How long a rug takes to dry after cleaning

What decides the drying time

Why there is no single figure

A figure would be a promise, and drying depends largely on the room and the amount of water. A thin synthetic rug in a warm, ventilated room and a thick wool rug in a damp autumn flat with the windows closed are two different situations.

If a rug is cleaned at home, a specialist tells you before the job what to expect in your case. In the request, state the fibre, if you know it, and whether the room can be ventilated.

Drying a wet rug at home

1. Blot up the water Use clean towels to take up as much liquid as possible. The Canadian Conservation Institute advises placing clean, absorbent material on the spot and weighting it down.
2. Let air reach it If the rug can be lifted, give the underside and the floor beneath it access to air too. A wet backing dries more slowly on the floor.
3. Ventilate and move the air Open a window if the weather allows, and switch on a fan or a dehumidifier. The US Environmental Protection Agency writes that they speed up drying.
4. No direct heat Do not put the rug on a radiator and do not dry it with a hair dryer or a heater.
5. Check the full thickness Check the base of the pile, the backing and the thickest spot by hand. Roll up the rug or lay it back only when it is completely dry.

What not to do to speed up drying

• Do not dry a wool rug on a radiator: conservators write that heat strips wool of its natural oils and weakens the threads.
• Do not rub or brush wet viscose: water and pressure can flatten the pile for good. Only dry viscose can be brushed, in the direction of the pile.
• Do not heat a tufted rug: in a tufted rug the threads are held by latex glue, and a lot of moisture together with heat can weaken it.
• Do not fold or roll up a wet rug: folds leave marks, and a wet rug in a dark place is a mould risk.
• Do not dry a hide rug with heat: heat dries out and deforms the hide.

If the rug has a latex backing, note one more thing: Fibreworks writes that a latex backing can stick to some new floor finishes or stain them. Do not leave a wet rug for long on new parquet or a varnished floor.

After a leak or a flood: the 24-hour and 48-hour limits

These figures are mould and contamination limits, not how long a rug takes to dry after cleaning. The North Carolina State University extension service (NC State Extension) advises drying a wet fitted carpet within 24 hours so that mould does not start. The same source distinguishes three kinds of water:

The US Environmental Protection Agency writes similarly: wet materials dried within 24–48 hours mostly do not grow mould. Porous materials that have grown mould may have to be thrown out, because it may be impossible to remove the mould completely. The Health Inspectorate advises leaving mould that exceeds about 9 m² or is in building structures to professionals, and putting mouldy textiles into a closed bag.

On a rug after a leak: carpet cleaning after a flood.

Signs that moisture has become a problem

• Brown or yellow patches appear on a viscose or jute rug.
• A musty smell comes from the rug or from the floor under it.
• Stains or mould are visible on the backing or the floor.
• The colour of the rug has bled onto lighter areas.

Then stop wetting the rug and send photos of both sides. Flattened viscose pile and brown patches may stay even after cleaning. If the smell comes from the whole room, not only from the rug, see also why a rug smells.

Cleaning at home or with pick-up

A synthetic short-pile rug and fitted carpet are cleaned at home, on site. Wool, cotton, silk, viscose and hand-made rugs need controlled wet cleaning and full drying, which a living room floor cannot provide, so they are cleaned in a workshop with pick-up and return. Jute and sisal rugs are also cleaned with pick-up.

• Synthetic short-pile rug, cleaning at home: from €6/m².
• Fitted carpet (soft floor covering) up to 100 m²: from €4/m².
• 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, final price after a photo.

The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. Travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10. 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. More: rug cleaning at home, rug cleaning with pick-up, carpet and rug cleaning prices.