The stroke of inspiration that led me to see if I could clean a rug at a car wash hit me as I was driving. I’d been considering how to go about cleaning the dirty rug in front of my kitchen sink, especially since it was too big to put in the washer.
Related: This Is the Single Best Way to Clean Your Area Rugs
As I drove past by the self-serve car wash at the end of our street, an out-of-the-box idea occurred to me: what if I could clean my rug at a car wash the same way I clean my car’s floor mats? I wasn’t totally confident that it would work, but I was willing to give it a try due to the sorry state the rug was in.
How to Clean a Rug at a Car Wash
I headed to the car wash with my rug, clipped it up on the wall, and started spraying it down. I couldn’t BELIEVE how grimy the water was that was coming off of the rug, but I found it oddly satisfying too!
After my successful car wash rug cleaning, I just set the rug in the bed of my husband’s truck and headed home. (If you don’t have a truck, you could squeeze out enough water to stop it from dripping and set it on a few spare bath towels to help keep your trunk or seats dry.)
Once I got home, I put the rug out in the sun to dry, and soon I had it back in my kitchen looking good as new!
Related: 18 Brilliant Hacks That Will Make Cleaning Your Car a Breeze
And once I know something works, I want to try it on everything, so I set myself to brainstorming other items you could clean at a car wash. Here’s what I came up with!
More Surprising Things You Can Clean at a Car Wash
1. Patio Equipment
Not sure where or how to clean your patio umbrella? Take it to a self-serve car wash and give it a thorough cleaning! Consider cleaning these other patio items there while you’re at it:
- Umbrellas and sun shades
- Patio furniture
- Charcoal grills
- Storage bins
- Window screens
Related: How to Put Away Your Outdoor Furniture the Right Way
2. Toys & Baby Gear
Not sure how to clean up bulky outdoor toys or other baby/kid gear? Take it down to the car wash! It’s a good option for cleaning things like:
- Wading pools
- Outdoor toys
- Bikes/trikes
- Baby gates
- High chairs
- Strollers
3. Yard & Garden Equipment
Giving your yard and garden equipment a good cleaning at the beginning or end of the season is a good way to keep it looking great! Spray down these and other outdoor items at a nearby car wash:
- Bird baths
- Planters and pots
- Compost bins
- Wood items you’re planning to refinish
4. Camping Gear
It’s dirty out there in the great outdoors, but camping gear and equipment isn’t always easy to clean at home! Head to a nearby car wash bay to clean camping gear like:
- Ice chests
- Cots
- Fire grates
- Tarps
- Camping chairs
- Boots and shoes
5. Miscellaneous (Bulky, Grimy & Hard-to-Clean Items)
- Ladders
- Doormats
- Pet crates
- Garbage cans and recycling bins
- Greasy range hood filters
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Have you ever cleaned anything unusual at the car wash?
Also works wonders for boys baseball pants for those of us with boys who LOVE to steal bases and slide!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just love you… you find a solution for every darn thing! You truly are a SUPER WOMAN!! Can’ wait for more of your adventures!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is great Jill! Now I need to borrow a pickup and get my TERRIBLE garbage cans to the car wash!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great ideas! I’ve never used a self serve car wash. Are the clips and/or hooks available there, or do you have to bring them?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The clips are there for hanging up your mats :-)
I frequently took my daughters high chair to get all the bits of dried on food that were hiding in the crevices! It worked great.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Genius!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So a power wash hose attachment would work as well as loading up half a house and taking it to the car wash! ?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You’d probably need an actual pressure washer rather than just a normal hose attachment. I cleaned my nasty car mats at the car wash a few weeks back and those hoses pack some serious pressure.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A pressure washer would work, but I don’t think a hose attachment would be quite as strong!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This interesting. We rarely use the car wash ,except for occasionally vacuuming the carpets. Great ideas. I know what my folks would do. They would probably rinse a lot of stuff with the hose. I got a kick out of the taking the dog thru the car wash.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.hahahaha, done this for years, including taking my smelly dog and giving him a good bath, he hated it but left with a squeaky clean car and dog, hahahhaa
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love this Jillee!! We have a power washer and my husband will be busy this weekend cleaning all the things I have ignored!! Thank you!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A WHITE rug! Seriously! That would need to go to the carwash every day in my home! Some clever ideas here though. Unfortunately we don’t have self-serve car wash facilities in South Africa, and due to the severe drought, we are only allowed by law to use a bucket to wash our cars. :(
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I basically did the same thing in my backyard with the power washer my husband uses to clean the deck around the pool with. I hung a rug over the railing on my wooden deck and used the power washer with just water to clean the rug with and it came out perfect!!! We also use it on the patio furniture, the grill, to clean pet houses along with everything you have mentioned above. I know if I asked the Hub to take these things to the car wash it would never get done because he would never schlep it but having the power washing at home he is willing to clean just about anything I ask him too. Great idea!!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Really eye-opening! And something I need to ponder for other possibilities … thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Due to the fact that I had a stroke when I was 28 and another one when I was 29 I know from personal experience that my wheelchair got pretty bad at times (when I tried feeding myself. Lol) So I will add wheelchairs to the list.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Brilliant! Thanks for the idea, Becky!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That is SO funny !!! My Grandson would Kill me. But I am going to try it. !
Thanks for the great idea.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am cracking up thinking about you at the car wash – your stuff piled high in the back of your truck : ) I bet you got a few looks – and then those people rushed home to get their stuff!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Exactly! Ha ha!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Diane
Not all people have a pressure washer and some may live in a apartment.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wow, I love these ideas!! I wouldn’t do my blinds though–I do them in the tub–1/2 gallon vinegar and a capful of dish soap, and swish a little. Then take them out and hang from the clothes line and hose them off. Clean as new!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Your post has given me some amazing inspiration for things I can use our pressure washer for! They can be bought relatively inexpensive (especially at the end of summer!) and often have a soap reservoir.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I take my oven racks! Clean in no time!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Such a great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My local car wash has a special “pet wash” bay – so you can give your pet a bath without the mess at home!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can also clean window blinds (not wood) at the car wash! So much easier than cleaning them while they’re hanging on the window.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Car wash home items? That’s what pressure washers are for!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello! I shampoo my area carpets on my (clean) driveway on a nice day. Then prop them up on patio furniture to throughly dry. Really saves my old wood floors and don’t have to worry about cleaning up excess water along the edges.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How creative and inspiring! What can I find to clean? Lets see…………………….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you will put your kitchen vent filter in the dishwasher about once a month along with a load of dishes it will clean it. My dishwasher does a great job on my filter.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I clean my mini blinds at the car wash, with the lite wax from the car wash, dust wipes off so easy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been cleaning some smaller oriental and misc rugs this way for years now. It was after I took them to a rug cleaner and saw what they were doing-bout the same thing & charging a lot more for it!
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