Jute Rugs

Our aging German Shepherd has had an accident...urine only....on our jute rug on our hardwood floor entryway. How do I get the smell out...not so worried about stain, as the background color is "urine colored!"

THANKS!

I've always taken a two-prong approach to my pet-urine smells. First I clean it with vinegar water. When it's dry I then dab baking soda into the spot, let it sit for awhile (over night would be good), and then vacuum/sweep it up.

If that doesn't take care of it completely, repeat the process.

Be sure to protect your hardwood floor as you apply the vinegar. No need to damage the wood.

Our dog wet our new jute rug. The area (s) turned a lighter shade due to the urine. Someone advised me to just try water. Now I hvave what looks like a polka dotted rug. (the water only made it worse)I have thought about wetting the entire thing, thinking it would at least even out the dots,but this was not a cheap rug. Any suggestions?

It sounds as if the moisture took the color out. It's surprising to find non-color-fast rugs these days.

If the color was indeed taken out, you may have a defective rug. If you don't mind the lighter color for your rug, I think your idea of wetting the entire rug would be one solution. If you are not ok with the lighter color, talk to the store where you bought the rug and see if they'll replace it. In fact, talk to them either way -- just to have on record the problem.

Hello Flooring Lady:

Was hoping you could advise me.

I have a cream colored natural knotted jute rug which fell prey to some chocolate stains.

While having some Persian rugs steam cleaned professionally, I had them steam the stain and surrounding area. It took ages to dry, and is now a darker (brownish) color.
What can I do? The stain, of course, is smack dab in the middle of the rug.

Unfortunately, I only found your site AFTER this happened.
Any advice for evening out the color? Should I try the club soda solution on the brownish patch? Should I steam the entire rug?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

It figures the stain would be right in the middle of the rug! Let's see if we can get the stain lightened, if not completely removed....

There are lots of "recipes" online for getting chocolate out of cloth. Being this is a rug it's a bit tougher to handle, but my suggestion is to continue the "hot water" approach you have started by now dabbing a detergent (like Tide) solution on the stain. Once you have dabbed it and removed some of the chocolate, pour more hot water over the stain and watch it go away.

Another cleaner to try is StainSolver. Follow the directions carefully for chocolate and see what happens. I've had good luck with StainSolver cleaning many stains in my home. Let's see if it works for you.

Thank you for your speedy reply.

The stain that remains is no longer, in fact, chocolate, but a big darkish water stain. It's discoloration wherever the steam and soap touched.
Do you think the Tide and water might still help?

Thanks very very much.

I suspect that some of the stain is chocolate, dilute chocolate. It's hard to say if Tide or StainSolver will help, but it seems worth trying (I just did this with some wheat colored jeans that got spotted with chocolate, and it worked well -- but I hadn't steamed them first). If neither does help, then consider steaming the entire rug to see if you can blend the stain out or make the rug one big stain.

Matching the color is part of what you want, right? First try the Tide/StainSolver, then try the steam over the entire rug.

Please report back as to what worked, and what the results are.

I have a natural jute rug and there are areas that have changed color. The rug has natural color and bleached. It was in the sun for a while and it has areas that have turned a darker cream color instead of the bleached. Could the sun be the reason for the color change? Is there anything I can do to make it look better?

Are the darker spots turned from the original, or are they the original color? My first reaction is they are the original color.

Sun is very damaging, fading everything it can. That's why some homes hang sheers in the windows -- they cut the UV yet let some light in. Glass tinting (just be careful if you want to go that route and check with your manufacturer first) can be used to cut the UV also.

The dark spots will fade over time when exposed to the sun. If you want to even the color of your jute rug move the furniture around to expose the unfaded sections. Or if that's going to take too long, you could use a dilute bleach solution on the spots, being very careful to not over due it -- and be careful to rinse the bleach so the fibers aren't ruined (this is my least favorite approach because of the environmental problems and the real harm that could come to you, your pets, your kids, and the rug itself).

