Name: How a Ruggable Washable Rug Transformed My Apartment
Brand: Ruggable

I’ve lived in my apartment for four years but it still looks like I just moved in last month. Aside from my queen-size bed, which I purchased new when I moved in, everything else is fairly makeshift and was acquired by chance. I bought a green end table from a neighbor, and then found a blue end table, a lamp, a cherry drafting desk and a black bookshelf in the hallway during my first year living here. The blonde wooden dresser I have was made by my grandfather and it is now topped with a somewhat-matching blonde wooden mirror that I found on the street. Can you tell that I’m blessed to live in a building and neighborhood saturated with people who love to throw out perfectly good furniture?

While I like each of these individual pieces, none of them match together very well and since I’m horrible at designing and decorating, I’ve never been able to come up with a good solution. I’d like the room to feel more like an adult’s bedroom instead of a deluxe dorm room but I’m pretty sure that would involve getting a headboard and painting the walls (which also involves choosing colors – something else I don’t want to do).

I decided that getting a colorful area rug would be a great way to pull together some of the colors in my room while also giving me the flexibility to add a colorful headboard and/or coat of paint should I ever get my act together. As such, I was thrilled at the opportunity to review a Ruggable rug. I chose the Frida Floral Natural Rug because the pattern contained many of the colors found in my room currently and it seemed flexible enough to match the colors I might want on my walls and headboard in the future: gray, rust, orange, pink, or green (I know, I’m the worst, I’m never going to decide!)

Machine Washable Rug

Ruggable

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Cozy

The rugs are available in a tremendous variety of sizes, colors, and patterns
Rugs ship quickly and arrive in boxes that are manageable for one person to move
The rugs can be laundered in standard washing machines and dryers
There are two types of rug pads to choose from
Some rug models can be used outdoors

Not so cozy

Because of the rug’s quality and flexibility, the rugs are somewhat expensive
Some people have had issues with the rug corners curling up
It can be difficult to evenly roll out the rug, especially large ones

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Ruggable rug worth the price?

If you have kids, pets, or a general tendency toward spills, Ruggable is one of the most practical rug investments you can make. The two-piece system (washable rug cover + non-slip pad) means you're not replacing the entire rug when something gets stained — you just toss the cover in the washing machine. Over time, that convenience adds up to real savings compared to replacing traditional rugs or paying for professional cleaning. For low-traffic, purely decorative situations, a traditional rug might make more sense on feel and texture.

How do you wash a Ruggable rug?

Peel the rug cover off the pad, fold or roll it up, and put it in a standard home washing machine on cold with mild detergent. Tumble dry on low or hang to dry. The whole process is straightforward, though larger sizes (8x10 and up) may need a commercial-sized washer. Ruggable recommends washing every 3–6 months for normal use, or as needed for spills. The rug covers hold up well through repeated washes without significant color fading or shrinkage.

Is a Ruggable rug easy to vacuum?

Ruggable rugs are low-pile and made from polyester with a polyurethane coating, which makes them easy to vacuum with any standard vacuum cleaner. The lightweight construction means you can even sweep most styles. Shag options require a bit more care — use a vacuum without a beater bar or on a gentle setting. The low-pile surface also means less trapped dust and allergens compared to thick, traditional rugs.

Do Ruggable rugs feel like real rugs?

This is the most common concern, and it's fair. Ruggable rugs feel different from traditional wool or cotton rugs — the texture is smoother and thinner due to the washable polyester material. The non-slip pad underneath adds some cushion and keeps it in place, but if you're expecting the plush, heavy feel of a hand-knotted rug, you'll notice the difference. That said, Ruggable has improved its textures significantly over the years, and the chenille and shag options come closest to that traditional rug feel.

About

Ruggable

About Ruggable

Ruggable was founded by Jeneva Bell after her dog ruined a new, expensive rug. Bell thought: " I should be able to clean my rugs like I clean my beddings and towel." And that's how the idea for Ruggable came about.

The first Ruggable design was created using off the shelf fabric from a local store. Now, the brand has a patented washable 2-piece rug system and hundreds of designs to match the needs of every home — each made to withstand whatever life throws at them: dirt, dust, spills, and even pet accidents.

