Outdoor Rugs

Which material makes the best outdoor rug?

Polypropylene takes in less moisture than any other common rug fibre, so it dries quickly after a shower and gives mould little to feed on; many of our outdoor rugs are made from it. Many are polyester, which feels softer underfoot and takes bright colour well.

Some are listed simply as fabric, so check the care notes before leaving those out in heavy rain; a few are plastic, the easiest choice for a shaded balcony that never quite dries. Natural jute belongs under a covered porch, as it soaks up rain and rots if left wet.

Sizing an outdoor rug to your garden furniture

Measure the furniture, not the paving. Under a garden table, allow about sixty centimetres of rug beyond the table edge, so a chair pushed out keeps its rear legs on the rug. With a corner sofa or lounge chairs, at least the front feet should rest on it; outdoors there are no walls to frame a small rug, and it looks lost.

On a balcony, fill the usable floor but keep the drainage outlet clear. In our range, most outdoor rugs are offered in a medium size and many in a large size, and a few small ones suit a doorstep or a bistro set.

Laying an outdoor rug on decking, paving or a balcony

Whatever the rug is made of, the ground beneath it has to dry. On timber decking, lift the rug now and then in a wet spell and sweep out the grit that gathers underneath before it scours rug and boards. On smooth porcelain paving or composite decking, an underlay made for outdoor use stops the rug creeping as chairs move.

Once the rug is unpacked, lay it flat in the sun for a day so any curl from rolling relaxes, as a lifted corner on wet paving is easy to trip on. On a windy balcony, let furniture feet pin the corners down.

Outdoor rug colours and patterns that hide garden dirt

A garden is hard on plain colour. Fallen leaves, soil from pots, pollen and wet paw prints show up on a flat shade, while a busy pattern or a stripe hides them between brushings. Many of our outdoor rugs are in bold colour, many in monochrome and many in earthy tones that sit quietly against brick and timber.

Green settles into planting and lawn, while pink, orange and yellow lift grey paving and dark furniture frames, and many of ours come in these shades. Cream and white, which we also stock, show soil after the first shower, so keep them under a veranda or canopy. Many of our designs are modern in style, with a few classic and rustic ones.

Can outdoor rugs be used indoors?

Many of ours are suited to a kitchen, a hallway or a living room as well as the garden. They earn their place by a back door, where boots bring in mud, or in front of a sink, where splashes would mark a wool pile, and a synthetic rug that needs more than a vacuum can be carried out and hosed. Indoors, check that an inward-opening door clears the rug before you buy.

Cleaning, drying and storing an outdoor rug

Shake or brush the rug out often, so grit cannot work into the fibres. For a deeper clean, hose it down, scrub marks with a stiff brush and mild soap, rinse well and dry it flat. Lift bird droppings and tree sap while fresh, as they set hard. Leave the pressure washer for the paving: its jet breaks up fibres and frays edges.

Before the colder months, dry the rug completely, roll it up without folding, since a fold leaves a crease that catches feet, and store it somewhere dry. Moss growing on the underside means the ground beneath is not draining, which is worth fixing at the paving or decking rather than by scrubbing harder.