Time in the sun is your best solution for this problem. Unless of course I've misunderstood what caused the dark spots.

The verdict is in on cleaning my stained jute rug:

a) never use StainSolver (according to the people that manufacture it, it will dissolve the fibers upon contact. StainSolver is only good for treated/processed materials, not natural fibers like jute.

b)Water and jute are not friends: any water (from the steam-cleaner, from dabbing the rug with a Tide-water solution...will leave its own stain behind. It also takes ages to dry.. These dark water marks look like a pet has relieved themselves on the rug. Not pretty.

I discovered too late that it is never recommended to use cleaner or liquids on jute or sisal...just a brush or vaccuum to remove soil.

Might need to get a new rug...

I guess I'll have to argue with the verdict. :~)

StainSolver is good on most surfaces. Avoid it on wool, but other than that, it's a great cleaner. It, like many other cleaners, will probably strip out the color of natural dyes, but it won't hurt the fibers. The manufacturer is a friend of mine so I verified this before posting it.

Jute is a highly absorbent fiber so will take awhile to dry, but water in and of itself isn't an enemy of jute. There are lots of facts involved in determining whether water is a problem with a rug, jute or otherwise -- from the backing it's attached to the dye.

I agree vacuuming and brushing are the best approach for cleaning most flooring products, but water isn't necessarily a problem. Jute rugs should probably not be put in areas where water is likely to get on them, but life happens in every room of your house so can't be absolutely avoided anywhere.

Sorry your rug hasn't held up to the chocolate (few rugs would) or the attempt to clean it. I hate high tuition like that.

Hello Flooring Lady.
I have a large (9x12) Jute rug in my living room. I was wondering if you knew of a way to disinfect the rug? I have been trying to come up with a solution, but it seems impossible since jute doesn't take well to water.
Any ideas?

Thanks for your help.

It's interesting to me to see how much diversity there is on the web in whether water is friend or enemy of jute rugs. Some indications are acid solutions are hard on jute. I think each situation needs to be tested individually.

In a small, inconspicuous area of your rug, try a solution of StainSolver. Don't get the rug really wet, just damp. Let the spot dry completely to determine the results. If that spot is fine, the treat the entire rug with the solution. Oxygen is a good cleanser; StainSolver is an oxygen bleach.

Sunlight is also a good disinfectant. If you have a porch rail or something you can hang the rug on in the sun, let it sit in the sun all day. You'll need some help getting it outside, but it would be worthwhile.

Good luck. Let us know what you did and how it worked.

Thank you flooring lady!
I think I will try your suggestion of good old fashioned sunlight. I live in Florida, so It should get plenty hot.

I have a jute rug that got stained repeatedly with blood (we have a cat who had a hard-to-heal wounds). Cleaning efforts with pet enzymes and hydrogen peroxide badly stained the rug but the fibers are in great shape. Now I'm thinking of "recycling" it. I would like to bleach out the current designs and then paint new designs on the rug. I have seen several references to using latex paint on jute. Do you agree with this>? What would be the best way to bleach it?

I love it that you are planning to recycle your jute rug. There are probably a few ways you can bleach it, and I hope you take a gentler, more environmentally friendly approach. One challenge is that any chemical you use to bleach it may damage the fibers, especially if you use bleach. Hydrogen peroxide has bleaching qualities to it, but I don't know what it will do to the fibers.

Lemon juice and sunshine might just do the trick too, and faster than straight sunshine. If you can easily get the rug outdoors and have a place to hang it for awhile you might have just the bleached look you are seeking.

Painting the rug when it's bleached enough for you sounds like fun. I'm not sure I like the idea of latex paint though because I think it will end up flaking off as the carpet is walked on. I'd consider using plant dyes instead because they will be absorbed by the fibers instead of lying on them as the paint will do. If you can find a low VOC stain, that might make for some fun paint too, though as with the plant dyes not opaque like the paint will be.

I hope you'll report back with what you decide to do and the results.

