removing dog smell from a large rug

ali-t

elsien wrote: »

I ended up needing a complete bathroom refit when I did this.:o

Washed large heavy item in bath, scratched head then pondered how to get it downstairs and into the garden to dry without flooding the place, put chair in bath to drape said item over to drain, chair fell over and made hole in bath, replacing old bath meant whole new bathroom suite and tiles......you get the picture.

I now wash any smelly rugs etc outside on the patio with the aid of buckets of water, wahing powder and a scrubbing brush. Safer and cheaper all round.
I also put something like zoflora in the last rinse to disguise any lingering odours.

I was thinking about the practicalities of it this morning when I was walking the dogs as I have cream carpets upstairs and it is a chocolate brown rug that I am fairly sure dye will leak from.

I was considering washing it in the bath, letting it drain and then trying to throw it out the bathroom window into the garden where I would hang it on the washing line :rotfl:

I can't cope if anything in the bathroom gets damaged, I just had a new suite put in at Xmas as the lodger from hell managed to pull the shower screen off the wall making a hole in the bath :mad:

Beckyy

Diluted biological washing detergent, rinsed well after!

Cold you drape it over a washing line, give ia slosh and brush, rinse then leave to dry?

moomin5

Guess it depends on type of rug how well it will withstand a washing, we did a corner of our woollen rug with water/bio-washing powder after the dog peed on it and while passable its not quite the same as the rest of the rug any more it was also struggle moving a large rug out into garden to dry with just a corner wet.

How about one of those rug doctor cleaners you can hire, though a carpet cleaner maybe a better buy if likely to be an ongoing need as I noticed Bissell direct have a reconditioned one for only £60 while hunting for a new vacuum today.

ali-t

The rug is not worth hiring a rug doctor machine for as it cost around the same as rug doctor hire. Having looked at the B&Q website I think it is the cosy elegance rug that is only £30 , definitely that size and it says it isn't washable

I guess I don't have anything to lose then. If it stinks it isn't staying and if it is ruined it isn't staying. Shame as the dogs love it.

I think I will give it a scrub in the garden and hose it down to see what happens.

bouncydog1

I have a couple of long pile white pure wool rugs which the cats love. I simply put them in the machine on a 30 degree wool wash then hang them out to dry!

ali-t

bouncyd!!! wrote: »

I have a couple of long pile white pure wool rugs which the cats love. I simply put them in the machine on a 30 degree wool wash then hang them out to dry!

This one is over 6' long and around 3' wide and has a stiff hessian backing so there is no way it will fit in the machine but that is what I would do if it was small enough to go in the machine.

I do that with the sheepskin rug and then blow dry it and brush it to make it fluffy rather than sheeplike.

bouncydog1

My rugs are well over 6 x 4 (I have a 9kg load machine so the drum is a good size), but the backs are soft - they are flokatis.

Depends on how much you value the rug really - you could take to your local laundry - ours is very good and will wash at low temps and leave to dry naturally in their drying room.

Alternative would be to just keep the rug for the dogs and buy a couple of softer backed new ones that you could wash to keep fresh (and dump the existing when it gets too bad)!

Having had several spaniels who were mud (and worse) lovers I fully sympathise - the head down, clean one side of the face, then the other, then roll onto and do their backs is a sight to behold (even if you do get left with the mess afterwards)!

ali-t

bouncyd!!! wrote: »

Having had several spaniels who were mud (and worse) lovers I fully sympathise - the head down, clean one side of the face, then the other, then roll onto and do their backs is a sight to behold (even if you do get left with the mess afterwards)!

That is the very move! But try it with a slobbering rottweiler on the rug instead of a spaniel. I am not particularly attached to the rug so it can be binned if need be or freecycled to someone who can be bothered getting the smell out.

dawnie1972

Can i recommend a Bissell Quickwash Carpet Cleaner, they currently have reconditioned ones on their website for £59.99 or brand new on offer for £99.99 - i have one and swear by it - i have 3 dogs. You can buy the cleaning solutions from argos (they even do a pet odour one) and i would never ever use a rug doctor again - the rug doctors leave too much residue on the carpet - for the initial pay out of £60 you can then use the machine over and over again, they are very very easy to use, easy to clean and lightweight.
See link for info
http://www.bisselldirect.co.uk/carpet-cleaners/quickwash-reconditioned

Roystonb_2

If it is just the smell that is a problem, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on the rug, leave overnight and vacuum off. If you want a liquid solution dissolve one tablespoon of bicarb in half a pint of warm water. That even gets rid of the smell of vomit in a car!