You’ve been cleaning your rug wrong – these simple household items will make it look good as new without a dry cleaner

IF you've already vacuumed but your area rug still feels dirty, you've probably been cleaning it wrong.

But you can save a trip to the dry cleaner by deep cleaning your rug yourself with simple household items.

Before restoring your rug to its former glory, remember to check the label first and make sure you're following the maker's instructions.

First, the rug needs to be clear of any dirt and debris.

You can vacuum both sides, or take the rug outside and shake it out.

Make sure every bit of debris is gone, including pet hair.

Depending on what type of rug it is, you can purchase and use a specific cleaning solution like a rug shampoo.

However, a mild laundry or dish detergent mixed with warm water should do the trick just fine.

Before you start scrubbing with any cleaning solution, do a color test first to ensure that the solution doesn't bleed. Test the solution on a corner of the rug.

Once you've determined the material is colorfast, use a sponge or a soft-bristle brush to work the cleaning solution into a lather on the rug.

Let the cleaner sit for five minutes on the rug so it can lift away the dirt, and then you can rinse thoroughly with a hose or buckets of clean water.

Once the runoff water is crystal clear, you're done rinsing and it's time to start clearing the excess water off of the rug.

You can use a squeegee or a wet-dry vacuum to remove excess water from the rug so it'll dry faster.

Hang the rug to dry so that both sides can air out. Fans can help speed up this process.

Make sure the rug is completely dry before putting it back on the floor.

FLUFFY RUGS

You could run into issues if you have a jute, shaggy, fluffy, or deep pile rug.

These types of rugs don't respond well to water, so you'll have to use a different method than the one listed above.

For fluffy rugs, use a dry shampoo like a carpet cleaning power.

Add it to your rug and let it sit for a few hours, giving it time to freshen up and clean the rug fibers.

Then, shake the rug out and vacuum up any lasting pieces of powder.

Congrats! Your rug is as good as new, and it barely cost you anything.

For more cleaning tips, see an expert share how to use baking soda to clean almost anything — from your mattress to kitchen drain.

Plus, cleaning fanatics are using MOP BOMBS to get their floors sparkling and make their homes smell amazing.