The last you guys have really seen of the outdoor patio, it looked a little something like this:
Well, three snowstorms and about a hundred rainy days later, the space was looking more waterlogged and a whole lot less clean….especially those chainlink rugs we scored at Lowe’s.
The backstory on these rugs is that we couldn’t find a nice big one that fit the space and met our requirements of price, how it looked and that it was indoor/outdoor…so we found these two on clearance at Lowe’s ($49 each) and jammed the two rugs next to each other to create one big rug for a fraction of the price. This patio area is really nice for the southern heat because it is shaded from the afternoon and evening sun so it makes it perfect for hanging out and chilling (literally and figuratively). But the problem is…it’s shaded from the sun…so nothing under here dries quickly.
After the rain hits it, it takes a solid three days for the rugs and patio and furniture to fully dry. So like most shady things, it gets a little funky stank on it. That saying applies to shady people too.
So when I got home from the hospital after delivering LJ, we had only 12 days to make this area in tip-top-birthday-party-shape. I was worried at first on how to clean the rugs (are they ruined forever? will I have to use soap? will soap runoff ruin my plants that I am successfully killing with neglect?) but after a little googling, I learned that as long as you do a test area and your rugs are indoor-outdoor, that they should be fine to pressure wash.
I love pressure washing. I could seriously do it all day. I did too…with a few boob breaks…but I did it.
And it’s so instantly gratifying. Just check out this side by side. This is an unedited photo…crazy, huh?
I didn’t take any proper after photos but this is how it looked after it was done and dried. Modeling it here is Clay…and yes he has the fluffiest hair known to man…err…toddler.
So that’s how we cleaned our outdoor rugs…if only we could also pressure wash the indoor ones!
p.s. Don’t forget that today is the day to post your SPRING photo challenge picture! I’ll be back later this afternoon with mine…can’t wait to see what you snapped! Click here for more info.
Dude, power washing is the funnest thing, like, ever. Powerwash all the things!
Nice! That pressure washer definitely did the trick. 🙂 We’re new to the south (just moved to NC) and a space like that would be a-mazing for cooling off!
Is the spring pic sharing today? Or am I just confused?
It is! The Bower Power post should be up at 4 pm – so that everyone has a chance to post their own photos to their blog before linking up 🙂
xo – kb
Wow, that is an impressive before and after! I feel like I would love pressure washing too! It looks so gratifying 🙂
Also, I can’t figure out how to add my Spring photo…I don’t see a link up in this post or the original post about the link up? Can you help me?
I heart power washing too!! The after looks great!!
I take it no soap was needed at all?
Power washing = fun! Nothing it can’t clean!
I thought for sure that rug was a goner! It’s amazing what that power washer can do!
I need to pressure wash SO MANY things around the house, but I have to borrow one from my parents house and keep forgetting. Our patio furniture is a disaster!!
Could u plz share what kind of power wash u use! Any reccos? Xx
I’ve also powerwashed an indoor rug! I wouldn’t recommend it unless you were planning on tossing it anyway. Ours had some soaked in dog urine, so it was bound for the trash. Powerwashing was a last ditch effort to get it rinsed completely through. We left it out in the sun over our fence to dry. It worked like a charm.
Ah, but you CAN pressure wash the inside rugs – we drag them out once a year in the spring, wash them on the deck and hang them along the fence to dry in the sun to dry and disinfect 🙂
That would’ve never crossed my mind. Glad you saved it!
We JUST got a power washer and I am in love! We also have that same exact rug and I was contemplating power washing it so I’m glad to know I won’t ruin it!
Are your rugs wool? What are they made of? I need to know more!
xo – kb
The link up will be in the next post! Hope you join the fun 🙂
xo – kb
Very cool.
xo – kb
We borrowed our neighbors because ours broke…so I don’t know what kind it was 🙁
xo – kb
Nope! None at all!
xo – kb
Oh wow, this is good to know! Would have never thought to do that. The before and after is amazing and without any soap? Wowsa!
I am amazed you did that just DAYS after having a baby… and with two other little ones! Can you say superwoman? Props, mama!
My pressure washer is a lifesaver. I have a similar shade situation, and my rug gets really yucky. I also get the green stuff on my vinyl fence. Pressure washer took it right off. My mom recommended this product –
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wet-Forget-0-5-Gal-Moss-Mold-Mildew-and-Algae-Stain-Remover-800003/203247152.
I don’t know if it would work on the rug too – but I might give it a shot this summer. You can also get two-packs of it much cheaper at Costco.
I fell in love with pressure washing when I was still young enough to need supervision. Parents rented a pressure washer for concrete- and it was so much lighter when they/we were done!! I still haven’t found anything in my current home that justifies renting a pressure washer- if only I could get the water stains out of my jute rug with it. Do you have a jute rug? How do you treat it or mask water stains? Le sigh.
Just reading this post for the first time and I had to LOL at the following:
“So like most shady things, it gets a little funky stank on it. That saying applies to shady people too.”
Thanks for the info. I’ve been hesitant to get outdoor rugs for this very reason. I’d found some recommendations for bleach + one of those bristle brooms (which sounded a bit labor-intensive for my tastes), but pressure washing hadn’t crossed my mind before.