If you dont use a pad, a flatweave can slip and prove hazardous. Our smaller 3-by-5-foot sample also proved to be a pretty good workout mat, sufficiently cushioned and nonslip for cardio, and never exhibiting any pilling. Shannon and her roommate scrambled to make the place look okay with as little money as possible. You can easily install them in any configuration, thanks to peel-and-stick backing. While any vacuum can clean bare floors, some models make the task a little easier. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. We strongly recommend ordering swatches and samples of your top few choices, putting them to a foot test, and letting your pets hang out on them. These stunning rugs are handmade in Brazil from start to finishartisans do everything manually, from spinning the yarn to weaving the form on wooden looms! A hand-constructed rug made of wool, rug cleaner Lisa Wagner told us, could easily be $20 per square footand sometimes much morewith bargain prices for used wool rugs hovering around $10 per square foot. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Theyre great for dining rooms since you can scoot chairs around on them, but bare feet will also have a nice surface to rest on. Learn more. 
Laundromats usually feature industrial-sized washing machines that can accommodate larger items like washable rugs. We wouldnt recommend it for high-traffic areas, or rooms where kids and pets will track dirt or eat food. Synthetic fibers can be fairly stain resistant but will become more easily physically damaged by wear and tear than their natural counterparts. The rug can sound a little squeaky as it acclimates to a space, but the sound fades with time and use as the pad compresses. Technically, yes, but shaggy rugs dont always hold up well in the washing machine. This article was written by Camryn Rabideau, a freelance writer and expert on all things home. They can look pretty when brand-new, but Wagner suggested that we stay away from them: They are likely to shed, wear, yellow, and permanently stain with very light use. Wagner told us that a customer of hers ordered a few swatches of viscose rugs to see how they would hold up around her pets. Its nice and fluffy and the color is exactly as advertised. After some new testing in 2020, Gregory found that it was the ideal rug to do workouts on while quarantining at home, since shedding was almost nonexistent. productslearn more about Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. Best for: bedroom, living room, office, kitchen. But she is discovering that NONE are holding up. We decided to skip testing these materials ourselves. After that, we did a vacuum test. 
It gets a lot of wear from being in one of the most trafficked areas in the apartment, and while there are a few snags in places, they dont look bad or particularly noticeable. Rugs often look different in person than they do online and feel different than you might thinkusually, in our experience, rougher. We also tested one of their shag rugs, which we were not a big fan of (more info in our Competition section). That means flatweave or low-pile, and made out of materials that you can wipe down (nylon or polypropylene) or even throw in the wash (cotton). Materials: 100% polypropylene, synthetic rubber backing, Colors: dark gray with cream lattice pattern. These finely woven natural jute rugs are easy to maintain and barely shed. According to rug cleaner Lisa Wagner, this tends to be a problem with low-pile polypropylene rugs. Why its great: Revivals Ombre Wool Rug is plush, soft, and almost silkythe type of area rug we imagine most people want in rooms where comfort and warmth are paramount. When its time to clean the rug, simply put it in your washing machine on the delicate cycle and tumble dry on low. Wed think twice before putting the black-and-white version in a home with lots of foot traffic from kids (or even a home where you dont have a no-shoes-inside policy). Safavieh Hudson Shag Collection: This rug is thicker and fluffier than our favorite shag, the Safavieh Milan Shag. A bedroom rug should make the space feel comfortable and feel great underfoot. The rug can be used on all types of flooring, but it will need a rug pad to prevent it from moving around. She previously worked as an architect and received a masters degree in city design and sociology. As Atwood recommended: Only get something that you cant stop thinking about! Jute: This material is made from the jute plant, primarily grown in Asia. Though weve seen rugs made of other plant-based fibers in offices and living rooms in photos and showrooms, weve found that such rugs generally dont work as well in those rooms because they arent as soft underfoot. The rugs are on the smaller side at around 2 x 3 feet, making them ideal as an entry mat. An 80-square-foot rug is a hassle to return if youre not satisfied with it when it shows up. Indoor/outdoor rugs are generally a good choice, since they can take some abuse. A former staff writer owned one of these rugs and reported that it pilled at first. Amazon reviewers agree that its a good buy: What an incredible rug for the price, writes one. Even after our vacuum test, this rug held on to a lot of quinoa from our dirt test. *At the time of publishing, the price was $100. A more unconventional version with a white speckled center and a bold border in colors from gray to hot pink is available at Target and Walmart. However, after a year of use we found that it collected dirt quickly, and the polyester fiber developed scratchy fuzz. 
