Read the label first
Care symbols are set by GINETEX, and the international standard is ISO 3758. The wash-tub symbol stands for washing, and a cross over any symbol means “do not”. Bars under a symbol mean a gentler process, while letters in a circle mean that the rug may be cleaned professionally; whether it may be washed at home is shown by the tub symbol.
Many rugs have no label, or it has been cut off. Then the underside of the rug shows the fibre and the construction: whether it is woven, glued or knotted. If you do not know what the rug is made of, a washing machine experiment can cost more than cleaning.
Care symbols: GINETEX brochure and ISO 3758. Checked 07.11.2026.
Which rugs a washing machine and a bath put at risk
| Rug | What can happen | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wool | hot water together with the movement of the machine felts wool, the rug shrinks and becomes stiff; it usually cannot be reversed | University of Wisconsin Extension |
| Viscose, “bamboo silk” | wet viscose becomes much weaker and can change shape; the pile can turn brown and flatten | Ohio State University, Cleanfax |
| Jute, sisal | water can leave brown patches; makers advise cleaning only dry | makers' care instructions |
| Cotton | soaked textiles often change colour, release dye and shrink | NC State Extension |
| Tufted with a latex backing | heavy wetting and heat can weaken the glue; an old backing can crumble | Fibreworks |
| Hide and sheepskin | most hides are damaged by direct contact with water; heat dries out and deforms hide | Canadian Conservation Institute |
University of Wisconsin Extension, The Science of Felting; Ohio State University HYG-5538; Cleanfax; The Perfect Rug care instructions; Fibreworks, Latex backing: checked 10.11.2026. NC State Extension on soaked textiles and Canadian Conservation Institute on hide: checked 07.11.2026.
Washing a rug in the bath
A bath seems gentler than a machine, but the rug is soaked right through in it, including the backing. Dyes can bleed, and moisture encourages that: the Canadian Conservation Institute writes that high humidity damages fibres and can make dyes bleed.
The other problem is drying. A soaked rug takes a long time to dry, and how long depends on the fibre, the pile thickness, the backing, the room temperature, the air humidity and the ventilation. The US Environmental Protection Agency warns that mould in a porous material often cannot be fully cleaned and such materials sometimes have to be thrown out. More on drying: how long a rug takes to dry.
If the label allows machine washing
- Check the colour On a hidden spot, wet a corner and press a white cloth on it. If the colour comes onto the cloth, do not wash.
- Follow the label Use the temperature, programme and drying shown on the label, never warmer.
- Do not put it in the dryer without a symbol Use a tumble dryer only if the label has a drying symbol without a cross. Heat is a risk for a latex backing and for wool.
- Dry it completely Do not lay the rug back or roll it up until the backing is completely dry.
What to do if the washing went wrong
If a wool rug has shrunk and become stiff, that is felting, and it usually cannot be reversed. If the dye bled, do not wash the rug again: repeated wetting can make the dye bleed even further. If viscose pile turned brown or flattened, it may stay that way. In any case, photograph the rug from both sides and keep the label.
When it is better to send the rug to a workshop
If the rug is wool, cotton, viscose, silk, hide or jute, if it does not fit in the machine or if there is no label, it is safer to choose rug cleaning with pick-up and return. With pick-up, the rug is cleaned in a workshop and brought back.
- Rug with pick-up, cleaning in a workshop and return (synthetics): from €10/m².
- Wool or cotton rug (with pick-up): from €10/m².
- Silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up): from €15/m², the price is given from a photo.
- Pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added.
Example: a 1.2 × 1.8 m cotton rug is 2.16 m² × €10 = €21.60. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. The minimum applies to cleaning only, so together with pick-up and return in Riga it is €55. A 2 × 3 m wool rug with pick-up in Riga: 6 m² × €10 = from €60, plus €10, so from €70 in total. All prices: carpet and rug cleaning prices.
Sources
- Care symbols: cross, bars, letters in a circle checked 7 November 2026
- ISO 3758 care labelling standard checked 7 November 2026
- Wool felting in hot water with movement checked 10 November 2026
- Wet viscose becomes much weaker checked 10 November 2026
- Viscose pile can turn brown and flatten in moisture checked 10 November 2026
- Jute and sisal: dry cleaning only checked 10 November 2026
- Soaked textiles change colour, release dye, shrink checked 7 November 2026
- Latex backing and glue checked 10 November 2026
- Hide is damaged by water, heat deforms it checked 7 November 2026
- High humidity damages fibres and can make dyes bleed checked 10 November 2026
- Mould in a porous material often cannot be fully cleaned checked 7 November 2026
- Colourfastness test on a hidden spot checked 7 November 2026
