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By Shannon Palus, Gregory Han and Daniela Gorny Kitchen Matt
We've removed Safavieh's discontinued Ramona Rug, which used to be a pick.
Sometimes you need an area rug to cover ugly floors, to keep downstairs neighbors from hearing you walk around, or to make your place feel homey without spending a lot of money.
We spent more than 60 hours researching hundreds of area rugs, interviewing experts, and testing rugs with panelists. Then we put our feet on our favorites at home (and let a cat do his best to destroy them) for many more hours.
Of the 42 rugs we tested, we recommend 14 that come in multiple sizes, colors, and patterns. We have picks for flatwoven, low-pile, and high-pile rugs that will suit a range of rooms and styles.
Flatwoven rugs have no pile (fibers that stick up), and they’re easier to clean and good for high-traffic areas.
These rugs usually have fibers up to ¼ inch high; they provide a bit more cushioning than a flatweave but are still easy to clean.
Medium- to high-pile rugs have a more cushioned feel, with fibers between ¼ inch to ½ inch (medium pile) and over ½ inch (high pile).
Rugs with fibers longer than ¾ inch are considered plush or shag. They add plush cushioning but are harder to clean.
Even if you don’t fall in love with any specific rugs in this guide, there are many here that can point you in the right direction. We share the advice of design pros regarding which types of rugs function best in high- and low-traffic areas and what rug size to buy.
This guide combines the collective research and testing of three writers. Shannon interviewed four experts on rugs and home design: Lisa Wagner, a second-generation rug cleaner and blogger at Rug Chick; Elana Frankel, a design consultant who was formerly the vice president of creative at One Kings Lane and an editor at Martha Stewart Living; Rebecca Atwood, a Brooklyn-based designer and author of the book Living with Pattern; and Jessica Probus, currently at BuzzFeed, former interior designer and author of the book Home Decor Cheat Sheets: Need-to-Know Stuff for Stylish Living. We also consulted the design book Domino: Your Guide to a Stylish Home to learn tricks from pros Jessica Romm Perez and Shani Silver.
We sifted through editorial reviews and the websites of big-box stores and discount rug sellers, comparing the finer details of nearly a hundred rugs. We made trips to IKEA and ordered samples of more than two dozen rugs from a variety of retailers to put to a testing panel of nine people. For the 2020 update to this guide, Gregory Han called in four new rug styles, re-tested previous picks, and added long-term test notes to existing picks. Gregory is a writer at Design Milk and the former managing home technology editor for Apartment Therapy. Gregory has been writing about home design and products since 2006 for a multitude of design-focused outlets, including Dwell, Metropolis, and Domino. For an update in 2022, supervising editor Daniela Gorny added long-term testing notes on several existing picks and tested four new rugs.
Flatweave rugs have no pile—that is, no fibers that stick up. They’re a good option if you’re looking for a budget rug to cover a large space or to occupy a high-traffic area. Generally, a decent flatweave won’t cost as much as a quality rug with pile and will be easier to keep looking nice year in and year out. Flatweaves won’t trap as much dirt as rugs with pile, and they’re easy to vacuum or wipe down with a damp cloth. You can even machine-wash some of them, such as cotton rag rugs. When they do get stained, most are reversible.
Flatwoven rugs work best in kitchens or dining rooms (they’re easy to scoot chairs around on), or in playrooms (they provide a solid foundation for a tower of blocks). The softer ones can work in bedrooms, too. Consider starting with a flatweave as a base and adding a few smaller high-pile or shag rugs to make the room feel cozier.
Using a thick rug pad can make a big difference with these rugs, transforming them from something that feels most appropriate in a kitchen to a rug that is cushioned enough to put in a bedroom. With a thick rug pad, a flatwoven rug will feel springy underfoot and soften the effect of a rough surface. (Plus, it will provide a gentler landing pad for kids to fall down on.) On bare floor or over a thin antislip lining, your feet will feel every bump in the rug’s construction.
If you don’t use a pad, a flatweave can slip and prove hazardous. This type of rug also won’t hide a bad stain as well as a higher-pile rug.
This is one of the most affordable rag rugs we’ve found. It is reasonably durable and great for kitchen use because it can be washed, and it comes in a wide range of colors and sizes.
