Dec 01, 2022

How to Clean Sisal Rugs

Sisal rugs are beautiful natural fiber rugs that are pretty easy to care for. They generally don’t get dirty very easily because dirt struggles to stick to their hard fibers.

This makes the general cleaning of sisal rugs pretty straightforward.

But, as we know, accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. And, before you know it, you might be stuck with a very stained sisal rug on your hands.

When sisal rugs get stained, depending on what the stain is from, they can be quite a nightmare to clean. It is definitely harder to clean a sisal rug than it is to learn how to clean a shag carpet, or how to clean a sheepskin rug at home.

But, fear not, we will provide you with a complete guide on how to clean sisal rugs, and make your life much easier.

What this article covers:

Can You Clean Sisal Rugs?
How to Get Stains Out of a Sisal Carpet
How to Get Dog Pee Out of a Sisal Rug
How to Clean Sisal Rug Pet Stains

Can You Clean Sisal Rugs?

You most definitely can clean sisal rugs. But, before you go ahead and just clean it like you would clean a polyester carpet, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Just like when it comes to cleaning a jute rug, you need to use care and precision, and there are certain ways to go about it, and specialized methods that you need to follow.

Since sisal rugs are made out of natural fiber, a lot of people recommend that you only use methods of cleaning that are dry and don’t involve water.

The reason for this is that excessive moisture or liquid can cause the natural fibers, and hence the rug, to shrink or discolor.

As you would expect, the situation is slightly different when it comes to cleaning wet stains from sisal rugs. We will discuss exactly how you go about this later on in the article.

The biggest tip we can give you is to try and vacuum your sisal carpet regularly and try to avoid spilling anything on it that can stain.

But of course, accidents do happen, so we will dive into the best way to clean your rug if you managed to get some nasty stains embedded in it.

Can You Steam Clean A Sisal Carpet?

This is one of the things you most definitely want to stay away from when it comes to cleaning sisal rugs. As we mentioned earlier, you want to avoid exposing your sisal rug to excessive moisture or liquid, and steam cleaning it will do just that.

The most important thing to know about sisal carpets is that you should never steam clean them, or use wet shampoo on them.

If you do, there is a high chance that your sisal rug will be completely ruined.

How To Get Stains Out Of A Sisal Carpet

How you get stains out of a sisal carpet depends largely on what type of stain it is. So the first step that needs to happen before you start with the stain removal process is identifying the stain.

The product that we are going to use is one of our most versatile carpet cleaning products. It can remove stains caused by oil, paint, ink, blood, cosmetics, food, coffee, and more. So it makes it especially helpful if you aren't sure what the stain is from.

This incredible product is our Rave Spotter stain remover. It works fantastically to remove stains from sisal carpets, and would also be a great option if you were trying to figure out how to clean a white fur rug, or how to clean a wool area rug.

Follow these instructions to effortlessly, and safely, remove stains from your sisal carpet.

Step 1: Source The Equipment That You Will Need

There are very few things that you need for this process, which is very useful. Nonetheless, you still need to make sure that you do have everything necessary. The following is what you will need.

Clean, white paper towels or clothes
Our Rave Spotter stain remover
A wet-dry vacuum cleaner

Step 2: Blot Any Excess Moisture Away

The first thing that needs to be done is to blot any excess moisture from the stain away. Use clean paper towels or a cloth to do this.

When you blot, make sure that you blot from the outside to the inside. This will ensure that the stain doesn’t spread further and get bigger.

It is very important that you only blot and do not rub the stain. Rubbing the stain could cause it to embed itself deeper in the carpet's fibers, and also get much bigger than its original size. This will make it a lot harder to clean, which we want to avoid.

Step 3: Spray On The Rave Spotter And Blot It Away

The next step is to spray on the Rave Spotter and blot it away almost instantaneously. Normally, you would allow the Rave Spotter to sit on the stain for a few minutes. But, since the Rave Spotter is a form of moisture, you don’t want to sit on the sisal carpet for too long.

So the trick here is to have your clean paper towels ready, and blot the Rave Spotter away before it has had time to be absorbed into the carpet.

This may seem counterintuitive as the Rave Spotter does not have time to work to its full capacity, but it will still make a difference and help to remove that stain.

Repeat this process of spraying and blotting until the stain is fully removed. You may need a few paper towels, as the stain will start to be absorbed onto the paper towels, and you don’t want the carpet to get re-stained.

The great thing about using our Rave Spotter is that it has a no-rinse formula. This means that we don’t need to use water to rinse it off, which is a massive win since we are cleaning a sisal carpet.

