The biggest culprit, algae formation!
Wet and humid conditions can cause algae to spread fast in an outdoor carpet. The disgusting green slime can deteriorate an outdoor rug if not taken care of.
Mix 2 tablespoons of liquid chlorine bleach with a quart of water. Apply the bleach mixture to the moldy areas of the outdoor rug with a sponge or mop. Let the bleach soak in for about 15 minutes. Rinse the rug with a garden hose to remove the bleach.
A patio or driveway outside with good drainage is a great place to start. Make sure the rug can lay flat on the ground. Outdoor cleaning is the only place to clean your rug. Pressure Washer – Almost any pressure washer will work, the important selection is the type of tip you use.
Carpets made of wool, silk and other natural fibers can be rather delicate, and don't take too well to excessive exposure to very acidic products. Using vinegar on these types of carpet can permanently damage the fibers and ruin your carpet.
Indoor Outdoor rugs can be cleaned with a hose on both sides. Use a mild soap for more soiled rugs. It's best to rinse the rug on a sloped surface, like your driveway, so the water can drain away. Indoor Outdoor rugs can also be cleaned using any of the normal rug cleaning services.
Dry The Rug In Sunlight To Prevent Mold
They are easy to clean and resists mold. To ensure that your area rug stays free of mold growth after washing, hang it over a porch railing in the sunlight. If you don't have a railing, lay the rug out in the sun to dry and flip it over to make sure both sides dry thoroughly.
Indoor carpeting needs a professional steam cleaning every one to two years. Outdoor carpets have synthetic fibers that do not need this kind of deep cleaning. In most cases, outdoor coverings would not benefit from a steam cleaning, and, in fact, they may get damaged by hot steam.
Related Articles. Your indoor-outdoor rug is built to be stain- and mildew-resistant, but it can still start to look dingy and dull over time. A good scrubbing with bleach rectifies the problem, killing off mildew, eliminating stains and refreshing the rug.
If you have a minor stain you can just leave the mixture until it dries and vacuum it up, or you can let it sit for 30 minutes or so and rub or blot up the stain with a damp cloth if if's a little more of a stubborn stain. Let it dry thoroughly and then vacuum. That's it!
We are often asked if baking soda will stain carpet. We have never found that bicarb or baking soda (the same thing) to ever stain carpet. Some are also concerned that the vinegar will bleach carpet. There is little risk of this happening, even with woollen carpets.
Baking soda is an inexpensive solution that is safe for your entire family and the environment; it will even help to get rid of odors and stains with ease. You can just sprinkle it on the floor before you vacuum to revitalize the carpet.
Outdoor carpet is often made from UV-stable fibers like polyethylene and polypropylene, meaning it's not going to fade in direct sunlight. It's also mold and mildew resistant, and even water-resistant.
Wet & Forget is safe to use on all types of outdoor furniture, rugs, and umbrellas. Just remove the cushions and keep people off the furniture surfaces during the application and overnight. The next day, rinse the furniture off with water before anyone sits on the surface.
Rinse it Off
Grab your garden hose and get to work. Hose down the rug until the water comes off clean. It's easiest to do this on an inclined surface like a driveway or side yard. That way the water can easily drain off.
Baking soda and bicarb soda refer to the same thing. Australia, New Zealand and the UK use the term bicarb soda, while the US refers to it as baking soda.
A synthetic carpet needs a 2-1 ratio of of water to vinegar, and a natural-fiber carpet needs 1-1 ratio equal parts vinegar and water. Shampoo is often used when steam cleaning a carpet. Follow the instructions on the machine for how much shampoo to use.
If your outdoor rug gets wet, it will most likely mildew and create unhealthy conditions which could potentially cause a mold to grow. Your outdoor rug can also be ruined by mildew which would then call for a replacement.
You can put an outdoor rug on a concrete patio without damaging either the rug or the concrete, provided you seal the concrete first and fix the rug down with flooring tape or adhesive. Patio rugs are usually made of polypropylene so are water, mold, mildew, and UV resistant.
Rug pads provide comfort. Most outdoor rugs are fairly thin so adding a pad helps to make them more comfortable to walk on. Look for a thick rug pad to give yourself an extra soft surface to walk on.