So, your first job is to get this loose dirt out. For this, you have to give little waves to your rugs. And finally, the loose dirt will come out.
Keep in mind that while shaking, you must keep your eyes, nose, and mouth protected. Otherwise, these may cause your allergy. If you do not like this shaking, you can also settle for a vacuum cleaner. Yes, a vacuum cleaner can do your work too. All you need is to vacuum the rug and that’s all!
Step 2: Instruction is Necessary
Checking the manual is always the best way to take care of any device. The same goes for your rugs too! If you have a good quality rug or the average rugs, you will find a Care Tag that is added on the rear of your rug.
There is some important information written on the back of the mat. How to wash bathroom rugs and how to take care of the rug after cleaning- you will get all the details there! Mostly, the rugs these days are machine-washable.
So, you can directly get it inside the machine and clean it off! But different material requires a different type of treatment and the instruction manual will tell you how to deal with it! The right cleaning method will increase the lifespan of your rug.
Step 3: The Cleaning Process
Now that you are ready to get the bathroom rug inside the water, you have to wait for some time and decide which way you are going to choose. In this case, there are two basic options that you can settle for. They are-
- Hand Wash
- Machine-Wash
Machine-Wash Bathroom Rugs
As we said, most of the bathroom rugs nowadays are made of such materials that can be easily washed in the machine. So, it is expected that you are going to skip the hand-washing method and pick up the machine for cleaning the rugs.
If the rug is made of cotton or nylon, you can easily wash it in the power tools machine. Also, the machine will not harm your bathroom rug if it is made of chenille or polyester.
Usually, people use these materials for manufacturing bathroom rugs. In some rare cases, plastic and memory foam are also used in the construction of rugs. And even then, you can easily clean it by throwing it inside the machine!
- Once you throw it inside the machine, you have to work on selecting the right temperature. Now, if you want to be soft with the rug, you can be. But we do not recommend that, Rather, we recommend you to go for high-heat. At high temperatures, the germs will get killed. No matter you are dealing with mold or bacteria, you can easily kill them with high heat. So, for all the cotton and nylon rugs, hot temperature works the best. The same goes for the plastic rugs and the polyester bathroom rugs.
- But if you have a rug made of memory foam, you will face some troubles here. You cannot select a hot temperature for these; instead, you must go for a cool temperature. As this is made of synthetic material, if you go for too heated water, the material will be damaged. So, settle for cooler water.
- Also, if you have plans to use bleach, forget it if you have memory foam mats. It can completely ruin your mat.
- No matter which mat you are cleaning, we always suggest you go for the gentle cycle setting on the machine. The faster settings will damage the material easily. You do not want it. There is a slip-resistant surface of the mats that stick to the floor. If you settle for a fast cycle, this material will get worn out. As a result, it won’t stick to the surface anymore! So, you better stick to the gentle settings!
- For rugs, especially plastic rugs, you can use a cleaning mixture to clean it properly. Settle for distilled white vinegar and add the detergent. Go for ¼ cups of vinegar. If your mat smells bad, some drops of tea tree oil can save you! Add all of these and get the bathroom rug cleaned!
- In some cases, adding unclean towels and such heavy stuff with the rugs can help you keep the balance of the washing machine. Otherwise, if you put the rug there only, it will make an annoying noise. You do not want to be annoyed, do you?
Hand-Wash Bathroom Rugs
If you want to keep the materials of your rug intact, the best thing you can do is to hand-wash the mats.
- For this, go to the kitchen sink and fill it up with warm water. Now, add some detergent that can clean the rugs properly.
- Oh yes, don’t forget to wear gloves to protect your hands!
- Now, get your hands on the bathroom rug and put it inside the sink!
- For cleaning it properly, you surely need to take off the dirt. And scrubbing is the best way to do it! Scrub off all the dirt and debris of the mat gently.
- Here, all you need is to rinse the mat with cool and clean water!
- However, in the case of bamboo rugs or natural fiber mats, you should not get them inside the water this way. A sponge can help you out! Get a sponge and add some detergent to it.
- Add some water afterward and then start slowly rubbing the dirty parts of these mats!
Step 4: Dry it
The rugs that you can clean in the machine will go right with machine-drying too. Get them inside the machine and dry them the way you dry your clothes. However, skip the case of the memory foam rugs here and go for hang-dry.
The rugs that you have cleaning using your hands should be tumble-dried. Go for a cool temperature to dry them. Even for cotton, we recommend settling for a cool area. Also, if you do not understand which one to go for, simply pick up the hang-dry one, that will do the work!
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Wash Bathroom Rugs
How often should you wash the bathroom mat?
People often think it is not necessary to clean the bathroom rug frequently because it stays inside the bathroom and it gets the touch of water. But keep in mind that water is not enough to take off the dirt. And especially, water alone cannot kill the germs! So, if you want to ensure the proper safety of you and your family members, you must try to clean the bathroom mat once a week. Also, the proper drying time is necessary for the rugs.
Can you wash towels with the bathroom rug?
Yes, if you are washing bathroom rugs inside a washing machine, you can do it. But this only works for the towels that are not usable anymore. In most cases, the rugs are too dirty and hard. And if you use regular towels with these can ruin the fabric of the towels. So, we recommend you wash the unusable towels with the bathroom mats.
Are bathroom rugs machine washable?
Yes, most of the mats are washable in the machine. All you need is to clean them in the machine and then get them inside the machine to dry them. Also, you can tumble dry them. In other cases, you can rely on the air dryers too. Set the settings to LOW or go for AIR-DRY and then dry it! And if you can do nothing, the best option is to go for the traditional air-dry method!
Wrap Up
Washing the bathroom rugs is not an option for you but it is a necessity! You can think that it is not necessary to wash the bathroom mats but if you want to increase their lifespan, the best thing you can do is properly wash them.
After washing, don’t forget to dry them properly. If you do not dry them in the right manner, the fiber of the material will wear out fast! Also, always follow the manufacturing rule of cleaning a mat!