Floorboarded Houses, What Sort Of Rugs Do You Have Considering You Hav

[Isabel964]

I have floorboards in all rooms except the bedrooms. I put thick dog mat/beds down in the lounge room so they have something soft to lay on. I would like a rug or two, but wouldn't they constantly get dirty? My dogs are washed once a week, but they love to lay in dirt and play in the garden so they do get a bit grungy - this would go on the rugs. Currently I use a steam mop for the floorboards - brilliant to keep them clean.

Are your rugs ok? Do they get dirty? (Do your dogs have a yard/garden to play in)

[pipsqueak]

Floorboards, reasonable mats and dog beds/foam mats to keep dogs from direct contact with rugs. And a rubber broom to sweep the dog hair off the rugs

And yes, have a garden with lots of dirt. Steam clean rugs about every 6 months.

[ChristineX]

I have floorboards - I used to have rugs. Duke just used them as toys, bunched them up for comfier sleeping/playings spots, used them for high speed slides - i've just thrown them all out.

He has a couple of big old (and now coverless) couch cushions which Kate (other IT) likes to sleep on - they double as drag toys - she sleeps on them while Duke drags them around the room. He also has an old doona which stays in the living room crate - except for those nights he removes and 'remodels' it for comfort half in the crate, half out.

I never had this problem when it was just Kate and me. Give her a sheepskin rug, she's in heaven. Duke thinks its a toy for plucking wool off.

And I do an awful lot of vaccuming (actually, just got a much more powerful one) to keep up with hair and sand.

[parrotpea]

I've got end of roll pieces of carpet that have been overlocked around the edges (the carpet place did it for me), they are easy to vacuum, and easy to steam clean, and big and stiff enough that the dogs can't bunch them up.

[Life Of Riley]

I used to have floorboards and I loved them, didn't bother with rugs with my newfie, rotti and wolfhound X i would need them steam cleaned way too often, just threw the dog beds on the floor boards, vacuum and mop them every day (Yes I have a little OCD). Unfortunately our new place has carpet in most rooms so I end up steam cleaning them every month, the dogs get bathed at least 1-2 times a week but we are now on acreage and they get filthy easily.

[NBT]

My girlfriend and I have three medium sized dogs, and our house is entirely floorboards.

We don't have any floor coverings. The floor looks much nicer without them.

Keep on top of the cleaning of the boards, and maybe repolish them before you move out.

[smooch]

I don't have floorboards but have tiles right through the place. I got cheap rubber backed mats from Sams Warehouse. I throw them in the washing machine at times or give them a quick spray with No Vac foam carpet deodorizer (the one with the dogs on it) available at big W or woolworths. I also have old blankets and bed sheets on the lounge, sheets get washed about every 3rd day and the blanket gets a quick spray with the No Vac. In front of the lounge I have a rubber mat so when Smooch jumps onto the lounge he doesn't slip and go over backwards. (He is weak in the back legs due to a spinal stroke). Smooch gets bathed once a week, more if there is a lot of wet weather, which unfortunately we are not getting atm.

[Mrs D]

I have floorboards in all rooms except the bedrooms. I put thick dog mat/beds down in the lounge room so they have something soft to lay on. I would like a rug or two, but wouldn't they constantly get dirty? My dogs are washed once a week, but they love to lay in dirt and play in the garden so they do get a bit grungy - this would go on the rugs. Currently I use a steam mop for the floorboards - brilliant to keep them clean.

Are your rugs ok? Do they get dirty? (Do your dogs have a yard/garden to play in)

Hi, We've got solid timber floorboards all through the house, with area rugs throughout - huge one in the lounge room, two in main bedroom, two in another bedroom and one in another. They are all good quality wool rugs, heavy and thick. I've got a Tibetan Spaniel who likes to come racing in from outside, do a lap around the lounge room, outside again, inside again....sometimes he has dirty feet, sometimes he doesn't

I find that our lounge room rug (which, by the way is a light dusky purple colour) does get dirtier than the other ones (and because we are always on it, too). It gets carpet cleaned once every couple of months to freshen it up, although I must admit that with Harley in the house plus three kids and us, it doesn't take long to lose it's fresh look. That being said, I'm surprised I don't have to carpet clean it every week!!!! The colour is surprisingly 'durable', even with our red dirt. I too do a LOT of vacuuming, probably every second day, because of all Harley's hair That part, I DON'T love!!!! Overall, I'd say, go for a very good quality rug, and be prepared to hire a carpet cleaning machine from Woolies or get someone to do it once every couple of months.