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Giving Back to People, Pets, and Planet

Ruggable's People, Pets, & Planet initiative works with a range of organizations to help improve the lives of people and pets in need, while also championing more sustainable and responsible business practices.

People: Ruggable works with organizations to donate its usable returns, and furnish homes for individuals who are aging out of the foster care system.
Pets: The brand sponsors life-saving surgeries and critical care treatment for pets whose families cannot afford it.
Planet: Ruggable champions ethical and eco-friendly manufacturing and strives to minimize its carbon footprint using recycled materials whenever possible, and by sponsoring reforestation efforts all around the world.

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What Makes Ruggable Stand Out vs. Traditional Rugs

Ruggable makes lightweight, washable rugs that are actually a two-piece rug system. The rug “topper” (the designed rug portion that can go in the washer) clings to the lower portion, the pad, which does not go in the washer and is available in either Classic or Cushioned. The Classic pad can be used either outdoors or indoors but the Cushioned version can only be used indoors. If you want a very thin rug and don’t care about padding, the Classic is a good option, as it’s only 0.125 inches thick, whereas the Cushioned pad measures 0.4 inches and is much more comfortable to walk on (it’s also more expensive).

Once you have the rug pad, you can purchase different rug toppers if you decide to switch up your space in the future, which is far more affordable than purchasing an entirely new rug. All of the rugs are made from high-quality fibers that are both stain- and water-resistant. Outdoor rugs are also fade-resistant while somehow also managing to avoid the rough feel of most outdoor rugs so it’s a highly practical solution for patios, porches, and decks. Also note that while, technically, you could just purchase a rug topper, purchasing it without the rug pad could make the rug a seriously slippery situation.

Rug toppers are available in five different categories: plush, shag, outdoor, chenille (the most popular), and Re-jute (Ruggable’s washable version of classic jute rugs) and there are nearly 800 designs to choose from. To narrow down your search, you can look up rugs by size, color scheme, or curated collection (Persian, bohemian, traditional, nautical, geometric, novelty, stripes, floral, folk heritage, etc.).

You’ll also find partnerships with brands like Star Wars and Disney and artists like Jonathan Adler and Keith Harrington. Sizes range from 22” x 33” inch bathmats and 3’ x 2’ doormats to runners and rugs ranging from 2’ x 3’ to 9’ x 12’. While most rugs are rectangular, there are also many rugs available round or hyde-shaped.

Ruggable Review: The Details

Delivery and Unboxing

As soon as the order was placed, I received a tracking code, which let me know when the rug was expected to arrive and when it was actually delivered. Considering the tremendous delays that most furniture, appliance, and home goods manufacturers are experiencing right now, I was very surprised (and pleased) that my rug arrived in just over two weeks.

Both the Ruggable rug and non-slip rug pad shipped in the same box. My 8 x 10-foot rug box was heavy enough that I had to push it but it was not at all difficult to move. The neighbor whose rug I accidentally stole had ordered a 3 x 5-foot rug so it came in a much smaller box, which I found very easy to carry up to her.

Because I got a larger rug, I received two smaller rug pads that needed to be lined up next to each other (this is only the case with the 8’ x 10’ and 9’ x 12’ rugs). Getting the two pads to line up did take a little bit of coordination but it was a fairly easy task and having two smaller pads has made it much easier to transfer the rugs between rooms.

While it only took a few minutes to align the two rug pads, it took about 15 minutes to get the rug topper down and properly aligned with the rug pad. Ruggable offers instructions for how to set up rug systems (including instructions specifically for the larger 8’ x 10’ and 9’ x 12’ rugs) but, despite these instructions, I still find the process to be a bit clunky and cumbersome.

Getting any rug top to align with any rug pad is going to require some trial and error but the sticky-nature of the rug pad (which is necessary and awesome because that’s how the rug topper stays in place), means that the rug often gets stuck to the pad before it’s perfectly aligned. Even with a second person helping, it was hard to get the rug topper in place without it getting stuck on the pad in the wrong place. But in the end it only took about 15-20 minutes to get it properly aligned so it’s not as though it was a major time investment.