Step 4: Run A Wet-Dry Vacuum Cleaner Over The Carpet

The last step is to run a wet-dry vacuum cleaner over the carpet. This is just an extra step to ensure that all of the moisture and residue are removed from the carpet.

Since we can’t use one of our rinses on this carpet, using a vacuum cleaner over it will leave it looking as clean and as fresh as possible.

How To Get Dog Pee Out Of A Sisal Rug

Dog pee on a sisal rug can be quite detrimental to your rug. The pee itself is likely to discolor and be absorbed by the rug. You will also likely need to use a liquid to clean it, which as we know, isn’t ideal.

But, give it your best shot and see what you can salvage. Just be aware that the results you get may not be as great as the above method.

Step 1: Get Your Equipment Together

There are a few pieces of equipment that you will need to remove urine from your sisal carpet. We have listed them below.

Disposable plastic gloves
Our Urine, Stain & Odor Remover (USOR) Unchained
Clean, white paper towels
A clean sponge
Dishwashing liquid
Water

Step 2: Soak Up Any Wet Pee

If some of the pee is still wet, soak up as much of it as possible by dabbing it with clean paper towels. Make sure to dab from the outside to the inside, to avoid spreading the pee.

Keep going until you have soaked up as much as you possibly can.

Step 3: Apply The USOR To A Cloth And Dab It Onto The Urine

Before you do anything with the USOR Unchained, make sure that you dilute it with water as instructed on the bottle.

Usually, you would apply the USOR directly to the rug. But, because we want to avoid the sisal absorbing too much moisture, you are going to apply it to the clean sponge first, and then to the urine on the carpet.

First things first, make sure that you are wearing disposable gloves, as you want to try and avoid skin contact.

Dip the sponge in the USOR Unchained, and ring it out so that it is not overly saturated. Dab the sponge on the urine so that it is eventually removed.

Repeat as many times as necessary.

While it is recommended that you use a rinse after the USOR Unchained, it is not necessary and does not need to be rinsed off.

Step 4: Dry The Area Using A Hairdryer

The last step is to dry the area using a hairdryer. You want to prevent moisture from sitting on the carpet for a long period. So the best thing to do is to dry it as quickly as possible using a hairdryer.

Make sure that you keep it on a cool setting and do not use high heat.

How To Clean Sisal Rug Pet Stains

This largely depends on what the pet stain is. We already spoke about cleaning dog pee (and any possible dog pee stains) from sisal rugs. But, let’s talk about another common pet stain - vomit.

If you have a dog, or especially a cat, you might find that you wake up to vomit on your beautiful sisal carpet.

Luckily, there is a way to clean it off. The first key is to get to it as quickly as possible. So, if you hear it happening, don’t put it off, otherwise, it will be even harder to clean.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

You are going to need the following for this process.

A blunt knife
Clean paper towels
Clean cloth
White vinegar
Dishwashing liquid
Water
Baking soda
Hair dryer
Vacuum cleaner

Step 2: Scrape Off Excess Vomit

The first thing that you need to do is scrape off as much vomit as possible using the blunt knife. Try and make sure you get as much out of the grooves of the rug as possible.

how to clean sisal carpet

Step 3: Blot Up As Much Moisture As Possible

If the vomit stain is still wet, blot up as much of the moisture as possible using paper towels. If it is already dried up, then this step is not applicable.

Make sure you do not rub the spot and only dab it.

Step 4: Make Your Vinegar Mixture

Mix together 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.

Step 5: Blot This Mixture Onto The Stain

Dip your cloth in this mixture, then squeeze it out so that it is not fully saturated. Blot the sponge onto the stain to lift it. This will need to be done a few times until the stain is completely gone.

Step 6: Dry The Rug With A Hair Dryer

Dry the area with a hairdryer that is set on a cool setting.

Step 7: Sprinkle Baking Soda Over The Area

Sprinkle baking soda over the area of the stain. This will absorb any moisture left in the rug, and it will also help to eliminate the odor from the pet stain.

Leave this overnight.

Step 8: Vacuum The Rug

Vacuum the rug the following day to make sure that the baking soda, and any remaining particles, have been removed.

how to get stain out of sisal rug

Conclusion

While it may not be a walk in the park to clean a sisal rug like it is to clean a silk carpet, or with cleaning a cowhide rug, it definitely is possible.

Just make sure that you follow instructions carefully, and that you take care not to use too much liquid when cleaning your sisal rug.

Did you find our blog helpful? Then consider checking other guides: