Sisal rugs: a stain nightmare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was never able to get puke out of all of the crevices.

+1 We could never remove puke in the divets and crevices of the rug either. You almost have to dig the chunks out of the crevices with tweezers or some kind of pointed tool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have one and it's awful. Any time we've tried to clean up stains (mostly from cat puke), the stain lifts (mostly), but the water mark from the clean up effort remains.

Thankfully, we got ours for $50 on CraigsList. It's now in the basement, under our exercise equipment. The stains don't bother us there, and it actually warms up the space quite well. But I would NEVER want one in a main living space with kids.

I'm curious if anyone's tried the faux sisal rugs -- the synthetic indoor/outdoor ones. I often see them in catalogues, but not in stores. Where can I go to see/feel them in person?

We have faux sisal under our kitchen table and its been great. No stains at all, and its been subjected to some major spills. Plus, the texture is smoother than natural sisal. We're not local, so i dont know where to tell you to go

[Anonymous]

I have a sisal under our kitchen table and one in our family room. It has been fine in the family room (I don't allow kids to eat there) but a nightmare in our kitchen. It has all sorts of stains I was never to fully clean. I am grossed out by it and as soon as my younger is out of the dropping/throwing food stage I will replace it with a polypropylene rug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sisal under our kitchen table and one in our family room. It has been fine in the family room (I don't allow kids to eat there) but a nightmare in our kitchen. It has all sorts of stains I was never to fully clean. I am grossed out by it and as soon as my younger is out of the dropping/throwing food stage I will replace it with a polypropylene rug.

Why have a rug at all in such a high-mess area?

[Anonymous]

It's awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sisal under our kitchen table and one in our family room. It has been fine in the family room (I don't allow kids to eat there) but a nightmare in our kitchen. It has all sorts of stains I was never to fully clean. I am grossed out by it and as soon as my younger is out of the dropping/throwing food stage I will replace it with a polypropylene rug.

the space looks weird without it. i'm not one to forgo style just because we have kids.

[Anonymous]

My mom has one in her family room. It was a space that was never eaten in, so I can't comment there, but it was so uncomfortable to sit on, crawl on, or even walk on barefoot. It really limited the use of the room, no board games on the floor, or kneeling next to the toddler while he built blocks on the coffee table.

[Anonymous]

I'd stick with wool. Nice, cushy, easy to clean. And they come in all styles, so you could choose a more modern vibe pretty easily.

[Anonymous]

In case you're not convinced, op, we had a sisal in our DR. It was the only eating area in our house. It collected EVERYTHING that dropped on it. Yogurt, spaghetti sauce and applesauce were terrible to clean up and often stuck in the crevices. After 3 kids, it was in terrible shape. I was thinking about replacement when DD threw up on the rug. I rolled it up and put it into the trash. Ahhhh.

We are now rug free under the table. So easy to vacuum. I may get something else when my youngest gets a bit older (he's 2).

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP, back after a zillion years posting the original inquiry. We opted against sisal. Just sounded too risky. Our kids are now 5.5 and 2... and drop everything on the floor. We definitely need a multipatterned rug that is very forgiving!

[Anonymous]

Why on earth would you put a sisal rug in a FAMILY room? Have you ever walked on one barefoot (or in socks)? Uncomfortable. Sitting on them? Uncomfortable. I know they look nice, but they simply aren't user friendly.

[Anonymous]

I found this site that has synthetic sisal rugs. They say the synthetic is soft and you can clean just about anything off of them. Seems like a good idea for those of us with messy kids. https://www.sisalcarpet.com/viewcategory.php?tag=All-Synthetic-Sisal

[Anonymous]

We have a faux sisal/poypropylene rug on our porch. It's thin but quite soft. Easy to vacuum, can be hosed off. We're pleased.

This one: http://www.homedecorators.com/p/boucle-ii-area-rug/90/830/

[Anonymous]

Interior designer here. Yes, they stain. Get sea grass. It's waxy and repels stains.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, get an indoor outdoor rug. I haul mine outside 2x a year and hose them down and let them dry on the deck. They look brand new.