Ruggable Rug Review – A Washable Rug!

I’m so excited to share my Ruggable rug review with you because a washable rug sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  Szuka and Hynda, my two pups, recently destroyed my beautiful wool dining room rug and I was so bummed!  For some reason, the puppers see the dining room rug as theirs, and that’s where they sleep, play, and preferentially toss their cookies.  I lived for awhile without a dining room rug, but I had gotten used to one there and so the room suddenly felt unfinished.  Because my kitchen, living and dining rooms are all open concept, and the dining room sort of floats closer to the wall of windows, because that’s where the light fixture is positioned, a rug really helps to define the space.

I decided a washable rug would be a better fit and was thrilled to partner with Ruggable.  While I was paid by the brand to produce Instagram content and photography, this post isn’t sponsored – I just wanted to go more in depth with my Ruggable rug review, with some pros and cons, and also share some more photos because I know that a lot of other people could benefit from a washable rug and might have been curious after seeing Ruggable online.  You’ll also notice my dining furniture is new!  Try to ignore it, haha, and I promise I’ll share the scoop soon…

If you’ve never heard of Ruggable, it’s a company that developed a rug with an innovative system which is comprised of two parts: a bottom rug pad that’s kind of like Velcro – it grips the floor and also holds the top layer in place – and a top layer which is sort of like a thick fabric mat.  When you receive it, it’s best to position the rug pad and then unroll the top layer over it, smoothing as you go.  It takes a few minutes to smooth it all out, but then it looks great.  The rug pad holds it in place so you don’t get the slipping or wrinkling you’d expect from a soft, washable rug.  The top layer easily peels off the grippy rug pad and can be tossed in the washing machine and dryer.

Pro: US Manufacturing!

I love supporting brands that keep their manufacturing in Canada or the US.  Ruggable has manufacturing facilities in Chicago and Los Angeles, which is awesome!

Pro: Lots of Design Choices

Ruggable caters to every decor style and aesthetic because they offer a TON of design choices and styles.  I was torn between quite a few different designs, but ultimately chose the Caspian Stripe in Natural (it also comes in black).  I really love the neutral design with organic stripes.  I think it has a really natural, beachy look and I figured the neutral colors would hide pupper grime a little.

My rug is a 6×9, which is a bit bigger than my last rug (which was a 5×8), but this room can handle a slightly larger rug after all!

Pro: Change Up the Look and Just Purchase the Top Layer

Once you buy the two piece system, you can change up the look for less by just purchasing the top layer and keeping your existing rug pad, which can save money as your style changes (or if your rug eventually wears out).  I love that idea and am so happy Ruggable offers this options as opposed to making consumers buy a whole new pair each time.

Pro: Environmental Sustainability

Ruggable really tries to reduce their environmental impact with a rug pad made from 95% recycled polyester and boxes made with 67% recycled materials.  Plus Ruggable will plant 100,000 trees this year to help offset their carbon footprint, so I really see a lot of effort from the brand to be as sustainable as possible.  The design – especially the fact that you can keep the rug pad and buy a new top if needed, plus the fact that it’s washable which means you can get more life from the rug – is also more sustainable and reduces waste.  Hopefully this rug will last a lot longer than my previous, non-washable rug!

Pro: Washes Up Really Well, Stain Resistant

I have yet to tackle a really tough stain, but the dogs were so helpful because, within hours of unrolling my new rug, they had christened it with something disgusting and brown.  All three of them (rug and dogs) were promptly laundered – dogs in the tub, and rug in the washing machine.  The Ruggable rugs are stain resistant so this brown grossness washed out perfectly.  I’ll keep you posted on how other stains wash out.  I’m sure my dogs will put this rug through the wringer, lol.

I was skeptical as to whether this massive rug (mine is a 6×9) would fit in the washing machine – but it did!  It’s a sturdy material, but also soft and flexible enough to bend and crumple.  The rug pad gives it the stability to keep from sliding around but once the top layer is peeled off, it can be successfully stuffed into a washing machine.  After laundering it can be machined dried on low heat or hung out to dry.  I used the dryer but was blown away by how quickly it dried – I think I might line dry it next time because it starts to dry so quickly.  Even before I took it out of the washing machine it was already starting to feel dry in areas so it really required very little time in the dryer.

When I first received my rug, it was wrapped really well but the wrapping caused a bit of wrinkling (see below) which also came out in the wash.  My rug lies more flat after its first laundering – just FYI.  If your has a little wrinkling from shipping, it will relax completely after a wash and dry.

After laundering, those crushed corners were smoothed and flattened:

Con: Sort of Tricky to Vacuum

The first time I vacuumed my new Ruggable rug, I realized that my vacuum was too strong for it because it sort of sucked the top layer off the bottom rug pad layer and that created ripples.

I learned that I have to set my vacuum on the lower of two suction strengths and carefully vacuum – and I can’t go back and forth super quickly.  I have to go kind of easy and pull the vacuum in one direction slowly.  It’s not a big deal, it still only takes a few minutes to vacuum this rug, but it’s just something I had to learn to do differently so I wanted to mention it.

Pro: No Pile for Grime to Get Stuck in

While learning to vacuum my new Ruggable rug took a few tries, the benefit is that there’s no pile, so no dust or dirt can get trapped inside.  This is so good for allergy suffers like me – no matter how much I vacuumed my wool rug, there was always stuff trapped inside, between the fibers.  This rug is like a thick piece of chenille fabric – so you could actually sweep it instead of vacuuming!  And a two minute vacuum removes absolutely every speck of dust.  I feel like my home can stay cleaner with this rug and it really keeps dust down.

Con: The Edges and Corners Can Curl from Use

The edge of the top layer extends beyond the edge of the layer that grips it, so it’s susceptible to curling if you put force on it.  In my case, Szuka lays down and then pushes her feet or body under the edge of the rug, curling in backwards, and then it will stay like this.  I can usually smooth it back down by peeling an area back up and then re-adjusting it on the grippy backing, although if it gets really bad only a laundering can smooth it again.  It’s not that big of a deal, but just something to note and one of the trade offs for having a super soft top layer that can fit into a washing machine.  However, even with all of Szuka’s fussing around and kicking this rug, she’s only been able to curl it a little bit so, overall, it withstands abuse from a 100lb dog really well!

Overall Verdict: I LOVE My New Ruggable Rug!

I love my new washable rug!  Although I shared some pros and cons, overall my Ruggable rug review is glowing because I think this idea is absolutely genius.  You can get the color, style and softness you expect from a rug, with the ease of tossing it into the washing machine!  Other machine washable rugs are thin and slide around or wrinkle, but the genius rug pad keeps this rug in place so it stays wrinkle-free and looks crisp – it also gives the rug a bit more thickness and heft.  The trade offs for such a clever design are minor – especially when the benefit is such easy care!  Plus this brand focuses on US manufacturing and sustainability, which is something I appreciate as a consumer.  I am curious to see how my Ruggable rug holds up after many washings and will let you know what I think after it’s seen more use but so far I love this rug and the idea is fantastic.  I hope this Ruggable rug review is helpful and if you have any other questions, drop them in the comments.

If you’d like to try a Ruggable rug for yourself, use code: FUNTANYA10 to save 10% off your order (some exclusions apply, code expires 8/25/2020).