Smelly rug

[Weatherlawyer]

How do I clean a rug of dog smells?

It's either leave it out in the rain or leave it out in the bin for my list so far.

[Scion]

Weatherlawyer put finger to keyboard:

I used a pet odour neutraliser product, it was an aerosol foam that one sprayed on carpets/rugs/soft furnishings and waited until dry. Seemed to work OK, it was perfumed but the smell disappeared once dried. Mined ewe, that was after I had looked after a dog for a week. Don't know if it would work with more ingrained doggy stink, or indeed if the smell in my house would have disappeared naturally, but it was only a quid or two so may be worth a shot for you?

[Brian Gaff]

Its lanolin that pongs mixed withe other oils. I'd have thought some form of dry cleaning and a good wash with something smelling nice? Brian

[The Natural Philosopher]

If its tough enough what we do is this.

either pressure wash it on the patio or lawn or soak in in a bath of water for a long period.

spray it with a spray that gets rid of organic smells

then vac it with more water a mild detergent or wool type shampoo if its wool, and a wet and dry vacuum.

It will still pong a bit when wet, but once dry should be below detection.

[Huge]

We had the carpets in our last house professionally cleaned, since the previous owner had 2 elderly dogs ...

I expect you can rent the kit from a DIY shed.

[Weatherlawyer]

Lanolin is just about the most impervious natural grease I can think of. I think a hot wet vaccuuming is about the best of it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think it is about to join the local skip community. There must be plenty of homeless people who would be glad of it and/or a job at Amazon.

[Chris Hogg]

Your mention of lanolin reminds me of how my wife used to clean sheep fleeces. She used to spin her own wool, starting with the raw fleeces she bought directly from a farm that reared sheep for shearing. When she first got them, the fleeces would be very dirty with mud and, from around the sheep's backside, dried sheep shit, as well as being very greasy with lanolin and reeking of sheep and pee.

After removing the worst of the contaminated bits, she would fill a bath one third with warm water, mix in a generous squirt of detergent and then carefully lay the wool into the water, leaving it so soak for

24 hours. Drain and repeat as needed, and finally without the detergent, to rinse. Then carefully lay the wool out to dry. After that it would be clean, reasonably grease-free and with no smell.

You could follow a similar routine with your rug. If it's a wool rug, be sure not to have the water too warm, and don't agitate the rug in the water. Doing either will cause the rug to shrink and the wool to felt.

[Weatherlawyer]

I might try that first, thanks. The idea of it curling up all over when it dried put me off bathing it. I might see about getting some soap rather than detergent.

Anyone know where I can get a block of floor soap or it's modern day (and equally cheap) equivalent?

[Chris Hogg]

Don't go at it with a block of soap if it's wool. Just a gentle soak in detergent, or you'll felt it. Ask SWMBO about the hazards of washing wool!

[The Medway Handyman]

It could also cause any colours to run.