You can also sprinkle a light-colored shaggy rug with non-aerosol dry shampoo and use a brush attachment to fluff it up. Learn more by reading our guide to cleaning shag rugs. These rugs will also benefit from a thick rug pad. This rug comes in three sizes, and its pattern is a native Mexican style with high-contrast colors and intricate motifs. We like these rugs best in small doses: at the foot of a piece of furniture to support bare feet, for example, or as an accent rug in a playroom to create a soft spot where kids can lie down with a book. You can also spot clean with some water, but jute is very susceptible to water and humidity, so avoid wetting it too much. At the extreme, a fine Persian rug could cost tens of thousands. Dash & Albert Marled Woven Cotton Rug: This rug was much rougher underfoot than the competition. And when we had a cat roll around on one, his claws snagged on several of the loops. Most commercial office carpet is olefin, and so this is why in the areas with roller office chairs and in the entry you see shadowing and it wears down, she said. This is the softest of the especially inexpensive rugs we tried. This rug also may shrink slightly after washing; one editor found that her runner shrank a few inches in length (even with air-drying), so keep shrinkage in mind when ordering the size to fit your space. (If you have a no-shoes policy at your house, however, you can get away with spending more money on something soft, as it will be subjected to less dirt and therefore last longer.) As always, be sure to check the label on your rug for specific care instructions. The majority of these rugs that we put our hands and feet on had dry, scratchy polypropylene fibers, a design that spaced the fibers too thinly and made the rug feel flat rather than plush, or both. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Some were better than others, to put it kindly. You can sometimes find Safaviehs area rugs for better prices on Amazon, though the selection is a bit scattershot. This will depend on the size of your washing machine. Our testers unanimously loved them. However, because they start at $10 per square foot, they were out of our price range for this guide. But even the best rugs in this class wont last more than a decade in a high-traffic area in your home, or if you have kids and pets and the inevitable messes that come with them. 
When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If youre buying a cotton rug, keep in mind that it might shrink in the wash: Buy it slightly bigger than it needs to be. Best for: bedroom, living room, kids room. And the white one has held up well in a kitchen through a couple of years of testing; Shannon tosses hers in the wash every couple of weeks to keep the color nice. Wed hesitate to use these in a bedroom or living room. Machine washable rugs are often on the thinner side, meaning they dont hold up as long. Instead, Frankel suggested using those bolder styles as a starting point for rug shopping. For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well. The rugs we cover in this guide arent that expensive and are all available for purchase online. The smaller stripes arent quite as bold. Plus, the rug can add unexpected color and texture to the floor. (Keep in mind: On the smaller versions of rugs, we found that the pattern could sometimes be on a slightly different scale.). Designer Rebecca Atwood told us that dark rugs make a room feel warm, cozy, and grounded, while light ones will make it feel airy, and tones in between hide dirt, pet hair, and the like best, so thats a good place to start.. This rug is made from recycled synthetic fibers, and it can be machine washed in cold water and air-dried without heat. Jessica Probus suggested thinking of bright, colorful rugs as you would accent pillows: there to add a little bit of texture and color, easy to swap out if you get tired of the design. But if you are planning to use your washable rug in a high traffic area that will require frequent washing, consider either a pale neutral toned rug or a patterned rug with a distressed design that wont highlight extra fading or wear. This particular pattern suits a range of decorating styles, as noted on Apartment Therapy: It gives formal antique-filled rooms some punch and brightness. Living room: A rug in your living room can help define a space to hang out in. A close-up detail of the front and back on Revivals Ombre Wool Rug. We also consulted the design book Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home to learn tricks from pros Jessica Romm Perez and Shani Silver. You can even machine-wash some of them, such as cotton rag rugs. Finally, we let a cat roll around on several samples of rugs. The loose weave may not work well in a house with cats, nor hold up as well over time. Why its great: Of the budget rugs we looked at, the IKEA Stockholm was one of the few we liked that consisted largely of wool (it has cotton warp and weftand a wool surface). Consider a plush high-pile rug next to the bed or a reading chair to create a soft surface to curl up on, and a low-pile or flatweave next to a play area. Gregory has been writing about home design and products since 2006 for a multitude of design-focused outlets, including Dwell, Metropolis, and Domino. Why its great: The pattern on IKEAs Hovslund looks similar to that of the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis, but its easier to clean and not as prone to stains. 
