This summer was unusually WET for West Texas, and I mortified to discover my porch rug looking pretty green and mildew-y. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to try to clean it instead. It was successful, so I thought I would document it here for future reference. See the sad state it was in? Green and gross! Yuck.
The supplies needed:
- one bottle of Lysol concentrate (I knew it would kill 99.9% of germs, but I wasn’t sure if it would discolor the rug – luckily it didn’t!)
- a scrubbing brush
- a bucket
- water hose with spray nozzle
- a open area with plenty of draining and sunlight (I used the street in front of my house, but a driveway would have been more ideal for drainage purposes)
Follow package directions for diluting the Lysol in a bucket (and add a splash more for good measure). Then pour over the rug and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Repeat the process again, this time working in quarters of the rug to make sure you get the entire area.
Use the scrubbing brush to work in small sections and brush away the mildew and stains.
Once you have the entire rug scrubbed down, use the water hose to rinse it off. At this point, I used the brush to help push away excess water to the edges of the rug. As you rinse, you might also notice trouble spots that need additional attention.
When you’re done, let the sunshine do its job to aid in the drying process! Or you can sling it over a fence or railing to make the excess water run off faster.
Ta-da!! Looks like a brand new rug! Clean and ready for all of my Fall weather porch sitting.