Thanks for the quick feedback! I also worried about latex flaking (but I have seen several references to it, including HGTV). I will look into stains; maybe fabric paints or dyes will be an other option to consider. I worry whether the moisture in the stains or paints will damage the fibers, since I have read that water and jute do not mix well.

(The rug has a rubber backing on it, don't know if this will affect anything.) Fortunately I can take the rug outside to work on it. I don't think the sunlight option is a good one because I suspect the stains will fade at the same rate as the rest of the rug, but the blotchiness will remain. We're headed into uncharted territory here but I don't have anything to lose and might wind up with a "new" area rug.

I have a natural jute rug that my kids spilled red koolaid on and left a red stain. Before finding your web site, I used Resolve/Oxyclean to attempt to remove the koolaid stains, but instead it left "white bleached" spots/circles and most of the red stain. I've tried to re-stain the white spots by using tea to dye it, but it just seemed to roll right off and didn't dye or change the white bleached spots at all. Any ideas on how I can get dye to adhear to the fibers...should I try fabric dye?

You first need to get the stain out before trying to do any "patching". Isn't it a drag that koolaid will take hold but tea won't?!

Try hydrogen peroxide to remove the stain since the oxygen bleach didn't work. If you can get the rug outdoors when you do this the sun will help the hydrogen peroxide do it's thing.

Once you have the stain out then you can try different approaches to the bleached sections. Fabric dye may be just the ticket to put the color back. If that doesn't give you satisfactory results consider bleaching the entire rug and then dyeing it.

Fabric paints might work too. If you aren't content with the results, consider painting a pattern on the rug that will mask the various efforts you have put in here.

Good luck!

Hi - We have two jute throw rugs. When we put them down on the floor, we saw a crease in both of them in the middle where it had been folded. We assumed that it would eventually flatten out;
but, has not. Can you help? Thanks a million.

P. S. We have had them for about six months.

Wouldn't it be great if vendors took care of your rugs so they look great when you get them home?

I think you have to be careful with this so you don't break the fibers. Try gently steaming the creased areas so they are warm and damp and then weight them down so they can dry flat. It may take several iterations to get the rugs flat, but you should be able to tell by the first one if it's going to work.

Please let us know how it turns out.

I have a jute rug and it has gotten an oily type stain on it. problem is... i don't know "what" got on it and the rug also has a print. it is natural and the print is black. we put spray n wash on it but, didn't follow up because the color seemed to be rubbing off. i tried blotting it with oxy-clean for laundry and upholstry. i really can't afford to take it to the cleaners. i really love the rug and it is only a couple months old. please help!

Thank You
Tracy

Jute rugs don't seem to respond well to washing. If it's an oily stain you want to try to absorb it and remove it that way. Apply a dusting of corn starch to it (enough to cover the spot with a thin layer of powder), let it sit for some time (30 minutes or more) and vacuum it up. Repeat the process several times to see if it's making a difference.

If the cornstarch is absorbing the oil then it seems you can continue with that approach until it's gone, or at least diminished to your satisfaction.

Good luck. Please let us know how it worked out for you.

my dog just peed on my new jute rug and now a stain appears. i tried diluting it with water but to know avail? any help appreciated. vinegar? baking soda? hydrogen peroxide? please....and thank you.

What happened to the rug when you tried diluting it with water? Did the stain get bigger, lighter, or do nothing different? It's hard to make suggestions without knowing more.

And think you for your lovely manners. ;~>

I ordered a 5x8 thick basketweave jute rug that arrived wrapped in plastic. The problem is it smells like mildew/dirt. I called the company that it was ordered from they said to put it outside in the sun for two weeks and that should get rid of the smell. Well time has gone by but the smell and the strength of it remains. The storing instructions on the rug state not to wrap in plastic to store wrapped in a sheet. I am guessing that it needs to "breathe". But now what about this smell how do I get rid of it???
Thanks, Suzanne

I have had a jute area rug for about 2 months and I love the look of it and the feel of it under my feet. The only problem I have with it is how do you get the loose fibers from the carpet so that everytime I walk, sit or lay on it I don't come off of it with jute fibers all over my socks and/or clothing?

I'm guessing it's like most new carpets -- it's a matter of time before it quits "shedding". I suspect it may take a bit longer than most carpets, but time will tell.

Maybe you'll report back when that time comes so others will know, from your experience, what to expect.

i just bought a new jute rug----and my dog pooped right in the middle of it. Unfortunately, it left a big mark. my first instinct lead me to clean it with oxyclean----and that has now made the mark even more noticeable. do you have any recommendations to get my rug looking new again? thank you
renee

Pet poop and vomit should be left alone until it's dried. Most of the particles will vacuum up nicely, leaving a minor stain that can then be treated. When you tackle the cleaning too soon there's more material to be spread, making a bigger stain.

Gently keep cleaning the spot. Take it outdoors for the sun to do some cleaning magic on it.

If worse comes to worse, wash the entire rug with your Oxyclean so it's all the same look.

Hello, I have a large, chocolate brown jute rug. My cat has puked on it countless times over the years, so there is some discolouration. Would you recommend professional cleaning, or could I give it a gentle wash with sponge and warm soapy water and dry in the sun? Thanks so much for your advice.

Hello, my baby-sitter's dog urinated on my brand new jute rug last night and she didn't tell me about it. I noticed this morning the lighter places where the urine went. My daughter said the baby-sitter merely blotted the stains with a paper towel. The rug is ruined unless I try something. The rug is bound with a cotton binding and has a latex backing. How do I clean it? If I get the whole thing wet will it shrink and pucker with the backing?

Beatrice, I'm no longer sure how to clean jute rugs, based on the myriad stories I hear from people about the problems they are having. I tend to prefer the notion of cleaning a rug myself because I can control the chemicals -- or lack thereof -- used in the cleaning process.

One way to help you decide is to call the rug cleaners in your area, find out who has experience cleaning jute rugs and what they recommend, and proceeding from there. I'd love to hear what you learn. I suspect you'll learn a variety of things.

Barclay, I've never cleaned a rug that has a latex backing so don't know how it will react. I'd think if you didn't use hot water the latex wouldn't shrink, but that is just a guess.

Based on the stories I've heard here, spotting it will just change the spots in color and intensity. So maybe start there and then plan to move to getting the entire rug wet. From what your reaction is right now you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

My advise to anyone considering buying a natural
fiber carpet or rug. FORGET ABOUT IT! The one
I bought was not cheap. I have several small stains on it from pets getting sick. They are imposible to remove. The people that are selling
these rugs know that you cannot remove stains successfuly, but they don't warn you. So until they come up with a way to spot clean with good results don't waste your money. Unless you are single have no children or pets. Even then I'm not sure I could reccomend them. So buyer beware!

I just bought a jute rug and was not told anything at the store about how, even if you drip a tiny bit of water on it from your hand, it stains!!!it looked like it would be so easy to clean and so far every thing I have tried to clean on it just ends up looking like a big mess. I went back to the store today and they said tell the manager you weren't warned and get your money back! I am upset though because i like the look of it -just that it's ridiculously sensitive to anything dropping on it!!!

Hi Roxanne, I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with your new rug. I'm presuming you've read over this page and perhaps others and if so, then you know you're not alone.

Returning it for a refund or replacement is an option, and yes, it would have been nice if the salesperson had clued you in on what is NOT good for jute, perhaps then you might have decided to go with another fiber or to place your rug in a different location.

>If you really, really want to keep your rug, you might try one of methods suggested in earlier posts. Good luck and let me know how things go!

I have a customer that wanted to find something to remove pet stains and a yellowing of a jute rug, so i tried (on a corner) oxyclean then tried Mr Clean on it and it lightened the yellowing but made the whole rug look a mess, tomorrow i am going to take to the laundry mat and use texas size washer with oxyclean and will write back with results (owner says if it turns out ok if not no big loss they was going to throw it away anyway)

It'd be interesting if you'd post back your results!

Stain Solver would
be better than OxyClean because it's got more bleaching action.

Enviro-One has been good for stain removal in general, and though I haven't tried it on carpets, I would think that it'd be very good for carpet stains.

i have a question. how do i remove a few cherry juice stains from a jute rug?

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Beth,

I presume you've read through the comments above....... I'm really no closer to a sure-fire way to clean these rugs. Take a look at the April 12th comment to Barclay. Sorry I couldn't be more help. If somebody imparts some pearls of wisdom on how to clean it (and cherry juice yet!) please feel free to drop back by and let us know about it!

my dog had an accident on my jute rug,first I put baking soda on the large spot to draw out the moisture. Next,I vacuumed the stain and then scrubbed with cold water and pine sol,let it dry....
then with a small amount of bleach and soap scrubbed again and the stain is much better,but a large ring remains.........next I am about to take it to the car wash .......power wash it as I think thats the ONLY way for it not to leave a ring! then let it dry out side it's a 9 x 11...I will give an update as I have nothing to lose at this point outside of throwing it away!

Thanks Angela - please do drop back in here and post how your experiment turned out. I wonder about using the bleach (even if weak) caused the light spot. Might have to do the whole rug that way to try to get it one (hopefully!) uniform color......

I have two dogs and one jute rug which has taken the brunt of a few "accidents". I have had success with draping it over my balcony railing and pouring warm-to-hot water down it, rinsing it over and over again. That did a pretty good job on fresh urine stains. A poop accident was another thing altogether; I had to lift the main mess off with paper towels (yuck) then use an old, white cloth and warm water in a bucket to dab the remainder off. Over the balcony it went again and I used an old toothbrush to gently clean the fibres. I was tempted to chuck the dogs off the balcony, but thankfully I restrained myself.

Any cleaners will very likely remove the color from your rug, so I recommend working with just water, and making sure it thoroughly dries afterwards before putting it on the floor again.

Thanks for the tips Kirsty. Heh - actually, it's recommended that you do not steam clean or wet shampoo jute rugs. A store I like that carries really nice Jute Area Rugs doesn't recommend getting it wet either. So long as it works for you though........ ;~) Heavens know I've come up with creative ways a time or two to clean flooring that would have made manufacturer's cringe. Sometimes, recommended methods just aren't going to cut it.

One last thought - always be sure that the rug is thoroughly dry so that you don't have mold or mildew concerns to toss in the mix. Anything made of natural materials will be more prone to this.

Thanks for the post!

I just bought a jute rug for my deck. Last night it sprinkle a bit but I didn't worry because I thought natural fiber, natural water no problem.
This afternoon we had a 10 minute downpour and I was worried about shrinkage, so I thought I would search about jute rugs. I am so glad I did, I grabed the rug and put it in a safe place to dry. So far everything looks fine. I also know not to let the grandchildren and their dog anywhere near it. Thanks for your wonderful article.

You're most welcome Colleen!

what about dogs' nails and jute. I just bought a beautiful jute rug and now I am worried about my dogs' nails ruining the rug?

Janet, I don't have personal experience with jute rugs, but given the way jute rugs are made I'd think they'd do ok with trimmed dog nails. Dogs nails should be kept trimmed for any floor to keep scratches and snags to a minimum.

Why can't you varnish or use vinyl floor polish to protect jute rug as long as you don't over- wet

I would think that varnish would literally crumble after a short while. While most jute is quite stiff, it's not the hard material that a floor is and has 'give'. This 'give' is going to cause the varnish or polish to crack, flake, etc. and in general not hold up well at all. Varnishes and polishes are meant to give a hard, protective surface to wood floors, but need something stable to adhere to.

Hi FloorLady...