*For more sizes and colors visit overstock.com or amazon.com, $25 to $150
Best for: kitchen, dining room
Why it’s great: Rag rugs rank among the best choices for a kitchen, because they’re machine washable, and due to their rustic appearance they still look okay with a bit of wear and tear, like some loose yarns or worn spots. We like Safavieh’s hand-woven rag rugs, which cost less than most other rag rugs we’ve seen, feel comfortable to walk on, and come in a wide range of colors and sizes. The design, consisting of variegated yarns (or rags), means that most small stains will simply blend in. This rug is easy to flip over or toss in the wash—although the larger 8-by-10 versions may require a trip to the laundromat to use their large-capacity washers. At least, if you really ruin it, it’s inexpensive to replace (it’s the least expensive of the kitchen options we looked at). One of our editors has had the multicolor version of this rug since 2015, and it’s holding up well—just a few of the yarns have pulled out slightly. And the white one has held up well in a kitchen through a couple of years of testing; Shannon tosses hers in the wash every couple of weeks to keep the color nice. You can sometimes find Safavieh’s area rugs for better prices on Amazon, though the selection is a bit scattershot. A more unconventional version with a white speckled center and a bold border in colors from gray to hot pink is available at Target and Walmart.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: While soft, this rug is a little thinner and bumpier underfoot than many flatweaves—get a thick rug pad to go with it. This rug also may shrink slightly after washing; one editor found that her runner shrank a few inches in length (even with air-drying), so keep shrinkage in mind when ordering the size to fit your space. Another editor found that his rug warped in shape under the weight of an office chair rolling around, as well as the wear and tear of a cat clawing at it—unsurprising given that the weave of the rug is on the looser side.
Sizes: 2′ by 3′, 2′6″ by 4′, 2′3″ by 5′, 3′ by 5′, 4′ by 4′, 4′ by 6′, 6′ by 6′, 5′ by 8′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 10′, 9′ by 12′
Colors: blue, ivory, purple, ink, yellow, multi, gray, turquoise
These finely woven natural jute rugs are easy to maintain and barely shed. Unlike thick, bumpier jute rugs, these are thin and ideal for under a dining table or layering in a living room.
*For more patterns and sizes visit Revival, $100 to $1,400
Best for: dining room, kitchen, hallways, or layering in living rooms or bedrooms
Why it’s great: The Hart Jute Rug from Revival is a great natural fiber option for using under a dining table, as a runner in a hallway, or for layering with other rugs in a living room for a more cushioned feel. We like how soft the jute feels underfoot and that it barely sheds, unlike thicker and bumpier jute rugs. The Hart Jute Rug is flexible and finely woven, giving it a more delicate, flat appearance.
Besides the natural, unbleached tan color that jute is known for, the rug also comes in eight other colors. Like a flatweave, the Hart Jute Rug does not provide a lot of cushioning by itself (something you can adjust with a rug pad of choice). We tested the 5-by-8-feet size under a dining table and in a kitchen, and it was easy to vacuum and lightweight enough to shake out outside when it needed a deeper cleaning. You can also spot clean with some water, but jute is very susceptible to water and humidity, so avoid wetting it too much.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Two of the corners on our jute rug kept curling up for the first two months, even after we’d placed weights and bent it in the opposite direction, but Revival’s advice to bend and roll the corner seemed to finally do the trick. Most of Revival’s rugs arrive gently folded (instead of rolled), which means you can expect some creases when you unpack it. Besides the corners curling, we found most of these folds faded after a couple of weeks.
Sizes: 2′ by 3′, 3′ by 5′, 4′ by 6′, 5′ by 8′, 6′ by 9′, 7′ by 7′, 8′ by 10′, 9′ by 12′, 10′ by 14′, 12′ by 16′, 2.5′ by 9′, 2.5′ by 12′, and round and custom sizes
Colors: black, terracotta, olive, teal, sienna, navy, gray, natural (tan), light (white)
Shipping: free in the contiguous US
These tightly woven cotton rugs feel smoother and softer than a rag rug. We like that they are machine washable and come in a wide range of patterns and sizes.
*For more patterns and sizes visit Hook & Loom, $24 to $345
Best for: dining room, living room, bedroom, kitchen, kids room, bedroom
Why it’s great: Our testers named these flatweave rugs as a favorite for their interesting designs. They come in a vast array of colors and patterns (solid, striped, geometric), offering the most variety we’ve seen in a single line. Though their feel is far from the plush texture of a rug with pile, these rugs are softer than most flatweaves we’ve tested. To our testers, the weave was tighter and felt less bumpy underfoot than that of the multicolored rag rug we tried.
