Ruggable Review

We purchased Ruggable's Kavi Diamond Silver Rug so our writer could put it to the test in her own home. Keep reading for our full product review.

Living in a multi-pet home, I was instantly intrigued by the concept of Ruggable area rugs. These unique rugs are made up of two pieces—a rubbery base and a machine-washable top layer—making them easier to care for than your average area rug (in theory at least). It sounds like a dream come true for those of us who frequently find ourselves with a bottle of stain remover in hand, trying to get pet stains out of our carpets.

However, Ruggable rugs certainly aren’t cheap, so we wanted to see if these products were truly as ingenious as they seemed. We put the brand’s 6 x 9-foot Kavi Diamond Silver Rug to the test in my hectic household over the course of several weeks, and here’s what we thought. 

Material: Not your average rug material

When I first unrolled the Ruggable rug, I was fairly surprised at how the top layer felt. I was expecting something with a low pile, but the Ruggable “rug cover” is totally flat and thin. (Pile refers to the height of a rug’s fabric. A shag rug is high pile, while standard wall-to-while carpeting with small loops is typically low pile.) 

The 100 percent polyester fabric has an almost velvety feel to it. It is soft, but it definitely isn’t plush. It doesn’t make you want to lay on the floor as a cozy shag rug might. Polyester isn’t the most high-end fiber (in fact, it’s very cheap to make). But, what’s nice, it is naturally stain-resistant and ideal for households with pets or kids. The Ruggable cover is also water-resistant thanks to an inner polyurethane barrier. Additionally, there are triangular pieces of silicone on the underside of each corner to prevent the corners of the rug from sticking up.

As for the base layer, which the company calls the “rug pad,” it’s made from thermoplastic rubber, a lightweight synthetic material. The rug pad has a waffle-like rubber texture, and throughout testing, we were impressed at how well it kept the rug in place. Even when my dog was playing tug-of-war on the rug—a game that usually displaces area rugs—the Ruggable stayed right where it was placed. 

The top of the rug pad is a velcro-like material that holds the cover in place. I was worried it might be uncomfortable to walk over, but the cover provides a sufficient layer of cushioning. The only thing I didn’t like about this material is it’s a magnet for pet hair when the cover isn’t attached (while you’re washing it). 

Assembly: A two-person job

Once we decided where to put the rug, it was time to assemble it. First, we had to lay out the rug pad, then we rolled up the rug cover, as directed by the Ruggable assembly video. From here, we lined up the edge of the cover with the edge of the pad—the cover is about 3 inches larger than the pad, so there is a bit of overhang on each side. Once everything was in place, we simply unrolled the cover over the pad and smoothed out any bumps.

Sounds easy, right? It was the first time when I had a second set of hands to help me line up the edges precisely. When I initially set up the rug, my boyfriend was home; the process went smoothly and only took us two tries to get right. 

However, after I washed the Ruggable cover, I had to set it up alone; it was nearly impossible to do. Because the rug is 6 x 9 feet, it was incredibly hard to get the cover lined up straight by myself. Imagine lining up a 6-foot-wide piece of Velcro with only an inch of wiggle room. Several times the cover ended up slightly crooked, leaving the pad showing when I unrolled the cover. It was incredibly frustrating. I ended up throwing in the towel after six tries and waiting until my boyfriend came home to help. You’re will definitely need a helping hand if you’re setting up one of the larger Ruggables.

Design: Lovely and vibrant

The Ruggable pattern we chose is called Kavi Diamond Silver, and it features a diamond motif with unique geometric designs in the middle of each diamond and around the edges. The color is described as “mushroom cream,” but the actual shade is cooler than this description implies—the rug appears to have a slight tan undertone in pictures on the website, but it’s more like a true gray. 

Despite this, we thought the overall pattern and color of the rug were beautiful and vibrant, and it complemented my “industrial farmhouse” living room decor perfectly. The gray color matched the couch almost perfectly. The pattern was just enough to add visual interest without being overwhelming. 

Even if this particular design isn’t your style, Ruggable offers dozens of fun colors and patterns, including more classic Persian-style designs, fun Disney patterns for kids, and chic modern options. They even have a few shag rugs available in smaller sizes. 

Care: Easy to wash, but tough to vacuum

The main appeal of Ruggable area rugs is that the cover can be removed and thrown in the washing machine, so naturally, we wanted to test this feature. After a particularly wild weekend that left the rug covered in all sorts of debris and plenty of doggy drool, I decided it was time to give it a thorough wash. I peeled the cover off the base, crumpled it up, and tossed it into my washing machine. 

I was actually a bit nervous that the cover wouldn’t fit into my washer, as it’s not the biggest machine ever, but it worked out perfectly. The drum was just big enough to house the rug cover. I ran the cycle with cold water and a mild detergent, per the instructions, then moved the cover over to the dryer when it finished. The directions say the dry the cover on low heat, which ended up taking around three hours, and the fabric came out looking as good as new—I couldn’t spot any stains. There were a few wrinkles on the back of the cover, but they weren’t visible once the rug was reassembled. 

While it proved easy to wash the Ruggable, the same can’t be said about daily maintenance. The rug’s care tag says not to use a heavy-duty vacuum with a beater brush, which is typically how I clean our carpets. I figured it might be ok with the carpet attachment on our Dyson V8 Cord-Free Vacuum, as it has less power than our full-size vacuum, but even that ended up getting stuck and displacing the cover. 

After testing out various attachments, I found that the V8’s soft roller cleaner head works somewhat well on the carpet, but you have to go slowly and only pull it in one direction. The best cleaning method we found was to simply let our iRobot Roomba i7 vacuum the Ruggable, as it doesn’t have a strong beater bar. However, the manufacturer doesn’t recommend using robot vacuums on its rugs, either. 

Basically, you need a light-duty vacuum if you want to give your Ruggable a touch-up, which probably isn’t going to do much to pick up pet hair and fine dirt particles. 

Price: On the more expensive side

It’s no secret that rugs are expensive, and Ruggables are even pricer than average, thanks to their unique two-piece design. An 8 x 10-foot Ruggable is $400, a 6 x 9-foot rug is $300, and a 5 x 7-foot rug is $200. 

While being able to wash the rug definitely adds value to the product, we couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at these prices, especially considering the rug covers are made from polyester, a cheap material. If you’re willing to sacrifice washability, you could probably find a nicer area rug made from wool or jute for a similar price. 

Ruggable Kavi Diamond Silver Rug vs. Langley Street Aldergrove Handwoven Wool Area Rug

The Langley Street Aldergrove Handwoven Wool Area Rug has a similar diamond design to the Ruggable Kavi Diamond Silver Rug, but the Langley Street Rug is more than $100 cheaper for a similar size. The Langley Street model is made from wool and has a low-pile design, and it’s light enough to shake out, making it easier to clean.