Cleaning an Area Rug

Whoever said power tools were not for housewives has never learned the shortcuts of the urban homemaker.  This is a picture of me powerwashing one of the area rugs in our house.  I also did the one in our living room.  Of the two, the one above seemed more "fragile" and I was worried about it coming undone with such a high stream hitting it head-on.  You can see in the picture the before and after--the before is matted down and dirty from everyday wear, and the washed part looks like new.  And all that without any damage to the fibers!

Here's a basic "how to":

I laid out the patio chairs so that they were laying "face down."  The rug will get very heavy in the process, so make sure to have something sturdy keeping it off of a flat surface. I sprayed the front, flipped it over (with help!) and sprayed the back, and then flipped it to spray the front again.  Take as long as you need for each side.  I was amazed and grossed out at how much dirt ran off.  I found that starting in the middle and then working toward the outer edge on each side was the most effective. I then let it dry over our fence post, flipping it once after about 4 or 5 hours.  Since it was a mild day, I can't judge how long or short of a time is right.  Just don't bring it back in until it's dry.

So besides having restored rugs in the house, I have now been brainstorming about all the other power tools I can use to shorten my chore time.  Have fun!