Sizes: 2 by 3, 2.5 by 8, 2.5 by 12, 4 by 6, 6 by 9, 8 by 10, 9 by 12 (swatches also available), Colors: Swedish blue, indigo, ocean, citrus, dove grey, stone, coral, sky, Shipping: free for orders over $100; $10 flat rate for everything under $100. Flaws but not dealbreakers: Two of the corners on our jute rug kept curling up for the first two months, even after wed placed weights and bent it in the opposite direction, but Revivals advice to bend and roll the corner seemed to finally do the trick. Maybe more if youre careful. It has a great price for a wool rug, and its softer than the other budget wool rugs we put our hands on. 
If you are considering a natural-fiber rug for one of those rooms, try to feel it in person before you buy, if at all possible. Because they are tiles, they dont have the finished edge most rugs do and will look best covering a space wall-to-wall. Wagner compared them to plastic Tupperware: Though they can be discolored, in general you can pour in strong-staining items and it does not discolor the plastic permanently, she said. But just as Tupperware can be scratched and look cloudy, synthetic rugs can get smushed and trap dirt. One of our editors has had the multicolor version of this rug since 2015, and its holding up welljust a few of the yarns have pulled out slightly. Brightly colored rugs are harder to maintain but you can help them along by washing in cold water and air drying them whenever possible. Though they are thinner than Flors indoor/outdoor offerings, the texture is comparable: rough, but also a little cushy underfoot. Why its great: The Hart Jute Rug from Revival is a great natural fiber option for using under a dining table, as a runner in a hallway, or for layering with other rugs in a living room for a more cushioned feel. Its a good choice for a bedroom, or anywhere you might walk with bare feet. The striped version we examined in an IKEA showroom looked a little dingy from foot traffic. We also stained swatches of several rugs with wine and chocolate ice cream to see how easy they were to clean off. Mark the boundaries of where youd like to put the rug with masking tape, as Apartment Therapy suggests, and measure the distance between them. Dining room: A rug will make the dining space feel grounded and keep chairs from scraping the floor. We set the rest up in the Wirecutter office in New York City and had nine testers walk around on them and give us their thoughts on the feel and design of each rug. Why its great: Of all the lower-budget options we tested, the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis Area Rug was our favorite. Flaws but not dealbreakers: Although the white lines will show a stain more easily than the gray, they are thin, so a stain or a small color change from dirt wont stand out as easily as it would on a rug with more white area. Rugs with fibers longer than a inch are considered medium pile, while those over a inch are high pile; those taller than of an inch are considered plush or shag. Our full guide to rug pads has more information on choosing a rug pad, and how we tested them. An accent rug works best when it isnt hanging out by itself in the middle of the room. HAYs Raw Rug was a previous wool rug pick, but its been discontinued. (Note that some retailers sometimes refer to other Safavieh rugs as Montauk; we are referring to the one with the diamond-and-grid pattern.). Theres fringe on either end of the rug, which is made from a cotton-acrylic blend, and the floor cover is actually reversible, giving you two colorways for the price of one! We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best And unlike some rugs made with polyester, the overall texture was neither too slick or silky, a credit to its chunky weave. Despite its larger size, this rug can still be cleaned in a standard-size washing machine. Consider starting with a flatweave as a base and adding a few smaller high-pile or shag rugs to make the room feel cozier. It serves as a neutral backdrop for more modern rooms. If you live close to an IKEA store, you might want to pick up this rug in person. Flaws but not dealbreakers: After using the light-gray version in a living room for five months, we found that it needed regular vacuuming to look nice, and that even small dark stains stood out. The Hart Jute Rug is flexible and finely woven, giving it a more delicate, flat appearance. We made a mixture of dry quinoa, cinnamon, and crumbled toast that mimic common messes and are easily stuck in fibers, and then sprinkled it over a selection of the rugs of different pile heights. Its coarse and durable, but it can stain more easily than other natural fibers. A texture or small-scale pattern can also lessen the visual impact of small stains and marks, Probus said. The primary thing we learned from this test was: Dont spill dry quinoa on your floor. Even if you dont fall in love with any of the specific rugs in this guide, we have plenty here to point you in the right direction. The result is a low-pile rug that looks and feels more like carpet tilesfirm, but comfortablethan something wed call cozy. Why its great: If youre looking for an area rug with a contemporary, yet neutral design that whispers hyggecozy, comfortable, warm and welcomingthe Burrow Cape House rug is a solid pick on looks alone. These flatweaves will resist signs of wear and tear. Only get something that you cant stop thinking about! We focused primarily on rugs available in an 8-by-10-foot size for around $500 or less (most of the rugs we tested come in many smaller sizes, too), but some of the wool options hover around the $800 range. Some are easier to clean and some may look better for longer, while others are much more affordable. Her first place out of college was a two-bedroom in South Philadelphia, with all linoleum floors. Sizes: 3 by 5, 4 by 6, 5 by 7, 6 by 9, Colors: several neutral earth tones and patterns available. Washable rugs come in every color of the rainbow. These quality flatweave organic-cotton rugs come in neutral and geometric patterns and can be machine-washed and hung to dry. Ruggable rugs have a unique two-piece system: You get the non-skid rug pad, which serves as a base, as well as the patterned rug cover that can be removed and washed in any standard-sized washing machine. We share the advice of design pros regarding which types of rugs function best in high- and low-traffic areas, what rug size to buy, and how to choose a rug pattern or color that will shine in your living space. Keep in mind that pilling could be an issue. The classic pattern and neutral colors of this area rug make it an unbeatable choice for just about any space. Plus, it can feel like a waste of money to have a rug that covers the area under the bed. If you're tired of battling spills, stains, and tracked-in dirt on your floor coverings, it's time to invest in a washable rug. Measure the length of one of your chairsthats the minimum distance from your table that your rug should extend. We have picks for flatwoven, low-pile, and high-pile rugs that will suit a range of functional purposes and decorating styles. Though high-pile and shag rugs are straightforward stylewise, we wouldnt purchase one ourselves online unless we had seen and felt it in person first, or had a good recommendation for one. And after using our test rug since 2017, one of our staffers indeed found that some threads had pulled out, thanks to her dog running laps on it. Plus, the pile felt thin. Flaws but not dealbreakers: These tiles look and feel industriallike something youd find in an office building or an elementary school. 
You can machine wash them, so theyre great for a location where they are likely to get spilled on (think kitchen or dining room), though youll need to take larger sizes to a laundromat. For an update in 2022, supervising editor Daniela Gorny added long-term testing notes on several existing picks and tested four new rugs. Its worth your money if you are okay with tossing a rug after a couple of years, though. These will be rugs that have material covering up the back because they are glued together, she explained, and in addition to that shortcut, they are often composed of lower-quality wool. Colors such as ocean, dove grey, stone, and coral are neutral yet more intriguing than your typical cream or navy. 
