This applies to polypropylene, polyester, nylon and acrylic rugs. If the rug is small or you would rather not have it cleaned at home, it can also be cleaned in a workshop with pick-up and return. Send a photo, and a specialist gives the price.
How to tell that a rug is synthetic
The label or the purchase details tell you most reliably. Synthetic fibres are polypropylene, polyester, nylon (polyamide) and acrylic. Many rugs are sold as a “polyester rug” or a “nylon rug”, and it is the same job: synthetics with a short pile.
Many rugs have no label, or it has been cut off. Then photograph the rug from the top and the underside: the backing shows whether the rug is woven, tufted with a glued backing or knotted. If the label mentions wool, viscose or “bamboo silk”, this page does not apply: see wool rug cleaning or viscose rug cleaning.
At home or with pick-up
| Rug | Where it is cleaned | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Large synthetic rug with a short pile | at home, on the floor | from €6/m² |
| Small or light synthetic rug | in a workshop with pick-up and return | from €10/m² + pick-up and return €10 |
| Thick or long-pile synthetic rug | depends on the rug | from €10/m² |
| Tufted rug with a latex backing | at home or with pick-up | as for other synthetic rugs |
In the form field “Where to clean?” you can choose “At my home”, “With pick-up and return” or “Not sure, please advise”. If you do not know, a specialist advises from the photos. Large synthetic rugs are usually cleaned on site. Thick-pile rugs have their own page: shaggy rug cleaning.
What is different about a synthetic rug
For synthetics, the main question is usually not the fibre itself but the backing and the moisture. In a tufted rug, the yarn is pushed through the backing fabric and fixed with latex glue. Heavy wetting and heat can weaken this glue, and in an old rug the backing can crumble or give off a smell. There is a separate page about this: tufted rug cleaning.
Makers of fitted carpet, for example Shaw, warn that over-wetting without extracting the moisture can cause wrinkles and, in extreme cases, delamination of the backing. Some synthetic fibres melt in heat, so an iron or a hot object on a stain is a risk. How long a rug takes to dry depends on the fibre, the pile thickness, the humidity of the room air and the ventilation.
What to do before cleaning at home
- Take chairs, small tables and plant pots off the rug. Write about heavy furniture on the rug in the request.
- Measure the rug: length × width in metres, without the fringe.
- Add photos of the top and the underside, and of the label, if there is one.
- Write about stains, smell and pets.
- In the request, write which floor the room is on, whether there is a lift and where a car can stop.
If something has just been spilled on a synthetic rug
Blot the liquid with a clean, absorbent cloth and do not rub: rubbing pushes the stain deeper. Then put clean absorbent material on the spot and press it with something heavy until it dries. For blood use only cold water, because heat sets it. Chlorine bleach and strong cleaners change the colour. Test any product on a hidden spot first. More: carpet stain removal.
How much synthetic rug cleaning costs
Synthetic rug with a short pile, cleaned at home: from €6/m². With pick-up, cleaning in a workshop and return: from €10/m², and 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. At home, travel is included in Riga and up to about 15 km outside the Riga boundary; further out it is from €10.
- A 2 × 3 m synthetic rug at home with urine treatment: 6 m² × €6 = €36, plus 6 m² × €3 = €18, in total from €54.
- A 1.6 × 2.3 m synthetic rug at home: 3.68 m² × €6 = €22.08, which is below the minimum, so the charge is €45.
The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. The minimum applies only to cleaning; the pick-up and return charge is added. The price is affected by the size in m², the fibre, the pile length and thickness, the dirt and the stains, the smell or urine, the access and the distance. After you fill in the form, a specialist contacts you and gives the price based on the size, the fibre and the photos. All prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust and sand in the pile;
- fresh drink and food stains, if they have not been rubbed;
- general greyness in walking areas, if the fibre is not worn.
May stay
- paint, hair dye and bleach marks;
- a worn or flattened pile in the walking path;
- fibre melted by a hot object;
- smell, if urine has reached the backing.
A fresh stain usually comes out better than an old one. Before the job, a specialist tells you what to expect.
Sources
- Over-wetting without extraction can cause wrinkles and delamination checked 10 November 2026
- Tufted rug: latex glue, heavy wetting and heat can weaken it checked 10 November 2026
- Blot stains without rubbing, press with absorbent material checked 10 November 2026
- Blood: cold water, heat sets it checked 7 November 2026
- Heat is a risk for synthetics that melt checked 10 November 2026
- Bleach and strong cleaners change the colour checked 7 November 2026
- Test a product on a hidden spot first checked 7 November 2026
