I did it – I finally caved. After years of seeing ads for the Ruggable machine washable rugs, I finally bought one for our San Francisco apartment dining area.
I just completed a kitchen makeover and needed a new rug anyways and since it’s in the kitchen/dining area, the idea of being able to toss the rug into a washing machine was awesome. So, I bought the Faye Natural Pop Rug in Round and tested it out for 90 days to bring you my very honest Ruggable review.
Is it worth the hype and the expensive price tag?
About Ruggable
What’s so special about Ruggable compared to much more affordable brands, like Rugs USA?
Ruggable is a company ready to deliver solutions to modern home decor needs: the need to easily wash rugs at home in a machine instead of hiring an expensive rug cleaning service. And the desire to swap out rugs for design goals, seasonal decor, etc.
If you’re the person who loves to decorate for Christmas, for example, a Ruggable area rug in your living room means you can quickly place down a red and green rug for December, but not have to commit to it longterm.
I adore a good statement rug, in fact, in my Whimsy Homes cabin we have a massive colorful shag rug that makes it cozy and welcoming. But that thing is almost impossible to move since it’s so heavy. There is no way we could easily change that rug, or even move it to clean it. That’s where Ruggable comes in.
Machine washable rug by Ruggable in a fun retro 1970's pattern. Remove the Rug Cover to wash anytime. I have this in my apartment dining area and it's great for high traffic areas, but not something to have as your cozy living room rug.
- Unique patterns
- Easy to wash / move
- Ships fast
- Can swap out top covers
- Shows dirt quickly
- Wrinkles / curls up
- Very thin
How Ruggable Works
The idea is simple: you buy one rug pad that you keep forever. Then, you purchase rug toppers, which have all the fun patterns and are designed to stick to the rug pads, but can be quickly removed thanks to their The Cling Effect technology.
Now, you can grab the toppers to wash if it gets dirty, to change them out easily for a fresh look. According to the Ruggale website, their “lightweight Rug Cover is stain-resistant, water-resistant, and designed to fit conveniently in your home washing machine—even the 9×12!”
My Honest Review Of Ruggable Machine Washable Rugs
Unpacking The Rug
In our apartment kitchen design, we decided to make a bold move and get rid of our dining table, which for years has just served as Robin’s desk. So, it was time to actually get a desk there.
We also don’t have a pantry in this apartment, but we love to cook, so we added IKEA IVAR shelves that act as pantry storage (and plants on top for vibes) With a refresh of artwork, the room was coming along but the main design piece was still missing: the rug.
I love that mid-century modern design style, and anything that gives me retro vibes so I was immediately drawn to Faye Natural Pop Rug for this room with the Tufted Standard pad. I bought it on a Black Friday sale (which was only 5% more than the standard welcome discount but whatever) and it came in a few weeks. I couldn’t wait to get rid of our old, gross rug and finally complete this dining room makeover!!
How Do Ruggables Look In Person?
Pretty similar to the photos online, thankfully. Sometimes when I shop things online, the product colors look widely different in real life but when we unpacked our Faye Natural Pop Rug, it looks just like the photos.
But it felt a lot thinner than I expected. Ruggable claims this is a low-pile rug but I would classify it as a “no pile” rug. It feels like paper.
Using The Swappable Rug Cover
Putting the Rug Cover down wasn’t the easiest the first time. Getting it to stick to the Rug Pad was hard since it kept folding over and curling up. It took about a week of walking on the rug to get the wrinkles from shipping out of it, and to get the rug to fully stay “down”.
But, I get the appeal of this system. When we wash the rug, we just roll the desk away and just one person can easily pick the Rug Cover up and toss it in the washing machine to clean. But, the wrinkles that occur during washing also take a while to be “walked out” so sometimes the rug can look a little lumpy vs totally flat.
Where To Use Ruggable Rugs In Your Home
- Dining room
- Kitchen
- Entryway
- Outdoor Patios
- Office
- Living room
- Bedrooms
- Anywhere you want a cozy feeling
So, Is Ruggable A Legit Company?
