Have you ever wondered how to wash your rugs without having to laboriously hand scrub, hire professionals or rent or buy a steam cleaner? Ruggable Machine Washable Rugs solve this problem. Today, I’m sharing my honest Ruggable review, including both the pros and the cons, after over 2 years of use.
*The following contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you (See my Disclosure Policy).*
*This is NOT a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own, based on my personal experience owning my first Ruggable product.*
WHAT IS ‘RUGGABLE’?
Ruggable is an online store that sells a variety of rugs from area rugs to doormats to bath mats and more – all of which are machine washable.
The brand first appeared on the market in 2010 as the first patented machine-washable rug.
It is the “OG” of machine-washable rugs.
Fast-forward to today, and the number of designs in the Ruggable collection continues to grow, including modern, boho, farmhouse and everything in between to suit a wide range of personal tastes.
Ruggable currently (Apr 2023) ships to Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, Germany, and Austria.
I personally own this 6 X 9 dining room rug (“Damali Black & White Rug”), purchased about 2 years ago.
It is in a low-traffic area (except among our fur babies who love to lay there near the sunshine :). However, it IS under a dining room table which is prone to food and beverage spills. It is highly stain-resistant, but it is not 100% fool-proof and it eventually needed to be washed.
Which leads me to the first ‘Pro’ on my list…
PROS & CONS OF RUGGABLE (My Personal Opinion)
PRO: Washable
The #1 reason I like this rug is that it’s fully machine washable. How is that even possible?
Ruggable rugs come as a 2-piece system:
The bottom is a thin non-slip rug pad with velcro that adheres to the top layer or ‘cover.’
The ‘cover’ is the visible top layer (the rug) that you remove to put in your washing machine and dryer (or hang dry, if preferred).
No matter the size – even up to their largest 9 X 12 area rugs – these rugs can fit into a regular, residential washing machine and dryer.
See how easily mine – a 6 X9 rug – fits into our washing machine.
Ruggable also advertises that their rugs are ‘stain-resistant’ and, in my experience, it’s true. I had just a couple of food ‘stains’ on my rug before washing (they were in there for over a year and had lots of time to sink right in.).
I simply sprayed my Oxi-Clean Stain Remover , let sit for about 10 minutes, then placed the rug in the wash, and the stains completely disappeared.
PRO: Variety of Design & Size Options
When Ruggable first emerged on the market, their selection was extremely limited. These days, they’ve been collaborating with designers and providing more options each and every season.
They carry a variety of sizes, including runners, 9 X 12, 8 X 10, 6 X 9, 5 X 7, 3 X 5, and smaller doormats and bath mats.
They carry both indoor and outdoor rugs, too.
PRO: Easy To Swap Top Layer
Because of it’s 2-layer system, you can easily swap out the upper layer from season to season. While not practical (or budget-friendly) for your area rugs, this is a great solution for doormats, bathmats, and runners, too.
PRO: 2 Underpad Choices
Do you have a door that has very little clearance between the floor and the bottom edge of that door? Does it prevent you from laying down a rug in front of that door? Ruggable may solve that problem.
With your top layer selected, you will have the choice of a thin or thicker underpad.
My suggestion: By selecting from their ‘Classic’ line – which combines a thin top ‘Cover’ with a thin rug pad underneath – you should be able to use this rug in those tight spaces, but be sure to measure beforehand.
PRO: Low & Higher (Traditional) Pile Choices
When Ruggable first appeared on the market, their top layers (now part of their ‘Classic’ Line) were very thin (like the rug I own) with a thin underpad.
But recently Ruggable has come out with a line of traditional higher pile rugs (shag, too) for those who want the feel of a traditional higher pile under foot.
I, for one, was glad to see this addition to their collection!
Now, let’s review the Cons – my personal opinion, only:
CON: Pricey
If you are looking for a cheap rug to throw down, this is probably not the rug for you.
While the cost is not prohibitive compared to other quality rugs on the market, it may give the frugal or budget-conscious pause for thought before purchasing.
CON: Slight Puckering Along Edges After Washing
I was pretty nervous about washing my rug for the first time.
Before I had ever purchased my rug, I watched this review on YouTube – a thorough one that revealed some of the basic flaws in owning a Ruggable rug, including the possibility that the corners of the rug curl up after washing and drying!
Yikes!
You would have thought this would have deterred me. But, no. It did not. I thought, surely, there is some way to mitigate against this.
