It’s an accepted truth that homewares such as carpets and rugs will, over the course of their lifespan, collect more than a few stains.
High traffic areas like the hallway, dining and living rooms are the worst affected areas, but if you’re partial to breakfast in bed, or drop an expensive new potion or lotion in the bedroom, it’s curtains for any floor covering you’ve laid there too.
While nothing much but carpet cleaning products and good old fashioned elbow grease can help most fabrics, rugs leave you with more options to get unsightly stains out.
There’s a new wave that can be slung in an ordinary washing machine, but, as with most things, prevention is better than cure.
An anti-stain rug anticipates the accidents that can occur in daily life, and forgives them all by allowing you to wipe or washing machine clean, restoring your rug back to showroom-new. Is it a modern-day miracle? If you’re houseproud, then the answer is: undoubtedly.
Below we’ve found the most stylish rugs, all boasting anti-stain superpowers. Not only will they repel stains (or at the very least, allow you to remove them with minimal grunting and sweating on your part) but in the fabled words of The Dude, “they’ll really tie the room together”.
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Dunelm Habib Printed Jute Rug
Add a cosy, hand-crafted look to your floors with Dunelm's hardwearing rug, made from robust jute. The hand-braided piece is available in four sizes and will stay looking great, even in high-traffic areas like the kitchen or hall. It's also a great way to section open-plan living spaces, creating a stage for the dining table or your WFH desk.
It's easy to clean with a suction vacuum. For best results, re-roll your rug pile out for 24 hours to ward off curling.
Buy now £249.00, Dunelm
Dunelm Aster Aztec Indoor Outdoor Rug
Made for outdoor use as well as indoors, this multi-hued and-printed rug is made to go the distance. The easy-care Aztec design has been made with 100 per cent polypropylene and will wear well, even in heavy-traffic areas. It is designed for everything the British weather has to throw at it (within reason) so no need to find storage space for it come the winter.
When it comes to spills, stains and marks, Dunelm recommends hosing down with water. Easy peasy.
Available in a choice of three sizes.
Buy now £189.00, Dunelm
World Menagerie Bott Cosy Cream Rug
Add some colour to your rooms without picking up a paint brush with a rug that uses lots of different tones in the design. The perfect addition to eclectic interiors, the stain-resistant shag promises to add heaps of character to any room of the house.
Buy now £253.99, Wayfair
New Blue Elassa Floral Oriental Traditional Area Rug
A heavily patterned rug like this holds multi-appeal. Not only will it bring interest to the floor, which let’s face it, is usually largely ignored, but the intricate floral pattern means it should hide wear and tear fairly well.
For bothersome stains though, have no worry. Not only is this rug stain resistant, but it’s washable to see to larger spills - and it’s moth resistant too. All you need to do is stand back, and wait for the compliments to roll in.
Buy now £175.99, Amazon
Balta Covey Checkered Shag Area Rug
Check prints are having a massive moment, and not just for fashion. You can find the classic print on interiors too, offering a statement look to your home. If you fancy switching up your interiors with something on trend, this plush rug fits the bill perfectly. It’s available in an array of sizes to best suit your space and you can choose from mustard, pink, navy and burgundy shades along with this burnt orange. It’s non-shedding, pet-friendly and of course, stain-resistant. Checks all boxes, in other words (sorry, not sorry).
From £128.61
Buy now £116.75, Overstock
Wade Logan Rundle Orange/Brown/Beige Rug
A runner is the perfect shape for a standard hallway, and this Egyptian-made option feels soft underfoot yet is hard wearing enough to resist the worst of muddy paw, dirty shoes and general stains. Not only does it hide horrible marks, but it can be used on homes with underfloor heating too.
Buy now £46.99, Wayfair
Mack + Milo Adel Cream/Black Rug
From the living room to the study, this tassel-fringed minimal monochrome rug is universal enough to work in all sorts of spaces, no matter your interior scheme. Made from synthetic fibres with enough pile to scrunch your toes into, it boasts stain-resistant technology making it not only pet- and child-proof, but lifeproof too. Available in two sizes and other light colour palettes.
Buy now £161.99, Wayfair
Well Woven Fairmont Archer Retro Machine Woven Grey Rug
A pared back rug with an abstract design is the more subtle way to introduce patterns to your floors and will work beautifully in contemporary homes. There’s no need to shy away from the lighter shades either, as Well Woven has finished this rug with a stain resistant finish. It doesn’t come with a rug pad though, so buy that separately to prevent yourself sliding across hard floors.
Buy now £112.99, Wayfair
Ruggable Star Wars Toile Blue Rug
Ruggable has focused its rug brand around one golden, shining USP: all its designs are machine washable.
How? Every one of the 150+ designs come in two parts, with a padded anti-slip rug bag that sits beneath the patterned upper rug cover portion which holds together with a light velcro-type backing (called Cling Effect technology).
When it’s time to get stains out or simply keep your rug looking, smelling and feeling fresh, simply peel back the cover (about the thickness of a heavy blanket), and stick it in the washing machine. Once dry, fix it back onto the pad. As well as its own designs, the brand has teamed up with big names like interior guru Jonathan Adler, illustrator Keith Haring and Disney to offer up stunning rug designs, the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else.
Our pick? This Star Wars Toile Blue Rug is elegant enough for the living room and will delight movie buffs when they take a closer look.
Available as an area rug, runner and round rug in a variety of sizes.
Buy now £319.00, Ruggable
