How to Deep Clean an Area Rug!

I needed to deep clean the area rugs on the main level and didn't want to pay someone a few hundred dollars to do it.  I scoured the internet to see what other people did and then figured out how to do it on my own.  

GO ME!  It's easy enough to do...just time consuming!

Before I headed out to rent a powerwasher (I rented an electric one because I didn't want to deal with gas.) from Home Depot ($35 per day), I vacuumed the rugs and sprinkled them with baking soda letting them sit for a couple of hours.

One thing I learned was that everyone had their own version of solution to use.  Because of Jaru, I wanted to use a stain buster and a deodorizer in my solution so I seriously just mixed stuff up to include Oxy Clean, vinegar, LA Awesome, and Dr. Bronner's peppermint liquid soap (finally finished using that bottle up after realizing I couldn't used it for bubble bath after that tragic disaster...LOL!:  "Like Mother...NOT Like Daughter."). 

Make sure you do this on a day when you are going to get a couple of follow up days without rain.  I did this on Friday and the rugs weren't completely dry until Sunday.

It should be noted that the rugs I was cleaning were 100% wool pile so they weren't super expensive rugs.  If I had super expensive rugs I would definitely let a professional do them.  It should also be noted that I didn't have a problem with replacing these rugs if I screwed them up so I scrubbed them down something serious.  I would test an area first with your cleaning solution to make sure it didn't discolor a rug you wanted to make sure you didn't ruin.  

I made a quick video showing the process and I'm happy to say my rugs came out wonderfully clean and clean smelling!  GO ME!  Check me out getting my rug scrub on!

Question:  How do you deep clean YOUR rugs?  What solution do you use?  Do you make your own, or do you buy one?

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