And, in my experience, this never happened.
Here’s what did happen, however.
First, I followed the washing instructions EXACTLY as instructed on Ruggable’s site HERE.
Essentially:
1. Wash in cold water setting.
2. Use a mild, non-bleach detergent (to avoid staining the rug) – I used my regular (cold-water) laundry detergent.
3. Do not use fabric softener as this can result in ‘surface-flattening’ of the rug.
The rug was completely cleaned by this process and I was really happy with the result.
Absolutely no stains (as you’ll see).
I was, however, nervous about the drying process, as described on Ruggable’s site HERE.
Essentially, they instruct you to place your washed rug in the dryer on low heat (or hang dry, if preferred).
What I did:
1. Tumble Dry (twice)
2. Used low heat setting, 20 minutes only. (I was mainly concerned with the corners curling up, thinking it might be due to shrinkage, even on low heat)
3. While still slightly damp, I hung it to dry (pictured below).
In hindsight: Tumble drying multiple times may not have been a good idea as it was slightly wrinkled as it hung to dry.
However, as you can see below, my rug came out incredibly clean.
And the FINAL RESULT?
1. The Corners Lay Flat (No curling!)
2. Stains Were Gone
3. The Rug Cleaned Well (Fresh and Bright, and without any colour fading).
BUT: I did notice a bit of PUCKERING along a portion of of the rug’s edge once I laid it back down.
While the puckering above was the worst of it, there were a some other portions that curled up a bit, too:
After reviewing more articles and expert reviews on washable rugs, it turns out that some puckering or curling is common.
Good Housekeeing, for example, wrote the following about Ruggable:
“Curling on edges: In our Lab evaluations, we found that the rug edges curled up a bit after washing. This is not uncommon for area rugs, though.”
What are your thoughts? Anyone else own a machine-washable rug? What’s been YOUR experience?
CON: Low Pile Cover (‘Classic’ Line) is Thinner Than Other Low-Pile Rugs On the Market
While minor, I still wanted to share this, especially if you are considering purchasing from their less expensive ‘Classic’ line.
This is, in fact, the line that I own. Namely, the Classic Cover (top layer) with the Classic Underpad.
It does feel thinner underfoot and has no ‘squishy’ feel at all. But because it sits under our dining room table, that is of no consequence to us.
However, if you are considering options for a living room, for example, you may be disappointed in Ruggable’s ‘Classic’ Line.
That is, unless you purchase a thicker underpad.
Or you might simply forego the Classic Line for their Premium Line instead.
Just something to consider.
If you do purchase from their ‘Classic’ line be sure to use a low-suction vaccuum since high-suction is a bit too strong and will pull on the top layer (FYI).
In Summary:
ANY REGRETS? WILL I PURCHASE ANOTHER RUGGABLE?
Regrets? NONE
This was a great purchase.
Now that I own a machine-washable area rug, I can see the difference with our other rugs which I have had to spot clean many times (with varying degrees of success).
Will I Purchase Another Ruggable? YES
In fact, I have plans to replace our living room area rug (kinda gross at the moment!) and possibly some bath mats.
WHERE CAN YOU PURCHASE A RUGGUBLE RUG?
If you are considering purchasing your own Ruggable, there are several options out there these days.
Currently (Apr 2023), you can purchase their rugs at the following locations, online and in-person:
As well as (In Person):
- Home Depot
- Kohl’s
- Lowe’s
- Rona
- Target
- Walmart
BOTTOM LINE
I am happy I made this purchase.
If you are looking for an easy-to-maintain, machine washable rug that, despite its flaws, can work in high and low traffic areas of your home, this may be the rug for you and your family (including the fur-babies).
If you enjoyed this article, you may want to check out these others from A Pretty Fix:
3 Comments
Leanna
April 5, 2023 at 10:34 amI have been wondering about these rugs and was never able to talk myself into purchasing one. I think they would be perfect for under a dining table or in a laundry room where you don’t have to clean them often. Thank you for the head up about the curling and the whole process of how they work. No rubber breaking down is certainly a perk for mats. Thank you,
Kait
October 9, 2023 at 12:51 pmHow long would it take to hang dry? Do you only dry it inside on your railing or have you dried it outside?
Jelica
October 14, 2023 at 2:53 pmHi Kait, I have only dried indoors. It dried overnight, so the drying time was reasonably quick. I’ve never tried drying outdoors, so cannot comment on that specifically.