When we put the Ramona through the washer and dryer, it shrank about the same amount as the other rugs we cleaned. The dense, soft fibers make it a great rug for a childs room or any space to which you want to add a luxurious, plush feel on a budget. Before you start looking for a rug, figure out what size you needthat will help narrow down your options right off the bat. These rugs also require regular steam cleaning to keep them looking decent.
Laundromats usually feature industrial-sized washing machines that can accommodate larger items like washable rugs. We wouldnt recommend it for high-traffic areas, or rooms where kids and pets will track dirt or eat food. Synthetic fibers can be fairly stain resistant but will become more easily physically damaged by wear and tear than their natural counterparts. The rug can sound a little squeaky as it acclimates to a space, but the sound fades with time and use as the pad compresses. Technically, yes, but shaggy rugs dont always hold up well in the washing machine. This article was written by Camryn Rabideau, a freelance writer and expert on all things home. They can look pretty when brand-new, but Wagner suggested that we stay away from them: They are likely to shed, wear, yellow, and permanently stain with very light use. Wagner told us that a customer of hers ordered a few swatches of viscose rugs to see how they would hold up around her pets. Its nice and fluffy and the color is exactly as advertised. After some new testing in 2020, Gregory found that it was the ideal rug to do workouts on while quarantining at home, since shedding was almost nonexistent. productslearn more about Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. Best for: bedroom, living room, office, kitchen. But she is discovering that NONE are holding up. We decided to skip testing these materials ourselves. After that, we did a vacuum test. It gets a lot of wear from being in one of the most trafficked areas in the apartment, and while there are a few snags in places, they dont look bad or particularly noticeable. Rugs often look different in person than they do online and feel different than you might thinkusually, in our experience, rougher. We also tested one of their shag rugs, which we were not a big fan of (more info in our Competition section). That means flatweave or low-pile, and made out of materials that you can wipe down (nylon or polypropylene) or even throw in the wash (cotton). Materials: 100% polypropylene, synthetic rubber backing, Colors: dark gray with cream lattice pattern. These finely woven natural jute rugs are easy to maintain and barely shed. According to rug cleaner Lisa Wagner, this tends to be a problem with low-pile polypropylene rugs. Why its great: Revivals Ombre Wool Rug is plush, soft, and almost silkythe type of area rug we imagine most people want in rooms where comfort and warmth are paramount. When its time to clean the rug, simply put it in your washing machine on the delicate cycle and tumble dry on low. Wed think twice before putting the black-and-white version in a home with lots of foot traffic from kids (or even a home where you dont have a no-shoes-inside policy). Safavieh Hudson Shag Collection: This rug is thicker and fluffier than our favorite shag, the Safavieh Milan Shag. A bedroom rug should make the space feel comfortable and feel great underfoot. The rug can be used on all types of flooring, but it will need a rug pad to prevent it from moving around. She previously worked as an architect and received a masters degree in city design and sociology. As Atwood recommended: Only get something that you cant stop thinking about! Jute: This material is made from the jute plant, primarily grown in Asia. Though weve seen rugs made of other plant-based fibers in offices and living rooms in photos and showrooms, weve found that such rugs generally dont work as well in those rooms because they arent as soft underfoot. The rugs are on the smaller side at around 2 x 3 feet, making them ideal as an entry mat. An 80-square-foot rug is a hassle to return if youre not satisfied with it when it shows up. Indoor/outdoor rugs are generally a good choice, since they can take some abuse. A former staff writer owned one of these rugs and reported that it pilled at first. Amazon reviewers agree that its a good buy: What an incredible rug for the price, writes one. Even after our vacuum test, this rug held on to a lot of quinoa from our dirt test. *At the time of publishing, the price was $100. A more unconventional version with a white speckled center and a bold border in colors from gray to hot pink is available at Target and Walmart. However, after a year of use we found that it collected dirt quickly, and the polyester fiber developed