Cleaning at home or in a workshop with pick-up depends on the fibre, the backing and the size. If the rug is picked up, the pick-up and return charge of €10 is added.
Why a long pile is a job of its own
In a long, thick pile, sand and crumbs get deep between the fibres, and a thick pile together with the backing usually holds water longer. That is why moisture is the main question for a shaggy rug: how much of it gets into the rug and whether it can be dried completely. How long a rug takes to dry depends on the fibre, the pile thickness, the backing, the room temperature, the humidity and the ventilation.
Shaggy is a type of pile, not a fibre. A shaggy rug can be synthetic, wool or viscose, and each fibre has its own risks. Wool can felt from hot water together with rubbing, while wet viscose becomes much weaker and can turn brown. So the label or a photo of the underside matters more than the word “shaggy”.
At home or with pick-up: what it depends on
| Shaggy rug | Where it is cleaned | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Large, synthetic | at home or with pick-up, depends on the rug | from €10/m² |
| Small, synthetic | at home or with pick-up, whichever suits you | from €10/m²; with pick-up, the pick-up and return charge of €10 is added |
| Wool | in a workshop with pick-up | from €10/m² + pick-up and return €10 |
| Shiny, viscose or “bamboo silk” | in a workshop with pick-up | from €15/m², price from a photo |
In the form field “Where to clean?” you can choose “Not sure, please advise”, and a specialist advises from the photos. Wool and viscose have their own pages: wool rug cleaning and viscose rug cleaning. With pick-up the rug is cleaned in a workshop and brought back.
How to look after a shaggy rug day to day
- Vacuum regularly: dirt collects deeper in a long pile than in a short one.
- Turn the rug from time to time. Conservators advise turning rugs so that they wear evenly.
- Do not drag the rug by one edge and do not drag furniture across it.
- Blot spilled liquid with a clean cloth and do not rub: rubbing pushes the stain deeper.
- Do not use shop-bought carpet shampoos on valuable rugs. The Canadian Conservation Institute writes that afterwards dirt sticks to the fibres even more.
Washing a shaggy rug at home: what can go wrong
A thick rug in the bath or a washing machine is soaked right through, including the backing, and then it stays damp for a long time. A porous material in which mould has started to grow often cannot be cleaned completely, and the US Environmental Protection Agency writes that such materials sometimes have to be thrown away. For a tufted rug, heavy wetting and heat can weaken the backing glue. Before trying anything, read can a rug go in the washing machine.
What to write in the request
- The size: length × width in metres, without the fringe. For a round rug, write the diameter.
- The pile length: with a ruler, measure one tuft from the backing to the tip.
- The fibre, if you know it, and a photo of the label.
- Photos of the top and the underside, stains, smell, pets.
- Which floor the room is on, whether there is a lift and where a car can stop.
How much shaggy rug cleaning costs
Long-pile (shaggy) or thick rug: from €10/m². If the rug is picked up, 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. If it is cleaned at home, travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10. Urine or odour treatment is extra, from €3/m².
- A 2 × 3 m shaggy rug with pick-up in Riga: 6 m² × €10 = from €60, plus pick-up and return €10, in total from €70.
- A 1.2 × 1.7 m long-pile rug with pick-up: 2.04 m² × €10 = €20.40, which is below the minimum, so cleaning costs €45, plus pick-up and return €10, in total €55.
The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. The minimum applies only to cleaning. The price is also affected by the pile length and thickness, the dirt and the stains. All prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust, sand and crumbs in the pile;
- everyday dirt and greyness;
- fresh stains, if they have not been rubbed.
May stay
- a flattened or tangled pile where furniture has stood or where people walk most;
- paint, hair dye and bleach marks;
- smell, if urine has reached the backing;
- an old stain that has already soaked into the backing.
A flattened viscose pile may stay. Before the job, a specialist tells you what to expect.
Sources
- Drying is slower in humid air checked 7 November 2026
- Hot water and rubbing felt wool checked 10 November 2026
- Wet viscose becomes weaker checked 10 November 2026
- Viscose can turn brown in moisture, and the pile can flatten checked 10 November 2026
- Turn rugs, do not drag by the edge, do not use shop-bought shampoos, blot without rubbing checked 10 November 2026
- Mouldy porous materials may have to be thrown away checked 7 November 2026
- Latex glue of a tufted rug checked 10 November 2026
