The Rug I Don’t Mind Spilling Wine on—& I’ve Spilled a Lot

Years ago, I had a plush white rug that was so soft I’d run my hands through the high pile every now and then… just because. It sat underneath the living room couch and was just the perfect cozy piece to tie the room together.

Sadly, since my husband and I tend to eat dinner on the couch in front of the TV, the rug was the unlucky catch-all tray for runaway pasta sauce, overturned goblets of wine, and crumbs (à la Salt Bae). It didn’t help that I would also accidentally step on one particular corner on my way to the kitchen every. single. time.

I tried spot cleaning, dry cleaning, and vacuuming with and without the beater brush—to no avail. Eventually, I just had to rotate it to the side that used to be under the couch as if I was looking for the cool side of the pillow. In less than a year, our pristine white rug looked a lot more like an old kitchen rag.

When I moved into my house, I came across the Moroccan Diamond Plush Rug from Ruggable. More than a year later, it still looks as good as the day I unrolled it. How, you ask?

The rug comes as a two-part system with a rubber pad and then the rug itself. The rug sits on top of the pad like any other rug, but if it gets dirty or dingy—get this— you can separate it from the pad and throw it in your washing machine.

Hear that? That’s the sound of your mind getting blown.

Yes, Ruggable’s rugs are washable. And that’s the only reason I’ve been able to keep my rug so clean all this time. We still use the couch as our dining table and we still get pasta sauce on the rug, but now, I never have to worry about stains (or the subsequent water rings if I spot treat) or figure out how to lug it to a professional. Vacuuming is also easier—even though the rug is plush, it’s still a low pile so the beater brush won’t damage or pull any threads.

The low pile also means it’s lightweight and fits into many washing machines, though you should make sure it’ll fit into yours with this handy guide. The large 6 foot by 9 foot rug fits into my 4.5 cubic feet LG washer just fine and still has room to be cleaned properly. I just wash it on the normal setting and then dry it on delicate. As soon as it’s done, I take it out and lay it back down, using my feet to fluff up any parts that might’ve gotten matted down. The edges and corners roll up like many other rugs I’ve had, so I usually treat myself to a good stretch and step on those areas a bit longer, too.

There are a ton of different styles from jute to vintage-inspired, and sizes from runners and doormats to 6-foot rounds and 9x12” rectangles. Most of its rugs are thin so they’re easy to wash, but if you’re looking for a thicker rug under foot, I’d suggest getting the cushioned rug pad.

I’m not the only one with a Ruggable love affair, either. Assistant editor Caroline Mullen made the switch from a thick jute rug in her dining room to Ruggable’s “re-jute” version, and hasn’t looked back since. Regular jute rugs tend to shed fibers and dust (a lot), but the re-jute hasn’t shed a crumb. “Plus,” she adds, “my jute rug was starting to come unraveled with constant moving of the dining chairs, but they now move freely and easily over the Ruggable rug.” It’s kind of the perfect dining room rug, too, since any dinner spills can easily come out in the wash.

Now that I know Ruggable is the answer to dingy, stained rugs, I plan on getting another for our actual dining table where they’ll live another day to catch more food and wine stains. And maybe a round one for the entryway to prevent wet floors. One as a kitchen runner too...

What are your thoughts on washable rugs? Let us know in the comments below!

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