I have a large jute rug in the livingroom. My problem is I think the rug is starting to smell like my dogs after having had it for a year or so (no other textiles to hold odor, couch is leather). I vaccuum it about twice a week and spray febreeze. Is there a way to remove the odor from a jute rug?

Thanks so much for your time!

Hi Tiffany,

That could be tricky - it's not good to get jute wet, but you really need something to get out the odors. Probably the easiest way to do this is to use some regular ol' baking soda, sprinkle on the rug, let sit a while and vacuum. Unfortunately, this won't get all through the fibers, so I don't know how successful this would be.

Does the rug have a rubber backing/pad attached to it? If not, you could always flip it over and repeat the baking soda process.

Thanks for your reply! I am going to try baking soda and see where that gets me. I was going to first take it outside and give it a good beating on both sides as I know there is plenty of dirt in there that the vacuum doesn't get (2 bigs dogs = dirt). Then bring it back in for a sprinkle of baking soda. May just buy a new rug if not successful.

No rubber backing/pad attached.

Thanks again for your time......

You're most welcome Tiffany. I suppose beating it couldn't hurt either to help dislodge dirt. ;~)

I have a jute rug from Pottery Barn that we have used under our kitchen table. Needless to say, we have some spills on the carpet that I don't know how to tackle. Do you have a recommendation of how to clean stains on jute?

Thank you!

Jute rugs are not recommended for areas with high moisture levels. It is also recommended that you do not steam clean or wet shampoo jute rugs.

For spot-cleaning, use a mixture of water with a very small amount of detergent (such as a neutral one used for hand-washed garments) or a household solvent.

Use as little cleaner as possible to avoid excessive wetting which may damage the carpet.

Removing stains with color in them may require extra effort, and some stains containing dyes such as ink, lipstick, paint or shoe polish may be impossible to remove.

If you are unable to remove a stain, consult a professional carpet cleaner .

Should your floor coverings require a total cleaning, it is important to insure that a cleaning method using hot water extraction or wet shampooing should NOT be used. These methods can cause shrinkage and staining of natural fibers. For an overall cleaning it is best to consult a professional who has experience with Natural Fiber Floor covering.

I don't have experience with cleaning jute rugs, but found this information at Natural Area Rugs. To read more, just click on the link, go to the bottom of the page and click on Care and Maintainence under the Learn More Heading.

Don't ever try to spot-clean a jute rug with club soda! My dog had a fairly dry (poop) accident which I cleaned up pretty well with baking soda, then vacuumed. Without thinking (or going on the web) I dumped club soda on the two spots and left for the weekend. Now I have nasty stains and the rug is ruined. I love the look of the jute but don't think I'd get another since it's really not cleanable as far as I can tell.

Well I just spilt a glass of red wine on my black jute rug from pier1, I blotted with a wet dish rag.. I hope it comes out. Any advice? From what I read water isn't the best option, stain stays or water kills the rug..

I don't have much experience with jute rugs either and rely mainly on advice given at Natural Area Rugs. To read more, just click on the link, go to the bottom of the page and click on Care and Maintainence under the Learn More Heading.

I have a new thick jute rug that hurts your feet to walk on. Any suggestions?

Nope. Jute's just like that. It might get a bit smoother over time, kinda has a break-in period. I think you're going to find that your rug will always be a tad rough on your feet.

Do you think a jute rug would be good in an office to roll around on with an office chair? Thanks for the advice page!

Hi Jon,
I would always recommend one of those clear (plastic/rubber/acrylic - what ever they're made out of!) mats over a carpet in the area where an office chair is going to be rolled around on. That's going to create wear faster on any carpet.

I have a 9x12 jute rug and I am in the process of using painting stripes down it with a mixture of delta gel stain with acrylic paint. It dries fast and it has given it a great look. It has been time consuming but it will cover any stains and will be resistant to future I believe. I am using masking tape as it sticks well to the jute. So far it looks great and I have been getting complements. I am doing wide stripes with some narrow giving a modern look. But you can do border look.

