Most rugs in South African homes are synthetic: polypropylene, nylon or polyester, usually machine-made. They are hard-wearing and forgiving, and the good news is that they can take a thorough wash. At home, vacuum them often, blot spills with a mild detergent solution and a little clean water, and dry them quickly. Once a year or so, have them properly washed, which for a synthetic rug means a machine wash at a rug facility: agitation and plenty of water are what lift the soil that has worked into the base of the pile.
That is the short version. The rest of this guide explains how each synthetic fibre behaves, what to do and avoid at home, and what happens when one comes to us.
First, make sure it really is synthetic
This matters more than anything else in the article. Plenty of rugs sold as soft, shiny or “silky” are viscose, or a blend of polyester and viscose, and viscose is damaged by water itself. Washing one the way you would wash a polypropylene rug can brown and flatten it for good. Check the label on the back, and if the pile feels cool, very smooth and slightly papery, or crushes easily under a fingernail, treat it as viscose until you know otherwise. Our guide to why viscose must never be wet cleaned explains the difference, and identifying your rug type covers the rest.
How the three synthetics behave
Polypropylene (olefin)
The most common rug fibre of all. It is usually solution-dyed, which means the colour runs through the whole fibre rather than sitting on the surface, so it resists fading very well. It absorbs almost no water, so it dries quickly. Its weaknesses are that it attracts and holds oily soil, which is why a polypropylene rug in a busy room can look grey and dull even when it has been vacuumed, that it flattens in traffic lanes, and that it melts at a much lower temperature than other carpet fibres, so a dropped hair iron or a hot pan leaves a permanent glazed mark.
Nylon
The toughest synthetic, and the best at springing back after being walked on. Nylon is often dyed after it is made, so strong alkaline or bleaching products can shift its colour, and red cool drinks and similar dyes can stain it permanently if they are left. Many nylon rugs and carpets have a factory stain-resist treatment that harsh cleaning strips away.
Polyester
Soft, with good, bright colour, and often used in shaggy and high-pile rugs. Like polypropylene it attracts oily soil, and it flattens more easily than nylon, so a thick polyester rug benefits from regular grooming and turning.
The backing matters too
A synthetic pile is often attached to a backing that is not synthetic at all. Many machine-made rugs have a jute or cotton backing, which can go brown if the rug is left wet and dried slowly. Hand-tufted rugs hold their pile in with latex glue under a cloth backing, and as that latex ages it crumbles, so an old hand-tufted rug can shed powder and lose tufts in a wash. That is one reason we look at the back of every rug before choosing how to clean it.
Caring for a synthetic rug at home
- Vacuum twice a week in busy rooms, and turn the rug over and vacuum the back every few months, because grit works its way down and wears the pile from underneath.
- Turn the rug every six months so traffic and sunlight fall on different areas.
- Blot spills straight away with a white cloth, working from the outside in. Then use a little mild washing-up liquid in water, blot again, and finish with plain water so no soap is left behind.
- For oily marks on polypropylene or polyester, a solvent-based spotter works better than water, because oil is what these fibres hold on to.
- Dry fast, with a fan or open windows, and lift the rug off a hard floor if the backing got wet.
- Small, thin rugs with a care label that allows it can go in a washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle. Do not tumble dry anything with a rubber or latex backing.
- Outdoor polypropylene rugs can be hosed down. See our guide to cleaning an outdoor rug.
What to avoid
- Too much soap. Leftover detergent is sticky and is the usual reason a clean rug looks dirty again within weeks. Rinse it out.
- Heat. No hairdryer held close, no iron, no hot water poured on a stain.
- Bleach. Solution-dyed polypropylene often survives it, which is why it gets called bleach-safe, but bleach damages jute and cotton backings and any natural fibre in a blend, and it is never needed.
- Soaking a rug in the bath or on the lawn and leaving it to dry for days. That is how backings brown and smells start.
What happens when we clean one
Every rug is collected, cleaned at our own rug facility and brought back, and nothing is sent to a third-party wash house.
- Inspection and fibre check. We confirm the pile really is synthetic, look at the backing, and note anything a clean will not remove.
- Dusting. Dry grit is vibrated out of the base of the rug before any water touches it. A family rug can give up a surprising amount.
- Pre-treatment of stains, spills and pet accidents.
- Machine wash. A stable synthetic goes through our rug-washing machine, because agitation and a large volume of water give it a deeper clean than hand work can.
- Thorough rinse, so no residue is left to pull dirt back in.
- Spin and dry flat in our drying rooms until the rug is dry right through, then groom the pile and check it again.
Most rugs are back with you in 1 to 2 working days. As a CleanSeal Approved Service Provider, registered with the WoolSafe Organisation for synthetic fibres, we have committed to using approved products on synthetics as well as on wool. See what CleanSeal is, and hand washing vs machine washing for how the fibre decides the method.
Pet accidents on a synthetic rug
Synthetic fibres do not absorb much, so urine tends to run straight through the pile into the backing and the floor underneath, which is why the smell can outlast a clean-looking surface. An enzyme product is the right choice on a synthetic pile, applied generously and given time to work, but it cannot reach urine that has soaked a jute backing or dried into the floor below. On a rug that has had repeated accidents, a full wash is usually the only way to get to all of it. Our guide to removing odours from a rug covers the detail.
When a synthetic rug is past its best
Synthetic rugs are affordable, and it is fair to ask whether one is worth cleaning. It usually is if the pile is still standing and the backing is sound, because most of the dullness in an older polypropylene or polyester rug is embedded oily soil, and a proper wash brings the colour back further than people expect. It is not worth it when the latex behind a tufted rug has turned to powder, when the pile has crushed flat across the whole rug, or when a heat mark has melted the fibre, because none of those are soil. We tell you which one it is before we collect.
Common questions
Can a polypropylene rug be washed?
Yes. Polypropylene absorbs almost no water and is usually solution-dyed, so it takes a thorough wash well. Small, thin rugs can go in a washing machine on a cold, gentle cycle if the label allows it. Larger rugs are best washed professionally in a rug-washing machine, then rinsed and dried flat, because agitation and a large volume of water are what lift the soil from the base of the pile.
Why does my synthetic rug look dirty again so quickly?
Usually residue. Polypropylene and polyester attract and hold oily soil, and any detergent left in the pile after cleaning is sticky, so the rug grabs dirt from every footstep and greys within weeks. A thorough rinse after cleaning, and blotting spills with plain water after any soap, is what stops it.
Can I use bleach on a polypropylene rug?
It is best not to. Solution-dyed polypropylene often keeps its colour through a bleach spill, which is why it is sometimes called bleach-safe, but bleach damages the jute or cotton backing many rugs have and any natural fibre in a blend, and it is not needed to clean a synthetic rug.
How long does it take to professionally clean a synthetic rug?
Most rugs are back in 1 to 2 working days, counted from the day we collect to the day we bring the rug back. Synthetics shed water quickly, so they are usually among the fastest rugs to dry.
How do I know if my rug is synthetic or viscose?
Check the label on the back first. Viscose is often sold as art silk, bamboo silk or simply as a shiny, silky rug. It feels cool and very smooth, and the pile crushes easily under a fingernail. If you are unsure, treat the rug as viscose and do not wet it, because water browns and flattens viscose permanently.
Ready to have yours done? Request a quote, send us a photo on WhatsApp, or read more about our rug cleaning.