scratchy fuzz. You can also sprinkle a light-colored shaggy rug with non-aerosol dry shampoo and use a brush attachment to fluff it up. Learn more by reading our guide to cleaning shag rugs. These rugs will also benefit from a thick rug pad. This rug comes in three sizes, and its pattern is a native Mexican style with high-contrast colors and intricate motifs. We like these rugs best in small doses: at the foot of a piece of furniture to support bare feet, for example, or as an accent rug in a playroom to create a soft spot where kids can lie down with a book. You can also spot clean with some water, but jute is very susceptible to water and humidity, so avoid wetting it too much. At the extreme, a fine Persian rug could cost tens of thousands. Dash & Albert Marled Woven Cotton Rug: This rug was much rougher underfoot than the competition. And when we had a cat roll around on one, his claws snagged on several of the loops. Most commercial office carpet is olefin, and so this is why in the areas with roller office chairs and in the entry you see shadowing and it wears down, she said. This is the softest of the especially inexpensive rugs we tried. This rug also may shrink slightly after washing; one editor found that her runner shrank a few inches in length (even with air-drying), so keep shrinkage in mind when ordering the size to fit your space. (If you have a no-shoes policy at your house, however, you can get away with spending more money on something soft, as it will be subjected to less dirt and therefore last longer.) As always, be sure to check the label on your rug for specific care instructions. The majority of these rugs that we put our hands and feet on had dry, scratchy polypropylene fibers, a design that spaced the fibers too thinly and made the rug feel flat rather than plush, or both. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Some were better than others, to put it kindly. You can sometimes find Safaviehs area rugs for better prices on Amazon, though the selection is a bit scattershot. This will depend on the size of your washing machine. Our testers unanimously loved them. However, because they start at $10 per square foot, they were out of our price range for this guide. But even the best rugs in this class wont last more than a decade in a high-traffic area in your home, or if you have kids and pets and the inevitable messes that come with them. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If youre buying a cotton rug, keep in mind that it might shrink in the wash: Buy it slightly bigger than it needs to be. Best for: bedroom, living room, kids room. And the white one has held up well in a kitchen through a couple of years of testing; Shannon tosses hers in the wash every couple of weeks to keep the color nice. Wed hesitate to use these in a bedroom or living room. Machine washable rugs are often on the thinner side, meaning they dont hold up as long. Instead, Frankel suggested using those bolder styles as a starting point for rug shopping. For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well. The rugs we cover in this guide arent that expensive and are all available for purchase online. The smaller stripes arent quite as bold. Plus, the rug can add unexpected color and texture to the floor. (Keep in mind: On the smaller versions of rugs, we found that the pattern could sometimes be on a slightly different scale.). Designer Rebecca Atwood told us that dark rugs make a room feel warm, cozy, and grounded, while light ones will make it feel airy, and tones in between hide dirt, pet hair, and the like best, so thats a good place to start.. This rug is made from recycled synthetic fibers, and it can be machine washed in cold water and air-dried without heat. Jessica Probus suggested thinking of bright, colorful rugs as you would accent pillows: there to add a little bit of texture and color, easy to swap out if you get tired of the design. But if you are planning to use your washable rug in a high traffic area that will require frequent washing, consider either a pale neutral toned rug or a patterned rug with a distressed design that wont highlight extra fading or wear. This particular pattern suits a range of decorating styles, as noted on Apartment Therapy: It gives formal antique-filled rooms some punch and brightness. Living room: A rug in your living room can help define a space to hang out in. A close-up detail of the front and back on Revivals Ombre Wool Rug. We also consulted the design book Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home to learn tricks from pros Jessica Romm Perez and Shani Silver. You can even machine-wash some of them, such as cotton rag rugs. Finally, we let a cat roll around on several samples of rugs. The loose weave