Rug Cleaning Cost Calculator

Rug size
80 sq ft
What it is made of
Where it is cleaned
How dirty it is
Your ZIP code

Showing the national average. Enter your ZIP code for local cost estimates.

Low $270
Typical $325
High $405

National average

Where these figures come from
  • Services to buildings and dwellings, United States: $26.02/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES6056170003)
  • Wool-safe shampoo, acid rinse and fiber conditioner: $45.00 per gallon of concentrate (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)
  • Plant handling, wash floor, water and drying room: $0.40 per sq ft of rug (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)

Rug Cleaning costs $270 to $405 for a typical 80 sq ft job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $325. Labor runs 4 crew hours at $26.02 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.

Get in touch with a rug cleaning contractor

Talk to a rug cleaning contractor serving your area. Give them a call or request an estimate, and connect with a local firm that fits your project.

We are still adding rug cleaning contractors. Call the number below to talk to a contractor about your project.

Call (800) 152-1235

What makes up the price

Labor $146 4 hours at $26.02/hour, 40% burden, 1.00x regional
Wool-safe shampoo, acid rinse and fiber conditioner $10 0.2 gallon of concentrate at $45.00 each
Plant handling, wash floor, water and drying room $32 80 sq ft of rug at $0.40 each
Collection, delivery and handling $55
Contractor overhead and profit $85 35% applied to the work above
Typical total $325 $270 to $405 depending on contractor

Cost by size

National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.

Rug size Sq ft of rug Typical Range
45 sq ft 45 $240 $200 to $300
65 sq ft 65 $290 $240 to $360
80 sq ft 80 $325 $270 to $405
110 sq ft 110 $400 $330 to $495
135 sq ft 135 $460 $380 to $575

The question that tells you who you are talking to

Ask any company you call: "Do you dust the rug before washing, and how?"

A hand-made wool rug holds an astonishing amount of dry soil — grit, sand and grit-sized debris worked down into the foundation by years of feet. A 9 by 12 can hold several pounds of it, and none of it is visible from the top.

A rug plant removes that before any water touches the rug, with a dusting machine that vibrates or beats the rug face-down so the grit falls out dry. Then the washing starts.

Skip that step and the first rinse turns the grit into mud and drives it further into the foundation, where it stays — abrading the fibers from the inside for the rest of the rug's life. The rug looks clean on top and is worse than before underneath.

A company that answers "we vacuum it" is not a rug plant. A company that describes a dusting machine or a compressed-air duster is. That one question sorts the market faster than any price comparison.

In your home, or taken away

This is the decision the calculator above is really asking about.

At a plant In your home
An 8 by 10 wool rug $325 $205
Dusted dry first yes no
Water flushes right through yes no
Dried flat, controlled, days yes no — dries where it lies
Fringe cleaned properly yes rarely
Urine in the foundation treatable not really
Turnaround 7 to 14 days same day

In-home rug cleaning is carpet cleaning applied to a rug. The wand reaches the pile and nothing else; whatever is in the foundation stays there; and anything that soaks through has to land on your floor, which is why operators deliberately use very little water — so even the pile gets a lighter clean than a carpet would.

It is not a scam and it has a place: a synthetic rug, a maintenance clean between proper washes, a rug that is not worth the transport, or a household that cannot be without it for two weeks.

But for a wool or hand-made rug that has not been washed in years, in-home work is a surface clean at two thirds the price of a restoration. If the rug matters, send it out.

Why a plant costs what it costs

For an 8 by 10 wool rug, cleaned at a plant, at $325:
Labor, about 4 hours around $146
Shampoo, acid rinse and fiber conditioner around $10
Plant handling, wash floor, water and drying room $32
Collection, delivery and handling $55
Overhead and margin the balance

Chemical is almost nothing — $10 on a $325 job. What you are buying is labor, transport and a building: a dusting machine, a wash floor, several hundred gallons of water and the heating of it, a centrifuge or wringer, and days of a climate-controlled drying room where the rug hangs or lies flat.

None of that exists in a living room, which is the entire difference between the two columns above.