I have a jute rug from Pottery Barn and it leaves this dirt-like debris all undernealth it. I've cleaned it up several times. Any suggestions on how to make this stop happening?

Hi Cindi,
I'm not sure what the problem stems from since I can't see the dirt myself. My guess is that it's dust/dirt that gets tracked onto the rug and eventually filters through it. If it's the jute fibers, hopefully it's just a temporary shedding problem until the rug gets broken in. Any idea who manufactured the rug?

It is definately fibers from the rug. It sheds like crazy. I have to swiffer every day to keep up. I have had the rug for over two years and still it's a mess. I looked on the tag and all it says is made by Pottery Barn. Should I hang it outside and beat it?

Hi Cindi,
All I can say is "ugh". I'm at a loss what to tell you and I'm pretty certain that Pottery Barn isn't going to help out any since it's been over two years since you bought the rug. I've never heard of anybody else having this sort of a problem. I guess beating it once in a while couldn't hurt too much, though it might break the fibers down even more and create more shedding. Who knows? It sounds like it may have been of poor quality. The fibers shouldn't be that brittle.

I have a problem of outdoor rugs disintegrating after a few months use. I've purchased them from Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs and Lowes. They are made of Olefin and are labeled for outdoor use. The warp threads seem to disintegrate into a sand like dust. Before long the cross-wise weft fibers come loose since there’s nothing holding them in place. I can’t find anything about Olefin or polypropylene disintegrating. I have used the rugs on a deck and screened porch. Any ideas on what’s going on? They’re made in China.

Hi Carla,
I haven't a clue as to what is going on with these. Could it be that you have them on a surface that abrades the rug from underneath? What type of surface are these rugs covering? It would be my guess that they are simply inferior products. I'm guessing that they didn't have any type of warranty, right? All I can suggest is saving receipts, price tags, etc. the next time so you can contact the manufacturer/store in hopes of getting a refund.

I also have a rug from Pottery Barn (+10 years old) and I never had the problem until the last year. It is like a beach underneath it and every day I have to clean under it. I just hope it isn't harmful to my small children. Any ideas?

Hi Danielle,
After so many years, it may just be nearing the end of it's lifespan - especially if it's seen a lot of traffic over those years. Most conventional area rugs don't stand up even that long when they get a lot of foot traffic.

It is possible that dirt is just working it's way through to the bottom, does it look like dirt particles or does it look like the jute is disintegrating?

I have a jute rug that's several years old except for large spots that look as if they are watermark stains. I tried to steam clean it but it didn't help. Any suggestions on how to get it back to close to how it used to look?

Hi Mara,
You might try StainSolver - it would
be better than OxyClean because it's got more bleaching action. I would suggest spot testing first to make sure it doesn't bleach too much.

You might also want to check out this site - they have some very good carpet cleaning tips for rugs made from natural fibers - what they call contemporary rugs.

We just became new owners of a beautiful jute rug from Pier One Imports (it's a secondhand rug about 4 years old) and we noticed the fiber dust on my husband's shirt after he carried it. I have to say I also wondered about the "clean up" of the debris. We don't plan on putting the rug in a high traffic area of the house so hopefully it won't be too much of a problem.

I have a Jute rug purchased recently (5 x 6) that got drenched outside in Florida. Now it is all moldy and we can't get the mold out. I am at wits end and am about to try power washing as a last alternative. Do you have any sugestions.
Thanks

Hi Duane, Mold - that's a new one! I would suggest consulting a local professional to see if they have suggestions on possible ways to remove the mold.

I have the same disintegration problem that Danielle describes. I've had 2 Capel rugs (made in France)out of Olefin or polyester and they disintegrated between June and September - fine powder dust & string. I was told after the first one went that they needed a pad - I think to help drying out. I have mine under a table on a second story deck. It gets hot, and it does get wet when (if) it rains (I'm in Los Angeles). I'm posting this in case someone else has figured out what the solution is.