may not work well in a house with cats, nor hold up as well over time. Why its great: Of the budget rugs we looked at, the IKEA Stockholm was one of the few we liked that consisted largely of wool (it has cotton warp and weftand a wool surface). Consider a plush high-pile rug next to the bed or a reading chair to create a soft surface to curl up on, and a low-pile or flatweave next to a play area. Gregory has been writing about home design and products since 2006 for a multitude of design-focused outlets, including Dwell, Metropolis, and Domino. Why its great: The pattern on IKEAs Hovslund looks similar to that of the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis, but its easier to clean and not as prone to stains. Sizes: 2 by 3, 2.5 by 8, 2.5 by 12, 4 by 6, 6 by 9, 8 by 10, 9 by 12 (swatches also available), Colors: Swedish blue, indigo, ocean, citrus, dove grey, stone, coral, sky, Shipping: free for orders over $100; $10 flat rate for everything under $100. Flaws but not dealbreakers: Two of the corners on our jute rug kept curling up for the first two months, even after wed placed weights and bent it in the opposite direction, but Revivals advice to bend and roll the corner seemed to finally do the trick. Maybe more if youre careful. It has a great price for a wool rug, and its softer than the other budget wool rugs we put our hands on. If you are considering a natural-fiber rug for one of those rooms, try to feel it in person before you buy, if at all possible. Because they are tiles, they dont have the finished edge most rugs do and will look best covering a space wall-to-wall. Wagner compared them to plastic Tupperware: Though they can be discolored, in general you can pour in strong-staining items and it does not discolor the plastic permanently, she said. But just as Tupperware can be scratched and look cloudy, synthetic rugs can get smushed and trap dirt. One of our editors has had the multicolor version of this rug since 2015, and its holding up welljust a few of the yarns have pulled out slightly. Brightly colored rugs are harder to maintain but you can help them along by washing in cold water and air drying them whenever possible. Though they are thinner than Flors indoor/outdoor offerings, the texture is comparable: rough, but also a little cushy underfoot. Why its great: The Hart Jute Rug from Revival is a great natural fiber option for using under a dining table, as a runner in a hallway, or for layering with other rugs in a living room for a more cushioned feel. Its a good choice for a bedroom, or anywhere you might walk with bare feet. The striped version we examined in an IKEA showroom looked a little dingy from foot traffic. We also stained swatches of several rugs with wine and chocolate ice cream to see how easy they were to clean off. Mark the boundaries of where youd like to put the rug with masking tape, as Apartment Therapy suggests, and measure the distance between them. Dining room: A rug will make the dining space feel grounded and keep chairs from scraping the floor. We set the rest up in the Wirecutter office in New York City and had nine testers walk around on them and give us their thoughts on the feel and design of each rug. Why its great: Of all the lower-budget options we tested, the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis Area Rug was our favorite. Flaws but not dealbreakers: Although the white lines will show a stain more easily than the gray, they are thin, so a stain or a small color change from dirt wont stand out as easily as it would on a rug with more white area. Rugs with fibers longer than a inch are considered medium pile, while those over a inch are high pile; those taller than of an inch are considered plush or shag. Our full guide to rug pads has more information on choosing a rug pad, and how we tested them. An accent rug works best when it isnt hanging out by itself in the middle of the room. HAYs Raw Rug was a previous wool rug pick, but its been discontinued. (Note that some retailers sometimes refer to other Safavieh rugs as Montauk; we are referring to the one with the diamond-and-grid pattern.). Theres fringe on either end of the rug, which is made from a cotton-acrylic blend, and the floor cover is actually reversible, giving you two colorways for the price of one! We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best And unlike some rugs made with polyester, the overall texture was neither too slick or silky, a credit to its chunky weave. Despite its larger size, this rug can still be cleaned in a standard-size washing machine. Consider starting with a flatweave as a base and adding a few smaller high-pile or shag rugs to make the room feel cozier. It serves as a neutral backdrop for more modern rooms. If