[Danois]

Floorboards here and I use rugs with the non slip fabric under them.

Best rug I have found is the one I got from Bunnings which is in the dining room area (which the back door opens off) - it is one of those shaggy/ loop pile ones in a mocha colour. Hides everything

I'm a bit stuck when it comes to rugs given I have a black dog and a ginger cat - regardless of which colour I go, at least one lot of hair is going to show up on a rug. ;)

[poodlefan]

Sisal rugs might be a option. They are very hard wearing.

[Gallomph]

I got some of that outdoor carpet from Clark Rubber. It has thick rubber backing and the top is some kind of synthetic stuff. It's not the most beautiful stuff, but the dogs like to lie on it, and it's non-slip, so they can't scrunch it around. Best thing is - it can be pressure washed!! A once over with the pressure washer, then hang it over the line to dry - easy as pie!

[Okami]

I have floorboards, mostly I don't have any floor coverings I do have a cow skin rug in the "other" living area I just hang it over the wash line and beat it with a broom handle every couple of weeks ... ha ah I wonder what my neighbours think

[darlingdog]

Sisal rugs might be a option. They are very hard wearing.

I've got timber floors with a large sisal rug in the loungeroom....sisal itself is great, stays looking reasonable but I wouldn't recommend them as all the dirt goes through to the floor. Discovered this when I lifted the whole rug up (it's huge) to find half the yard under there even though I vacumm every day LOL!!!

[sas]

We have rugs to stop the dogs slipping. Got them from ebay. All of ours are shag pile style...hides the dirt although the Dyson has no problem getting it.

Edited March 27, 2011 by MEH

[Monah]

I only have 2 rugs in the whole house, they get filthy. I hoover daily, other than that I just put up with it, spinone and 2 acres of garden and RUGS dont add up The viz makes no mess at all, 4 cats and the spin make up for it though.

The spin also has ruffwear boots to stop her slipping on the floors, but she is very good now and does not do any zoomies in the house, too scary and dangerous.

My house is a sea of blankies and bits and pieces to either protect the house or the pets... :D

[Clyde]

I only ever have floor coverings which will easily fit in the machine. I think they're really dirty, so only my daughters bedroom has a few small rugs. I have a thing for disinfecting floors

[poochiemama]

I get rugs from Ikea - cheap and cheerful and look good too. I have one in a maroon color, which hides a lot and is hardwearing (it's wool) but we have to vacuum regularly.

[SmoothieGirl]

I have tiles in the hall and main living space and I have two good quality Persian handwoven rugs in this area. Well I do when I'm not toilet training a puppy. The rugs vaccum up a treat because they are single thread and not loop, so the hairs come off them perfectly. They are easy to clean if a dog has a chucky moment (Bronte is a frequent chucker) because they are wool and repel most moisture.

I haven't done it, but the guy at the store said that being wool if things go really pear shaped I could take them out and hose them off too, then line dry them. I expect they would take a heck of a long time to dry though, they are pretty thick and heavy.

[~Anne~]

We have hardwood floors and we have a number of persian style rugs on the floor. We also have dogs beds and they are placed near us so the dogs are more inclined to lay in them.

[~Anne~]

I have tiles in the hall and main living space and I have two good quality Persian handwoven rugs in this area. Well I do when I'm not toilet training a puppy. The rugs vaccum up a treat because they are single thread and not loop, so the hairs come off them perfectly. They are easy to clean if a dog has a chucky moment (Bronte is a frequent chucker) because they are wool and repel most moisture.

I haven't done it, but the guy at the store said that being wool if things go really pear shaped I could take them out and hose them off too, then line dry them. I expect they would take a heck of a long time to dry though, they are pretty thick and heavy.

I agree, they're great and so easy with hair.

I have thrown 2 small ones in the washing machine and they survived...only just though. I wouldn't recommend it.