Wool, silk, and the fiber that water ruins

Wool is most hand-made rugs and is a protein fiber. That means it felts if it is agitated hot, its dyes are usually less stable than a synthetic's, and after an alkaline wash it needs an acid rinse to bring it back to its natural pH. A plant that does not rinse acidic is leaving wool in a condition that attracts soil faster and feels harsh.

Synthetic — polypropylene, nylon, polyester — is the forgiving end. It takes heat, agitation and a wide range of chemistry without moving dye. Most machine-made area rugs are this, and they are the ones where in-home cleaning is a reasonable choice.

Viscose is the one to worry about. Sold as bamboo silk, art silk, banana silk or rayon, it looks like silk at a fraction of the price and it is extremely common in affordable "silk" rugs. It is regenerated cellulose, and when it gets wet the fibers swell, lose strength and dry stiff with a permanent dull patch.

That is a water mark from plain clean water. A spilled glass does damage no cleaning reverses. If you have a rug that looks like silk and did not cost like silk, assume viscose, tell the plant before they start, and accept that cleaning it is damage limitation rather than restoration.

Two things about hand-made rugs

The fringe is not decoration. On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the warp — the foundation threads the entire rug is tied onto, emerging at the ends. It is structural. Fringe that is damaged, over-bleached or worn away is a repair job and an expensive one, which is why a plant treats it carefully and a bargain cleaner sometimes bleaches it white and calls that clean.

Dyes may run. Hand-made rugs, particularly older ones and anything with a saturated red, can have unstable dyes. A plant tests colorfastness before washing and controls the drying speed to stop dye migrating as the rug dries. This is a large part of why the turnaround is a week or more, and why a rug that comes back in two days is worth a second look.

If the rug is genuinely valuable, ask what the plant is insured for while it holds it, and get a written condition report before it leaves.

Pet urine on a rug is actually fixable

Worth saying clearly, because it is the opposite of the answer on a mattress or a sofa.

Urine soaks through a rug into the foundation, and the salts stay there and reactivate with humidity — which is why a rug can smell on a damp day and not a dry one. On a sofa, that contamination is unreachable. On a rug it is not, because the rug can be taken off the floor, treated, submerged and flushed right through from the back.

That is the one real advantage of the whole off-site method, and it is why a urine-affected rug should go to a plant rather than be cleaned in place.

Two cautions:

How often, and what to do between

Every one to three years for a rug in use — annually in a hallway or under a dining table, every three in a guest room. Between washes:

Turnaround

Seven to fourteen days is normal for plant work, and it should be — most of that is controlled drying, which cannot be hurried without risking dye migration and the wool staying damp in the foundation.

Ask for the turnaround before you hand the rug over, particularly if the room has to be usable. And ask whether they wrap it for delivery: a clean rug returned in an open truck bed is not a clean rug.

Questions worth asking

Common questions

How much does rug cleaning cost?

About $325 for an 8 by 10 wool rug cleaned at a plant — $4.06 a square foot, against a reported $3 to $6 for wool. A 5 by 8 is $230, a 9 by 12 is $395 and a 12 by 15 is $575. Synthetic is cheaper at about $3.56 a foot and silk or fine hand-knotted work more expensive at $5.12. Having the rug cleaned in your home instead is about $205 for the 8 by 10, which matches the reported $1 to $3 a foot for in-home work.

What is rug dusting and why does it matter?

Removing the dry grit from the rug's foundation before any water touches it, using a machine that vibrates or beats the rug face-down. A 9 by 12 wool rug can hold several pounds of sand and grit worked down by years of feet, none of it visible from the top. If it is not removed dry, the first rinse turns it to mud and drives it deeper, where it abrades the fibers from the inside for the rest of the rug's life. "Do you dust the rug first, and how?" is the single question that separates a rug plant from a carpet cleaner with a van.

Is in-home rug cleaning worth it?

