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Why I Returned Almost All of My Ruggable Rugs: An Honest Review You Need to Read

Those stunning Facebook ads showing perfectly styled, washable, Ruggable rugs caught my eye, just like many other homeowners. I spent hours reading Ruggable reviews and watching demonstration videos, and the marketing was so convincing that I bought 6 for my home.

This was almost 2 years ago, but I also recently tried out a couple of their holiday rugs when they had their Black Friday sale.

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Pippa laying on a Ruggable rug with her stuffed teddy bear. a potted fern is in the background
Pippa’s rather difficult potty training was the main reason I decided to get Ruggable Rugs.

I have a cat and two dogs, one of which had been a stray for years and was having quite a lot of accidents in the house. I was tired of constantly having to shampoo the rugs I had and loved the idea of simply throwing them in the washing machine when they got dirty.

The reality, though, is that this popular washable rug brand has come with some challenges over the years. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster with Ruggable, to say the least.

The Anna Sui rug from Ruggable with a small dog and cat sitting on it
These rugs have come with their share of issues over the years.

While it is a great concept, I ended up returning all but one of these original 6 rugs I got from Ruggable. I’ll explain this all in detail in this post and why, despite this, I placed another order with Ruggable over Black Friday for some of their holiday rugs.

A Christmas rug by Ruggable on a wood floor
There were some snafus with Ruggable over the years, but I wanted to try their holiday rugs this year.

This blog post is here to help you decide if Ruggable rugs are worth the money (they’re not exactly cheap, even when on sale!). I’ll walk you through my order process, shipping time, return process, and customer service experience. I’ll also end with whether or not I recommend buying from Ruggable. (Use the table of contents below to easily navigate to the part of this review you are looking for.)

Understanding Ruggable’s Value Proposition


The story of Ruggable Rugs started in 2008. Founder Jeneva Bell had a lightbulb moment after her dog left a mark on her brand-new carpet. Her idea seemed promising – she created a washable rug that could handle daily messes and still look good.

Breaking down the cost

Ruggable rugs cost anywhere from $150 for a simple doormat to over $900 for their largest 9×12 area rug. The price might seem high at first, but the company talks about saving money through their two-piece system. You only need to replace the top layer if you want a new design.

The washable rug concept

Each Ruggable has two main parts:

  • A lightweight rug cover with a polyester chenille top surface
  • A nonslip rug pad made from synthetic thermoplastic rubber
The two part Ruggable system, top cover and ruggable pad
The two part Ruggable system, the top cover and Ruggable pad.

The washing process needs specific conditions. Larger rugs (6×9 feet and above) need a washing machine with at least 4.5 cubic feet capacity. So some sizes are too big for home washing machines and need a trip to the laundromat.

Personally, the biggest rug I have is a 9’x12′ Flat Woven Morris & Co. Owl & Willow Green Rug, and this does fit in my washing machine. Just barely, but I’ve washed it a few times now, and it’s come out clean.

An electrolux washing machine, silver
My washing machine does fit my Ruggable Rugs, including the 9’x12′.

Shipping Time


Shipping time will vary a bit depending on the rug you order. On average, it took about a week and a half for my rugs to reach me. Some arrived a little sooner, and some took a little longer.

This is because most Ruggable orders are made to order. You get to choose what rug and pad thickness you want for most of the rugs, then Ruggable makes them once you place the order. Some take a little longer than others, and some may already be ready to go.

Ruggable says to expect your order to ship within 1 to 3 weeks but any 10×14 Tufted items in your order will ship in 4 to 8 weeks.

Cushioned Pads vs Standard Pads vs Doormats


The green Morris & Co owl runner rug
This is a standard rug and standard pad system.

I did a mix for my rugs; some are the Cushioned pad and Premium rug system. I also ordered some that are the Flatwoven rug and Standard system.

You can also order doormats from Ruggable that have a two-part system. These come in two sizes, the standard size and estate. I have the standard size.

A Christmas Ruggable door mat
I really like my Ruggable doormat!

Ruggable Return Policy


The first rug I ordered was the Granite Ombre Light Grey Premium Rug + Pad System to test out the color of the rug. I thought it looked nice, but it wasn’t quite the color scheme I wanted. So, I exchanged it for the Morris & Co. Wilhelmina Weave Natural Rug. The exchange process was very easy and straightforward. And it took about 2 weeks to get my new rug.