Is Ruggable worth it? Yes, and no.
To be clear, these are NOT plush rugs. These rugs almost feel like paper under your feet. That’s not something I personally love, I prefer plush, soft rugs for living areas but these thin rugs make perfect sense for a dining room, kitchen and high traffic areas where you want to be able to wash the rug easily.
I would buy this rug again in a heartbeat as our dining room rug. Before, we had a more plush rug and it got rather foul quickly since our small apartment kitchen means this rug lives next to our litterbox, trash and compost. The high pile captures all the dirt and made it impossible to vacuum it all out.
We used to have a dining table here, but swapped that for a standing desk to convert it to a workspace and the thin rug below means the desk and chair and easily roll on top in a way that a thicker, plusher rug couldn’t support.
It also means we can wash this to keep the area cleaner than before, which I love. It’s practical.
If you own an Airbnb, as we do, or a business like a coffee shop, a Ruggable would be a great fit to make it easy for your cleaning team to manage.
Ruggable Rugs Get Dirty Quickly
The only thing I don’t really love about these area rugs is how quickly they get dirty. Or, perhaps a better way to phrase this is, because these rugs have zero pile, everything shows. From cat fur to even the most minor dirt on shoes.
Which means we find ourselves vacuuming this daily just to keep it looking decent. If you buy this rug, be prepared to vacuum a LOT more than you normally do. But, at the end of the day, that’s not a bad thing. I enjoy a clean apartment.
My Favorite Ruggable Washable Rugs
Ruggable has some really cool patterns that make any space look cool. From the kids room to entry ways, these are my favorite patterns right now (that all look amazing in photos, too!)
They are probably the best washable rugs on the market right now, to be honest.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ruggable Rugs
How do you wash Ruggable rugs?
Wash the Rug cover on low heat and hang dry. They have slightly different directions on each style, so make sure to look that up before you wash it for the first time. They have videos online you can watch with more info, too.
You can spot clean the Rug Pad with water but don’t put this in the washing machine.
Ruggable Complaints
The main complaints by customers is everything I mentioned: the rugs are thin and they can curl or wrinkle easily. I didn’t need to contact customer support, but some folks have had terrible interactions with customer service.
Are Ruggables hard to vacuum?
Nope! Thanks to the no-pile rug, they are quick and easy to vacuum.
Do Ruggable Rugs Curl Up?
Yes, we find that our Ruggable rug does curl up right after washing it / laying it down. It takes a few days of walking on the rug to full smooth it back down.
Are Ruggable’s Soft?
No, these are not plush rugs to walk over. They are very thin, like paper.
Does Ruggable Offer Returns?
The website says “Each customer is entitled to one free exchange per item.” within 30 days of purchasing, so make sure to test your rug our asap and see if you like it.
Have you tried Ruggable rugs? I would love to hear from you! Drop a comment below with your own Ruggable rug reviews so everyone can see.
1 comment
I have three Ruggable rugs – all different combinations.
The first one is like the one in the article – woven flat with the original pad. I wash it according to the instructions that came with it and it has shrunk some. If you get the original pad it is indeed very flat. The pad has shed the little nodules that hold the rug to the pad – it still works but each time I take the rug off the pad more black nodules come off and I have to vacuum the floor to remove all the stuff.
The second one was flat woven like the first but I had the option to get a thicker pad which I did. This rug lives in my kitchen and is a joy to stand on. The pad is much better quality and does not shed. This combination is very good. This one also shrank some in the wash.
The third one was a new style – a plush rug. Granted plush is just a few millimeters of pile but it is much more elegant. Again I elected to get the thick pad. I think this is a wonderful combination. I haven’t washed this one yet.
I recommend the thicker pad. I have found that the colors in the rug are not as vibrant as what is shown on your computer screen but you do get the pattern as shown. Styles change frequently so if you want matching rugs be sure to order them within months of each other (or sooner).