For a synthetic rug, a maintenance clean between proper washes, or a household that cannot be without the rug for two weeks — yes. For a wool or hand-made rug that has not been washed in years, no. In-home cleaning is carpet cleaning applied to a rug: the wand reaches the pile and nothing else, the rug is not dusted, nothing flushes through the foundation, and because anything soaking through lands on your floor the operator deliberately uses very little water. It is a surface clean at two thirds the price of a restoration.

Why does rug cleaning cost more per square foot than carpet?

Because the rug leaves the house and is cleaned by a different process. Carpet is flushed in place; a rug is collected, inspected, dusted dry, submerged, washed, rinsed acidic, wrung and dried flat in a controlled room over several days. The chemical is almost nothing — about $10 on a $325 job. What you are paying for is labor, two-way transport at roughly $55, and a building with a wash floor, a centrifuge and a drying room, none of which exists in a living room.

Can pet urine be removed from a rug?

Usually yes, and this is the opposite of the answer for a mattress or a sofa. Urine soaks into the foundation and the salts reactivate with humidity, which is why a rug smells on damp days. On upholstery that contamination is unreachable, but a rug can be taken off the floor, pre-treated, submerged and flushed right through from the back — which is the one genuine advantage of the whole off-site method. Tell the plant it is there, because a rug washed without pre-treatment comes out smelling worse as the water reactivates what had dried.

Will pet urine stains come out of a wool rug?

The smell usually will; the color may not. Urine is acidic when fresh and turns alkaline as it dries, and that swing can strip dye out of wool permanently — so an old accident often leaves a bleached patch even after the odor is fully gone. A good plant will tell you that before washing rather than after. Fresh accidents treated quickly are much more likely to come out completely, which is the argument for blotting and calling sooner rather than hoping.

Is my rug silk or viscose?

If it looks like silk and did not cost like silk, assume viscose. It is sold as bamboo silk, art silk, banana silk or rayon, and it is extremely common in affordable rugs. It is regenerated cellulose, so when it gets wet the fibers swell, lose strength and dry stiff with a permanent dull patch — a water mark from plain clean water, which no cleaning method reverses. Tell the plant before they start. Cleaning viscose is damage limitation rather than restoration, and any company that does not flag the risk has not identified the fiber.

Why does the fringe on my rug matter?

On a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the warp — the foundation threads the entire rug is tied onto, emerging at the ends. It is structural rather than decorative, which is why damaged, over-bleached or worn fringe is an expensive repair. A proper plant cleans it carefully; a bargain operator sometimes bleaches it white and calls that clean, which looks bright and weakens the thing holding the rug together. Ask how they treat it.

How long does professional rug cleaning take?

Seven to fourteen days for plant work, and it should be. Most of that is controlled drying, which cannot be rushed without risking dye migration as the rug dries and wool staying damp in the foundation. A rug returned in two days is worth a second look. Ask for the turnaround before handing it over if the room has to be usable, and ask whether the rug is wrapped for delivery — a clean rug returned in an open truck bed is not a clean rug.

How often should an area rug be cleaned?

Every one to three years depending on traffic — annually in a hallway or under a dining table, every three in a guest room. Between washes, vacuum both sides, because doing the back shakes grit down and out of the foundation rather than driving it deeper. Rotate the rug every six months so wear and sunlight even out, use a rug pad to stop it grinding against the floor, and blot spills immediately from the outside in rather than rubbing.

What is an acid rinse and does my rug need one?

A mildly acidic rinse after an alkaline wash, and wool rugs need it. Wool is a protein fiber with a naturally acidic pH, and leaving it alkaline after washing makes it feel harsh, attracts soil faster and can let dyes move. The rinse brings it back to its own pH and helps set the dyes. It is standard practice at a real rug plant and a reasonable thing to ask about — a company that does not know what you mean is telling you something.

Should I insure a valuable rug while it is being cleaned?

Ask what the plant carries rather than insuring it yourself. Any established rug plant has coverage for goods in its care, and a reputable one will tell you the limit without hesitating. Get a written condition report before the rug leaves — existing wear, any repairs, moth damage, fringe condition — and photograph it yourself as well. That protects both sides, and a plant that offers the condition report before you ask is one that has done this a long time.

Where these numbers come from

Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.