Ruggable Made a Pretty Good Dupe of a Jute Rug
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I have a love-hate relationship with Ruggable, the maker of a wildly popularwashable rug. It addresses a common problem — rugs attract spills and stains; traditional rugs are too thick and made of materials too fussy to go in a washing machine, so each stain requiresspot cleaningby hand. Ruggable solved that problem by creating a two-part system: a Velcro-like pad on the bottom and a stain-resistant printed top that’s thinner than a standard rug and can be detached and thrown in the wash.
The system works; my biggest beef with Ruggable is that the toppers lack the softness, depth, and complexity of a traditional rug. I am a textile-arts stan who will go well out of my way to buy something made by a person using natural fibers, and Ruggable is at the opposite end of the spectrum. That said, I don’t live in a household with pets or kids, and I trust my sources who say that Ruggable’s washability is extremely helpful in their homes. So when I heard Ruggable had launched a new material it was positioning as an alternative tojute, I was curious to test it out and see if it would change my mind.
It’s made of polypropylene, engineered to mimic the look of natural fibers.
Ruggable describes the weave as “marry[ing] the organic texture and warmth of a traditional jute rug with a soft, washable, UV-resistant texture.” What that really means is the rug is made from a polypropylene fiber purpose-engineered to mimic jute. The yarn is twisted from multicolored filaments to imitate the variation found in natural fibers and comes in two striped patterns and four solid colors — a bleached tan, two shades of brown, and black.
It’s softer underfoot than real jute.
Even the biggestjute-rugfans have to admit they’re scratchy, and a benefit of using a synthetic fiber is that you can design away the scratch. This rug’s fibers are firm and thick — not as fluffy or squishy as the brand’s other synthetics meant to mimic softer materials like wool — and are looped into a plastic backing, which creates a pillowy effect underfoot. By feel alone, you wouldn’t mistake it for a natural-fiber rug, but it doesn’t have pointy stray fibers that poke into bare feet.
It’s UV resistant (so it can live outdoors).
The Ruggable performance weave is firm underfoot — it’s not uncomfortable to stand on, but it isn’t as plush as you might want for a living room or anywhere you’d sprawl out on the floor. Its hardiness and UV resistance make it a good option for high-traffic areas and outdoors, though: It won’t fade in bright sunlight and is sturdy enough to hold up to foot traffic.
It has no problems in the washing machine.
If Ruggable rugs are optimized for one thing, it’s machine washing. I’ve previously tested the brand’s two-part system of a water-resistant pad and a removable, washable textile top. The system allows you to fit a large rug into a washing machine, but it takes some finesse to realign the top to the pad evenly without creating air bubbles.
Unlike the two-part model, the performance weave rug is one piece: a grippy rubberized bottom attached to itsfaux-jute top. That makes it less of a undertaking to clean — you don’t have to peel a topper off a rug pad, then line it up and Velcro it back on when you’re done. The three-by-five-foot rug I tested was easy to wrangle; it’s lightweight and fit into a standard home machine with room to spare. It came out as good as new after a wash and dry cycle, no shrinking or snagging.
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Although I’m not getting rid of my woolly rugs anytime soon, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance weave. It looks better up close than any Ruggable I’ve tried, and the single-part system makes it much less of a hassle to clean. If you’re looking for a hardy, washable rug for an outdoor space or high-traffic zone, it’s a good bet.
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