No, you do not need to use water on it. Take it to a dry cleaner that specializes in rugs. Or replace it with something that is machine washable. Also get your dog tested for a UTI. It's the number one reason that pets have elimination issues.

I had a wool rug from Ballard Designs that my dog decided she was going to pee on every chance she got. The first time she did it last summer, I took it outside in the driveway and used that woolite pet cleaner on it. Then I took my hose with the attachment at the highest setting and sort of power washed it. What did I have to lose right? I let it dry flat in my driveway, and it was good as new.

Sadly I had to repeat this process every time I brought the rug in the house. I finally just rolled it up to put it away. DH put it in the garage, and a darn mouse chewed through it!!

My dog did not have a UTI. She's just 17 and old. Now she pees on the floor if we don't get downstairs quick enough in the morning.

We had just bought a new wool rug when Stanley Steemer was here to clean the tile & grout and the other synthetic area rug. They told me they could steam clean the wool rug, that it would not have to go out for cleaning.

A good quality wool rug can take being "handwashed" with no issues. A poor quality one can shrink and have the dye run horribly. If the dog has peed on it and the dye didn't run then, I'd certainly chance it because you don't have a lot to lose. Nature's Miracle first though and let it sit for 20 minutes and then use you cleaner with warm but not hot water.

As for your doggie, if this is a new thing, and she's not elderly, then yes, it's probably a UTI anda vet visit is in order. Some breeds are prone to frequent UTIs. If this is ongoing, then behavior training like she was a new puppy usually solves the issue. Keep her on a long leash tied to your waist when she's indoors and in a crate when you can't directly supervise her, like you're making dinner. Just like a toddler learning to walk!

The rug is all the same color, ivory, so no issues with color running. Pretty sure the dog doesn't have a UTI, she's just old and ornery. She will hold it all day while we're gone at work, but if we're home like on a weekend, even though she's been let outside a bunch of times, she'll squat right in front of us and pee in the house. I have no idea why she does it. I put a diaper on her this morning after she did it, I'm hoping that will dissuade her from doing it because I know she doesn't like wearing it.

sashasmommy, my dog does the SAME thing!

She will hold it while we are gone, and then pee right in front of us. I can't even put a mat in front of my door for guests to wipe their feet without her peeing on it within 24 hours. So frustrating! I have turned to putting towels down inside my entry doors, and throwing them in the laundry as soon as they are used.

Good luck with your rug. I know how frustrating it is.

I'm still really annoyed DH put ours in the garage. It's a detached garage BTW, not the kind attached to your house.

I would clean the rug really well and then roll it up until you can put it out again if you want to save it. If it's ivory, I don't know about the water technique I used, but I don't see the harm in trying the steamer on it.

Good luck.

My less expensive rug, which I think has wool in it, got several presents from my dog yesterday. He puked (sorry) MUD on it. Dark.brown.mud onto the light colored part of the rug. While I was eating dinner. While I had a bad cold and had no energy.

Know what I did? I got the bottle of Resolve stain remover for clothes, and sprayed it on the first spot, after blotting it with paper towels first....then I took a hot washcloth to it and scrubbed.

Voila! All gone. I could not believe it. I was in a mood to where I didn't CARE if the rug stained or not. lol.

Now if he did that to my Persian rug? Well, I would have blown a gasket!

The thing is, I can't tell if the "stain" is gone or not because I can't see it anyway. As soon as I blotted up the urine with a towel, I could no longer see it, so I don't know if it's clean or not after I used the Woolite stuff. That's what's bothering me.

They use water and big brushes and hoses to clean the most precious of Oriental Persian rugs. I have seen them. It is in the drying..if they don't get dried well they will be ruined. I couldn't believe how hard they go at the rugs. I took all of mine out in the drive way year before last and did the same. Used the rental steam cleaner w/o soap and used really warm water and essentially rinsed and rinsed them. Then i put them in the grass and let them dry. It took me several days of work but it was worth it. They all got really clean. c

Wool is washable.....but the backing may not be.
Linda C

Hand-knotted persians are what I mostly have. Have not had any disaster scenarios like above to deal with. Spot cleaning with a damp microfiber is about all I have needed to do. The lanolin or something in the wool makes it easy to cleanse.
We once had a disaster to fix at a job; a pipe broke and flooded a newly finished basement space that had a large, perfect new Bidjar rug. It was soaked and took 4 men to carry outside. We used the wet-vac to pull out most of the water, and rolled it out on a nice (clean) hot black driveway for the remainder of the day. The very thick rug was dry "by quittin' time". And luckily the dyes did not run.
Casey