Care and Maintenance of Outdoor Carpets

Taking you to the cleaners Thankfully, the majority of outdoor carpets are designed to take a thorough beating over years of high-traffic use. This means that short of mauling your outdoor carpets or outdoor rugs with a lawnmower, any way you choose to treat it should not sully its color, mar the shape, or alter the texture. While the majority of outdoor carpets are going to be made of some kind of plastic polymer, we still don't recommend you use bleach to clean it. Your first line of defense against accumulating grunge and dirt should always be a good hosing. If this doesn't do it, find a fine brush that won't damage the material and gently coax out anything that might be stuck. These can be long hairs, fibers, or assorted foliage.

Hands and knees solutions

If your problem is something a bit more taxing, (we're talking bubble gum or sap here) test a commercial product on an inconspicuous section of the carpet before applying it in a noticeable spot. Reliable products include Goo Gone and Goof Off, though the latter tends to be a bit harsher and should always be used carefully and when the kids and pets are out of sight.

In case you purchased an all-natural indoor outdoor carpet, such as one made of coir or burlap, you may have a tougher road ahead. Burlap can be thrown in the washing machine, but that may not solve anything while potentially fraying or otherwise damaging the carpets. With either of these carpets, we recommend using color-safe spot treatments.