I'm looking at purchasing an 80% jute/20% cotton rug from West Elm to use in my entry way. It will get wet in the winter months because of snow. Will this hold up in that area during our Wisconsin winters?

Hi Vicky, I don't know that Jute would be the best selection because water breaks it's strength down. Water is truly the enemy of Jute! You would need to be very diligent about keeping the rug dry.

Is there any way to clean dog urine out of a jute rug?

Sherry,

I think a damp dabbing with StainSolver and then sprinkling baking soda on the spot to absorb the water/moisture is the way to go here. It's tough since jute doesn't like moisture.

Hi Flooring Lady...

I have a jute area rug in the kitchen & spilled some vegetable oil on it. Is there a safe way to remove the oil without changing the color? HELP!!!

Francine,

Oh sad to say jute rugs don't seem to respond well to washing. Why not try applying a dusting of corn starch to it (enough to cover the spot with a thin layer of powder), let it sit for some time (30 minutes or more) and vacuum it up! Repeat the process several times to see if it's making a difference.

If the cornstarch is absorbing the oil then it seems you can continue with that approach until it's gone, or at least diminished to your satisfaction.

Let me know how this works for your rug! I recently had an issue that was similar and decided to stain my rug and re-purpose it rather then toss it!

Hi Flooring Lady,

I have two 3 x 5 jute rugs that are holding up great - except for a few stains. From reading here, I have alot of company. :-) Your comment about staining your jute rug has me curious and hopeful. How exactly did you do that and with what?!? Thanks!

Hi Debbie,

I ended up using a wood stain and applied using a foam roller. You can create a pattern on your own or use a stencil to add a unique pattern. I highly recommend using a lighter color as a darker stain allows for the roller marks to show quite prominently!

A pipe burst in my kitchen and my living room got flooded. I have a 6x9 jute rug that is 3/4 soaked and my building is sending a carpet cleaner in to clean it. Is it wise to let the guy come in and do that? Can this rug be saved?

Hi Liz.

Sorry to hear flooding. I don't know that having the rug cleaned would be the best option, since jute is more fragile when it is wet. You may want to try to dry the rug out as quickly as possible without using a machine on it (I am assuming this was clean water). Maybe try laying outside, or blowing a fan across it.

Sadly the carpet guy did clean it and the color is ruined (it was a lovely green). He also added insult to injury by folding it up like a towel, still wet, and slinging it over a chair! Now it has stretched out sections at the parts he folded. I'm wishing this carpet guy bad karma for the rest of his life.

Liz,

I'm really sorry to hear that!

You could possibly try to reshape it by getting it damp again, and laying out to dry. But, I don't know if you would want to take that chance. Hopefully it will regain some of its shape as it sets a while.

I just cleaned my natural colored jute rug. I used some woolite in my pressure washer and laid it on a slanted driveway to dry...flipping every 20 minutes. It looks great. My dog had urinated in spots and i had tried to spot clean with an upholstry cleaner which left darker spots. They are gone now. Woohoo!

Jaw,

I am so glad that worked for you!
Thanks for sharing the information with us.

I spilt white wine on our jute rug last night. I soaked it up the a dry towel and noticed the color fading...this morning it looks like a bleach stain across the rug! Is there anything I can do at this point??

Lea,

The rug is probably stained. I would try using StainSolver and see if that helps any.

I have 2 solutions:
There is a dry carpet cleaning product called Capture that you can buy at Lowes. You lightly spray the rug with Capture "soil release" spray and then sprinkle Capture's powder onto the rug, gently rub in with a soft brush and wait 30 minutes before vacuuming the powder up. The product says it's non-toxic and safe to use around children and pets.
We just used this on our rug with great results and the rug was 100% dry after vacuuming.

I'm wondering if a similar application of vodka or white vinegar mixed with water sprayed on the rug, followed up with a sprinkling of baking soda before vacuuming might work, as a more natural alternative, as well.

Jasmine,

Thank you for sharing those ideas!