you live close to an IKEA store, you might want to pick up this rug in person. Flaws but not dealbreakers: After using the light-gray version in a living room for five months, we found that it needed regular vacuuming to look nice, and that even small dark stains stood out. The Hart Jute Rug is flexible and finely woven, giving it a more delicate, flat appearance. We made a mixture of dry quinoa, cinnamon, and crumbled toast that mimic common messes and are easily stuck in fibers, and then sprinkled it over a selection of the rugs of different pile heights. Its coarse and durable, but it can stain more easily than other natural fibers. A texture or small-scale pattern can also lessen the visual impact of small stains and marks, Probus said. The primary thing we learned from this test was: Dont spill dry quinoa on your floor. Even if you dont fall in love with any of the specific rugs in this guide, we have plenty here to point you in the right direction. The result is a low-pile rug that looks and feels more like carpet tilesfirm, but comfortablethan something wed call cozy. Why its great: If youre looking for an area rug with a contemporary, yet neutral design that whispers hyggecozy, comfortable, warm and welcomingthe Burrow Cape House rug is a solid pick on looks alone. These flatweaves will resist signs of wear and tear. Only get something that you cant stop thinking about! We focused primarily on rugs available in an 8-by-10-foot size for around $500 or less (most of the rugs we tested come in many smaller sizes, too), but some of the wool options hover around the $800 range. Some are easier to clean and some may look better for longer, while others are much more affordable. Her first place out of college was a two-bedroom in South Philadelphia, with all linoleum floors. Sizes: 3 by 5, 4 by 6, 5 by 7, 6 by 9, Colors: several neutral earth tones and patterns available. Washable rugs come in every color of the rainbow. These quality flatweave organic-cotton rugs come in neutral and geometric patterns and can be machine-washed and hung to dry. Ruggable rugs have a unique two-piece system: You get the non-skid rug pad, which serves as a base, as well as the patterned rug cover that can be removed and washed in any standard-sized washing machine. We share the advice of design pros regarding which types of rugs function best in high- and low-traffic areas, what rug size to buy, and how to choose a rug pattern or color that will shine in your living space. Keep in mind that pilling could be an issue. The classic pattern and neutral colors of this area rug make it an unbeatable choice for just about any space. Plus, it can feel like a waste of money to have a rug that covers the area under the bed. If you're tired of battling spills, stains, and tracked-in dirt on your floor coverings, it's time to invest in a washable rug. Measure the length of one of your chairsthats the minimum distance from your table that your rug should extend. We have picks for flatwoven, low-pile, and high-pile rugs that will suit a range of functional purposes and decorating styles. Though high-pile and shag rugs are straightforward stylewise, we wouldnt purchase one ourselves online unless we had seen and felt it in person first, or had a good recommendation for one. And after using our test rug since 2017, one of our staffers indeed found that some threads had pulled out, thanks to her dog running laps on it. Plus, the pile felt thin. Flaws but not dealbreakers: These tiles look and feel industriallike something youd find in an office building or an elementary school. You can machine wash them, so theyre great for a location where they are likely to get spilled on (think kitchen or dining room), though youll need to take larger sizes to a laundromat. For an update in 2022, supervising editor Daniela Gorny added long-term testing notes on several existing picks and tested four new rugs. Its worth your money if you are okay with tossing a rug after a couple of years, though. These will be rugs that have material covering up the back because they are glued together, she explained, and in addition to that shortcut, they are often composed of lower-quality wool. Colors such as ocean, dove grey, stone, and coral are neutral yet more intriguing than your typical cream or navy. When we put the Ramona through the washer and dryer, it shrank about the same amount as the other rugs we cleaned. The dense, soft fibers make it a great rug for a childs room or any space to which you want to add a luxurious, plush feel on a budget. Before you start looking for a rug, figure out what size you needthat will help narrow down your options right off the bat. These rugs also require regular steam cleaning to keep them looking decent.