Ruggable provides some basic, easy-to-interpret instructions with their rugs, along with a QR code that links to more detailed, product-specific information, videos, and tutorials. I found the instructions on the two cards inside my box sufficient to install the rug but the additional information the QR code links to is also very helpful.

Living with Ruggable

I LOVE THIS RUG so let me just start with that. I’d put one in every room of my house if I could. I first set it up in my living room since I thought it would look good there (and it did) and then decided to move it to my bedroom. While it was up in the living room, I practiced yoga on it, my mother walked over it with her walker (without her wheels getting caught on the edges), and my 6-year-old niece ran, jumped, and played endlessly. We experienced no issue with the rug slipping, sliding, or curling and I laundered it before installing it under my bed, where I knew it would be harder to remove.

Ruggable System — Ruggable's 2-piece rug system

Moving the rug to my bedroom proved slightly more challenging, not because of the rug, but because my bed has an adjustable frame that is ridiculously heavy. Thanks to a surprisingly strong friend of mine, we were able to move the bed out of the way, lay the rug down, then move the bed back. I am so glad that I went with the cushioned rug pad because it feels so comfortable to step onto when I get out of bed in the morning.

I’m also very pleased with how the rug looks underneath my bed. The 8 x 10-foot rug fits beautifully underneath my queen-sized bed. I considered getting a 9 x 12-foot and I think I could have made it work since my bedroom is pretty large but the 8 x 10-foot version allows about 2 feet of rug on all sides of the bed, which I think is absolutely perfect.

I’ve now had the rug in my room for several weeks and have experienced no issues with the rug slipping, sliding, shifting, or causing any other problems.

I’ve now had the rug in my room for several weeks and have experienced no issues with the rug slipping, sliding, shifting, or causing any other problems. Despite being washed several times, I also haven’t had any problems with the edges curling up, which may be because I hang dry the rug and there aren’t a million people walking all over it every day. While corner curling was a more rampant problem in the past, Ruggable introduced “silicone reinforcement” pads to its chenille rug corners in 2019 to help prevent them from curling up and, in 2021, they also added a new fiber structure to limit edges from rolling up.

Though I haven’t experienced any actual curling of the rug corners, I have seen some ripples across some sections when I walk on it and there have been occasions where the sides of the rug do raise up a bit. The side raising has been minimal so in those instances, I just put a chair or a box on the rug, which flattens it out fairly quickly.

Ruggable Rug Under Bed — My Ruggable rug under my bed

As mentioned, it can be a bit challenging to get the rug cover perfectly aligned with the pad. I find that it usually takes me 3-4 attempts to get the rug cover on right if someone is helping me. Because the rug topper clings to the pad via its proprietary Cling Effect™ technology (similar to Velcro), as soon as you start laying down the rug, it immediately clings to the pad, which can be a little challenging if it clings in a position that isn’t perfectly aligned. The large-sized rug definitely requires a second person to roll it out but even then, I sometimes find it a bit difficult to roll it out perfectly evenly but I suspect this would be less of a problem on smaller rugs.

Since I’m obsessed with clean floors (and rugs), my house is a no-shoes household so having the ability to clean the rug easily (and affordably) is a huge benefit for me. The rug appears to be high-quality and highly-functional, meaning it could probably fit well into just about any home. Aside from my mother visiting, who certainly doesn’t cause a lot of commotion with her walker, I usually live alone and I still love this rug. If you have pets and/or kids, however, this rug could be an even bigger game changer, as kids and pets tend to produce the sort of messes that require far more frequent cleaning.

This Rug Has Been a Game Changer in My Home

The Ruggable rug has been a lifesaver in my home. Not only has it helped me easily maintain my obsession with clean floors, but it’s been an easy way for me to finally start pulling my home decor together without having to invest in paint or expensive furniture that may or may not look right.

About Our Editorial Team

Cassandra Brooklyn

Contributing Editor

Cassandra Brooklyn is a freelance writer with bylines in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Daily Beast, and National Geographic, among others. When she's not writing product reviews, travel features, and deep dives into the intersection of technology and culture, you can find her hiking, cycling, and scuba diving pretty much anywhere in the world.

Machine Washable Rug

Ruggable's patented 2-piece Rug System

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