Our price comes from two numbers: the rug's width and its length, in feet. Accurate measurements help the calculator show the right total before you book. The other thing worth understanding is where the $250 line sits, because it determines whether pickup and return are free.
Measuring the rug
Lay the rug flat and measure it where it lies, with a metal tape if you have one. A cloth tape stretches and a bent tape measure wanders. Go edge to edge across the woven or tufted part of the rug and leave the fringe out. Fringe is the loose tassel ends past the last row of knots, and it isn't counted in our price.
Don't measure the pad underneath, and don't measure the room. A 9 × 12 rug in a 12 × 15 living room is a 9 × 12 rug.
Most tape measures are marked in inches, but the calculator wants feet, so convert the inches into a decimal:
| Inches | Feet | Inches | Feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.17 | 8 | 0.67 |
| 3 | 0.25 | 9 | 0.75 |
| 4 | 0.33 | 10 | 0.83 |
| 6 | 0.5 | 11 | 0.92 |
So a rug that's 5 ft 6 in by 8 ft is entered as 5.5 × 8. That's 44 square feet, with a cleaning total of $286.
Handmade rugs are rarely perfectly square, and a rug that has sat under a heavy table for ten years may have crept a little out of shape. Measure both short ends and both long sides. If the two numbers for a side differ by an inch or two, use the bigger one. If you want to know whether a rug is a true rectangle, measure the two diagonals corner to corner. When they match, it is. When one is clearly longer, the rug is leaning, and you'll want to use the longest edges you found.
If a sofa or a bookcase is sitting on part of the rug, measure the sides you can reach, then lift a leg or slide a chair to check the hidden edge. That is better than guessing from the pattern, and the pattern repeats can fool you.
The arithmetic, with real totals
Enter your width and length in the calculator to see your cleaning subtotal. If that cleaning subtotal is $250 or more, pickup and return are free. Under $250, pickup and return together cost $50. Moving furniture off the rug and putting it back is an optional flat $50 on top, and it doesn't count toward the $250.
| Size | Area | Cleaning | Pickup & return | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 × 5 ft | 15 sq ft | $97.50 | $50 | $147.50 |
| 2.5 × 10 ft runner | 25 sq ft | $162.50 | $50 | $212.50 |
| 4 × 6 ft | 24 sq ft | $156 | $50 | $206 |
| 5 × 7 ft | 35 sq ft | $227.50 | $50 | $277.50 |
| 5 × 8 ft | 40 sq ft | $260 | Free | $260 |
| 6 × 9 ft | 54 sq ft | $351 | Free | $351 |
| 8 × 10 ft | 80 sq ft | $520 | Free | $520 |
| 9 × 12 ft | 108 sq ft | $702 | Free | $702 |
| 10 × 14 ft | 140 sq ft | $910 | Free | $910 |
Why a 5 × 8 costs less than a 5 × 7
Look at the 5 × 7 and 5 × 8 rows. The larger rug is $17.50 cheaper in total, $260 against $277.50, because the 5 × 8 crosses $250 and the 5 × 7 doesn't. The calculator shows whether your cleaning subtotal qualifies for free pickup and return.
That doesn't mean you should buy a bigger rug to save on cleaning. It does mean the $50 matters a lot on a small rug. The calculator includes any pickup fee in your total before you pay.
Several rugs in one booking
The booking form has an Add another rug button, and the cleaning subtotals of all the rugs in one booking are added together before the $250 check. The pickup and return fee is charged once per booking, not once per rug.
A 3 × 5 ($97.50) and a 4 × 6 ($156) add up to $253.50, which clears the line, so both come and go for free. Booked separately, the same two rugs would be $147.50 and $206, or $353.50, because each one would carry its own $50. If there's an entryway rug, a hallway runner and a bedroom rug that all need washing, put them in one booking.
Round, oval and irregular rugs
Width times length is the right answer for a rectangle and not much else. A round rug, an oval or a shaped hide doesn't have a clean two-number answer, so send us a message through the contact page before you book and we'll sort out how to measure it. The same goes for a rug you can't lay out flat to measure.
Where pickups happen
We collect in New York City and nearby parts of Long Island, Westchester, North Jersey and southwest Connecticut. The pages for Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Westchester and Bergen and Hudson counties say more about getting a rolled rug handed over, which is mostly a question of elevators and building rules in apartments and of driveway access in houses. The full price rules, including the furniture service, are on the cost page.