Exchanging rugs is the way to go if you don’t like a color because if you just return the rugs, you will be charged a $25 processing fee.

One of the first Ruggable Rugs I ordered, nearly 2 years ago.
One of the first Ruggable Rugs I ordered nearly 2 years ago. This is the Morris & Co. Wilhelmina Weave Natural Premium Rug.

The Washable Rugs I Ordered at First


My first full order from Ruggable (that I kept) was the Morris & Co. Pimpernel Jade Premium Rug + Pad System 2.5’x7′, Anna Sui Sundborn Cream Rug + Pad System, Morris & Co. Wilhelmina Weave Natural Premium Rug + Cushioned Pad System 2.5’x10′, and Morris & Co. Owl & Willow Green Rug + Cushioned Pad System 9’x12′.

The Morris & Co Green and Owl Rug by Ruggable
Love the print of this one, but it is kind of a weird, thin material.

I was so happy with the way the rest of the rugs looked when I first got them! The Morris & Co. Owl & Willow Green Rug in Flatwoven felt a little weird and thin, but it is such a pretty print I decided to overlook this.

Shortly after, I then placed an order for the Iris Apfel Flutterby Multicolor Premium Rug + Pad System, the Anna Sui Lady Shalott Cream Premium Rug + Cushioned Pad, and the Morris & Co. Blackthorn Forest Green Premium Rug + Pad System.

All of the rugs from my original order nearly 2 years ago.

Washing The Rugs


I have a 4.5 cu. Ft washing machine and dryer, and I can fit even my 9×12 Ruggable rug in there. So, I have been able to wash them with no issues.

The Iris Apfel bug rug with litter robot on the end
This Iris Apfel rug gets washed constantly; it’s a high-traffic area and by the cat litter.

The two rugs I have that get washed the most (we’re talking nearly every 2 weeks since I bought them 2 years ago) are the Morris & Co. Wilhelmina Weave Natural Premium Rug and the Iris Apfel Flutterby Multicolor Premium Rug.

These are both in high-traffic areas in the home, so they are constantly getting spills, accidents, and muddy paws on them. I have yet to have a stain not come out in the wash!

A white ruggable rug that shows now sign of stains
This rug is almost 2 years old and still stain-free!

I use Puracy Stain Remover on the stains and wash with Puracy Laundry Detergent, and this seems to be all that it takes to get the stains out of my rugs.

I always wash the rugs in cold water and dry them on delicate.

Critical Design Flaws


My experience with the Ruggable rug lasted several months before I found that there were some serious design flaws that made me reach out to their customer service about returning the rugs. Here are the three biggest problems I faced.

Two-piece system problems

The two-piece system turned out to be the most frustrating part of having a Ruggable. The process of arranging the rug cover with the pad after washing can take forever if you try to arrange it yourself – we’re talking almost a half hour sometimes. 

This Iris Apfel rug gets washed all the time, it's high traffic and by the cat litter.
Getting the bumps (upper right corner) out of these rugs is quite a process!

The pad comes in two pieces that never fit together right, and this creates an annoying bump where they meet. Granted, this is for the larger rugs. My smaller rugs in my entryway only take a few minutes, typically. This also goes quicker if my husband is home to help me rearrange them.

Material quality issues

The Flat Woven material is rather cheap-looking and not very comfy to walk on. The tufted rugs I have look and feel much nicer, but I also think they show wear on the trim and get fuzzy looking a lot quicker.

This is a very thin material that gets stuck in my vacuum cleaner when I vacuum.
This flatwoven is a very thin material that gets stuck in my vacuum cleaner when I vacuum.

The thinner (flat woven) material is also a pain to vacuum. The thin material gets sucked up in the vacuum and looks wrinkly. You then have to spend more time trying to smooth it out.

The rug corners started to curl under on almost all of my original Ruggable Rugs.
The rug corners started to curl under on almost all of my original Ruggable Rugs.

However, the biggest issue for me was that the edges started to curl under on the edges of my original rugs after I washed and dried them a few times. It drove me crazy! And I couldn’t get them to uncurl. For the record, I was washing the rugs in cold water, along with drying them on low heat (as is recommended).

This was why I reached out to customer service about returning the rugs.

This rug curled the most, but it was also getting washed the most.
This rug curled the most.

Some of the rugs seem to “curl” more than others, too. The Iris Apfel is curling way more than my Morris & Co. rug despite being washed about the same amount.