These flatweaves will resist signs of wear and tear. After being tested since 2016, they’ve held up well in a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, and they show dirt less than the other polyester-cotton blend competition (as Lisa Wagner writes on Rug Chick, polyester rugs love grabbing grime and pet hair). The small geometric patterns found in these rugs do a good job of masking marks and stains, as Jessica Probus, author of Home Decor Cheat Sheets: Need-to-Know Stuff for Stylish Living, told us. You can machine wash them, so they’re great for a location where they are likely to get spilled on (think kitchen or dining room), though you’ll need to take larger sizes to a laundromat.
Flaws but not dealbreakers:. A former staff writer owned one of these rugs and reported that it pilled at first. She complained to the company, and representatives offered her a refund and let her keep the rug. The problem then disappeared after she moved it from the living room to her bedroom—a lower-traffic area—and washed it a couple of times. Keep in mind that pilling could be an issue.
Sizes: 2′ by 3′, 3′ by 5′, 5′ by 8′, 8′6″ by 11′, 2′6″ by 9′, 3′ and 6′ round (for braided rugs)
Colors: wide variety of patterns and colors
This rug’s attractive woven pattern will add texture and interest to any room without commanding too much attention. We like that small stains and marks won’t stand out against the intricate lines of the weave.
Best for: living room, bedroom
Why it’s great: We saw a lot of rugs with patterns that were either too boring or too loud. The Dash & Albert Herringbone Woven Cotton Rug strikes a Goldilocks-worthy balance between interesting and understated. Colors such as ocean, dove grey, stone, and coral are neutral yet more intriguing than your typical cream or navy. The fine herringbone pattern will hide small marks or stains, to boot. Our testers noted that this rug had a slight texture underfoot that felt pleasant, though not as soft as some of our other favorite flatweaves. One of our editors, who has a young child and a dog, has used this rug since 2017 and said: “It’s been pretty solid. It gets a lot of wear from being in one of the most trafficked areas in the apartment, and while there are a few snags in places, they don’t look bad or particularly noticeable. The design hides dirt and stains well, and the material is easy to clean.”
Flaws but not dealbreakers: This rug comes in relatively light colors and has a significant amount of white. We wouldn’t recommend it for high-traffic areas, or rooms where kids and pets will track dirt or eat food. It’s also pricier than most of the rugs we tested for this guide. When we put this rug through the washer and dryer—Dash & Albert recommends hand washing or professional cleaning—it shrank by 10% in area, on a par with the other rugs we cleaned this way. Like most flatweave rugs, we recommend getting a rug pad to avoid any slipping.
Sizes: 2′ by 3′, 2.5′ by 8′, 2.5′ by 12′, 4′ by 6′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 10′, 9′ by 12′ (swatches also available)
Colors: Swedish blue, indigo, ocean, citrus, dove grey, stone, coral, sky
Shipping: free for orders over $100; $10 flat rate for everything under $100
This is the softest, nicest-looking large wool rug we’ve found for around $300. It comes in four patterns, and the black-and-white-striped version is a favorite of design blogs.
*For more sizes and colors visit ikea.com, $200 to $300
Why it’s great: Of the budget rugs we looked at, the IKEA Stockholm was one of the few we liked that consisted largely of wool (it has cotton warp and weft and a wool surface). We tried this rug in an IKEA showroom, and it was the only flatwoven rug there that we really liked in our under-$500 price category for a large rug. It has a great price for a wool rug, and it’s softer than the other budget wool rugs we put our hands on. Of the five patterns it comes in, we’ve most often seen the black-and-white-striped Stockholm pop up on design blogs. This particular pattern suits a range of decorating styles, as noted on Apartment Therapy: “It gives formal antique-filled rooms some punch and brightness. It serves as a neutral backdrop for more modern rooms.” If you live close to an IKEA store, you might want to pick up this rug in person.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The wool will shed at first (which is normal), so you’ll need to vacuum it regularly. The striped version we examined in an IKEA showroom looked a little dingy from foot traffic. We’d think twice before putting the black-and-white version in a home with lots of foot traffic from kids (or even a home where you don’t have a no-shoes-inside policy). It also feels rougher than our other favorite flatweaves.
Colors: black and white striped, red and white striped, yellow (net pattern), gray (net pattern), brown (checkered pattern), orange (zigzag)
Shipping: $10 to $100, depending on location
If you like the look of the striped Stockholm but want a softer rug or more color choices, this all-cotton rug is a good option. The smaller stripes aren’t quite as bold.
