apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I love this post and picture. Thank you.

in russia and other soviet republics they do the same thing with the rugs in the winter. there is nothing like the fresh smell in the apartment once you bring the snowy rugs back in.

While it is a romanticized chore, breathing in the dust would be most unpleasant.

The Upper West Side building I grew up in had these on the roof, as well as posts for clotheslines. In addition, in the basement they had big pullout clothesdrying rod thingees that (when closed) were in a compact, heated box/room; and gas hobs for you to heat your nonelectric iron. None were in use at the time.

I'm sorry to be so dumb but why would you do that in the snow?

I'm with Sarah. We used to do this when I was growing up as part of spring/fall cleaning. Why would you need to do this so often? Why would you do this in the winter? Bring in a wet rug? Hmmmm.

we've always had the most gorgeous oriental rugs in my family. to clean them, my mom would drag them onto the driveway and turn the hose on 'em. sometimes she'd scrub in a little dishsoap, but usually a good high-powered hosing would do the trick. she'd let them dry in the sun or sometimes hang them over the porch railing. they've been around for ages and have that perfect worn-in look, but have held up beautifully...

you beat the rug out while it's lying on the snow so that the dirt and dust goes into the snow and stays there. then you turn the rug on the other side and beat it again. this functions like a wet carpet cleaning.

Clarification: by "these" in my previous post I meant the posts described in the text. I'm (happily) surprised to learn that rugs can take a mild wet-cleaning like the one shown in the picture or described by goodnightdean and liuba. Who knew?

We also took the rugs outside to beat but I'd never heard of doing it in the snow or the logic behind it. I think this is brilliant and a great "green" idea. Keeps the dirt out of the house, no chemicals are used in the cleaning, you get some exercise, and there's that fresh scent afterwards. Frankly, I find this intriguing and rather smart.

my mother's persian rug dealer had a big cement floor just for hosing his expensive wares for his loyal customers. She was big on Royal Kirmans and they do last for generations - her mother's persian rugs are still going strong. - I think grandma would be 117 if she were still alive.

In Poland they also do this. Most apartment complexes have a similar metal contraption for beating the rug. Women -- it's always women :( -- do this even though they own vaccum cleaners. They believe the rug gets cleaner that way, and smells better.

I lived in Finland early 2005 (i.e. wintertime). To answer Sarah and Julianna's question on why one must clean the rugs so often during winter: In the winter all the roads, sidewalks, etc are covered in sand (and in places a good deal of mud). Since many people still walk everywhere, sand and dust get on your shoes which invariably gets tracked into your home and all over the floors and rugs (even though it is considered uncouth to not take off your shoes when entering someone's home).

Thanks mrfriesen1 I understand the cleaning process my mother use to take everything out of the house to air out for spring cleaning. I was just puzzled as to why it was done in the snow.

Also thanks to all that answered my question now it makes sense.

In the summertime my dad used to shampoo his flokati rugs in the driveway by inviting all the neighborhood kids over to slip and slide on them. It was very much fun.

When I was in northern Finland a few summers ago, there were lots of people washing their rugs in the sea, even on midsommer's eve night (the longest day of summer is a big holiday/party day there). They even a special area on the beach for this with stands to hang the rugs on to dry afterwards. My friend says the rugs smell so awesome and clean after you wash them in the sea and hang them to dry.

"inhabiting small needs takes care of great spaces".
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/19/ap3738585.html

great post and lovely first photo (would never have guessed there is a tradition of cleaning rugs in the snow.)

Liuba and mrfriesen, thanks for the explanations. Totally makes sense to me.

Re: second photo: I have that same rug beater (but it's not from America. I bought it in Thailand) AND I also collect antique irons!

P.S. I hang my rug beater on a nail on the wall, so it's sort of a wall decoration too.

Plus, I always know where to find it when I need to de-dust something (I use mine to beat out dust from cushions, pillows and stuffed animals).

Most fascinating post...

Every spring, at the same time she put all the summer slipcovers on the furniture, my grandmother would drag all the carpets into the back yard, hang them on a frame,beat them with her rug beater, and let them hang for a while in the fresh air. I still have one of her larger orientals, and I can hardly lift it, yet I remember her hauling and beating many rugs easily. I guess they don't make women the way they used to.

I frequently put my down couch cushions out for a short time on the hammock. A wee bit of sunlight and air really puffs up the down. An upholstery fella told me that. It works.

Maybe someone needs to start a rug beating business

That rug-beating paddle is so beautiful. It looks like a Celtic knot.

I'm from Finland, and amused to see this picture and all the discussion about this! :) It's such a common thing for us.
The reason we clean up the rugs in the snow is that when it's -20 degrees celsius, the dust bugs etc die in the freezing temperature, and if your rug is made of wool, the snow cleans it up itself. No chemicals needed. However, we used to do it only once or twice a winter, not every Sunday!
Same thing with a woollen sweater; you dont need to wash it - just take it outside for a half an hour (when its freezing) and/or cover it with snow and it's automatically clean and smells really nice and fresh!