The corners of some of my newer rugs have reinforced corners.
The corners of some of my newer rugs have reinforced corners.

However, some of the rugs I ordered in the Black Friday sale had reinforced corners on them now. I’m assuming this was in response to that issue.

This seems to help with the curling under problem. However, they also seem to have the opposite issue, as these corners are starting to curl upwards the more I vacuum them, and of course, the more the dogs run around on them!

A corner of a rug curling upwards.

The rug corners curling upwards is not a huge issue, though, as I can fix this by setting something heavy on it overnight. The rug corners that curl under are impossible to fix.

Customer Service


When I reached out to customer service with these concerns, they asked for photos and videos of the rugs and the issues I was experiencing. I provided this via email. It was pretty straightforward, and their customer service team was really helpful and prompt in their responses.

The Anna Sui rugs were no longer in stock, so I received a refund instead of a replacement for this one.
The Anna Sui rugs were no longer in stock, so I received a refund instead of a replacement for this one.

They agreed that the rugs should not be curling under like that and promptly replaced all of the ones that were still in stock. For the rugs that were not in stock (the Anna Sui rugs they no longer carry), they gave me a full refund back to my credit card. I was really impressed!

I had replacement rugs within a week after this interaction.

Why Did I Order More Rugs Then?


The reason I ordered more rugs was based on the interactions I have had with Ruggable’s customer service. While the product may not be perfect, I do appreciate that they stand behind their products and do their best to solve any problems with their rugs.

I ordered this Bridgerton collection rug in the Black Friday Sale.
I ordered this Bridgerton collection rug in the Black Friday Sale, as well as a few holiday rug covers.

I also am not the best at interior decorating, and I appreciate that when you buy from a collection (for me, it’s mostly the Morris & Co. collection), I can have multiple different rugs and keep a similar theme going throughout my home without it looking weird. (See gallery below.) Plus, I was already committed to “the system” and had all of these Ruggable pads, so I sort of feel married to the Ruggable system now.

Recap: Pros and Cons of the Ruggable Rugs


Pros:

  • The designs are really beautiful. My holiday rugs got so many compliments, and the Morris & Co. Owl & Willow Green Rug in my living room is always a talking point when people come over.
  • Being able to wash pet messes and stains easily is great.
  • The rugs are definitely stain-resistant; we’ve had some horrible stains that have washed away with no issues.
  • Swapping out the covers for different designs throughout the season is a good idea.
  • I like that you can order multiple different rugs within collections, and they all “go together.” It makes decorating cohesively much easier.
  • The “premium” rugs are really soft and look super high quality.
  • Ruggable customer service is AMAZING.
A holiday rug from Ruggable in cream, with Buddy laying on the upper right hand corner
The holiday rugs get a lot of compliments!

Cons

  • Getting the rugs and their pads to line up is a 2 person job, or it takes 1 person forever and a day to do… and involves a lot of colorful language!
  • The Flat Woven material is a pain to vacuum, as it is so thin that it gets sucked into the vacuum cleaner. It also doesn’t look as expensive as it’s price!
  • The edges of my original rugs started curling after being washed and dried several times. It looks really bad, in my opinion, and is why my entire first order was returned.
The curling edges are a pain!
The curling edges were a big letdown.

Final verdict? Do I recommend Ruggable?


I really love the way the current Ruggable rugs I have look. I am happy with them. The Morris & Co. collection just matches my home really well. I am really hoping that the new rugs from Ruggable hold up better than all of the original rugs I had from them.

Another Morris & Co Ruggable rug in my home.
Another Morris & Co Ruggable rug in my home.

I am going to try not drying the rugs after I wash them to see if that will keep the corners from curling going forward. So far, my new rugs have not had this issue, but I’ve only washed them a couple of times (and have not dried them).

The rugs seem to have corners that don't curl under anymore.
The rugs seem to have corners that don’t curl under anymore.

Ruggable is not perfect; there is room for improvement. However, they do stand by their products and have really great customer service. I also love their designs. Personally, I’m hooked on Ruggables now, and don’t foresee moving away from them as long as I have pets.

However, it is important for new customers to be aware of the issues I had before making a purchase. Don’t go into this thinking it’s a miracle product! Being able to wash AND dry the rugs would be nice, but if I can only wash them and then let them air dry, then so be it. The fact that it’s easy to get stains out and that they are quite stain-resistant will keep me coming back as well.

If anyone has any questions about this Ruggable review, please don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments.

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