Best for: living room, bedroom
Why it’s great: The Safavieh Montauk Rug (Striped) (previous called Juliette) is a nice alternative to the IKEA Stockholm. Testers liked the soft feel—it’s softer than the Stockholm—and it’s available in more sizes. Since it’s made of cotton, it can go in the wash.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Even though this rug is all-cotton, we sucked up a significant amount of fiber the first several times we vacuumed it. The stripes are smaller than those on the Stockholm, lending the rug a beachier look. The white areas make this rug more prone to stains and looking dirty. The sizes aren’t consistently available in every color. Like all cotton rugs, this one will shrink slightly if you put it through the dryer. Note: Safavieh names a lot of their rugs under the "Montauk" name. The one we recommend here is the alternating striped pattern, similar to the IKEA Stockholm above.
Sizes: 2′3″ by 7′, 4′ by 6′, 5′ by 7′, 8′ by 10′
Colors: light blue, blue, light gray, gray
This 100% recycled polyester flatweave rug, with its neutral yet contemporary modern design, should adapt to most decor and nearly any room setting. Plus, it is durable, comfortable, and easy to clean.
Best for: living room, bedroom, office
Why it’s great: If you’re looking for an area rug with a contemporary, yet neutral design that whispers hygge—cozy, comfortable, warm and welcoming—the Burrow Cape House rug is a solid pick on looks alone. Its heathered chevron pattern is subtle like a well-loved sweater. The tightly woven rug also impressed us with its ability to withstand the stress of stretching cat claws despite its prominent loops, and a couple of “I don’t remember the cat eating that!” cleanup incidents, living up to its advertisement as a low-maintenance and easy-to-clean floor covering. And unlike some rugs made with polyester, the overall texture was neither too slick or silky, a credit to its chunky weave.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Like most flatweave rugs, the Cape House rug performs best when paired with a rug pad underneath to avoid sliding around. Burrow also sells their own rug pad, which you can add to your order when selecting your rug size.
These quality flatweave organic-cotton rugs come in neutral and geometric patterns and can be machine-washed and hung to dry.
*For more patterns and sizes visit Revival, $110 to $430
Best for: dining room, living room, bedroom, kitchen, kids room
Why it’s great: Revival’s flatwoven machine-washable cotton rugs feel soft and substantial underfoot, unlike thinner synthetic rugs advertised as machine-washable (like our Ruggable pick). They are 100% cotton, come in several patterns, and like other flatweaves, are relatively easy to wash. The rug we tested was the Holding - Taupe in 3′ x 5′, and while the colors did fade slightly after a couple of washes, it has held up well after several months of use. By itself or with a thin rug pad, this rug is better for kitchens and high traffic areas, but when combined with a thick rug pad underneath, this rug could work well in bedrooms and living rooms where someone may want a more cushioned surface. Most of Revival’s rugs arrive folded (instead of rolled), which means you can expect some creases when the rug arrives, but we found most of them faded after a couple of weeks. Revival has also released denim and recycled polyester washable rugs, but we have not tested those yet.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The rug size we tested was 3 feet by 5 feet, and while it washed well and easily fit in a standard top-loading washer (like most cotton flatweaves), cotton is heavier to handle when it gets wet, so washing anything 6′ x 9′ and above may get tricky and/or require a larger washer.
Sizes: 3′ by 5′, 4’ by 6′, 5′ by 7′, 6′ by 9′
Colors: several neutral earth tones and patterns available
Low-pile rugs have yarns that usually extend up to ¼ inch from the rug’s backing. The surface is flat and supportive but also provides more cushioning than a flatweave rug. They’re great for dining rooms since you can scoot chairs around on them, but bare feet will also have a nice surface to rest on. Low-pile rugs work well in kids rooms, since they’re soft enough for kids to roll around on and are generally easier to clean than higher-pile rugs. (Low-pile rugs are commonly found in schools.) These rugs will also benefit from a thick rug pad.
These two-piece and lightweight machine-washable rugs are in a category all their own, available in hundreds of styles and eleven sizes. But we don’t recommend them for high-traffic areas.
Best for: lower-foot-traffic areas like kid playrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, and where heavy furniture won’t sit on them (so they can be easily removed for washing)
Why it’s great: Ruggable rugs are unlike any other option we tested, offering a two-piece design that combines the appearance of a traditional floor rug with some of the feel and function of carpet tiles. The Quadra Teal design we tested is Ruggable’s main type of rug, which they call a chenille rug. It comes in many color and design options. Ruggable's Classic Low Pile rugs are only ⅛-inch thick (thinner than most low-pile rugs), so they can more easily be thrown into the average-size washing machine. This system consists of a rug pad and a rug topper (the “topper” is the actual rug), which is not unlike the setup we recommend for most of our picks, but with Ruggable rugs the pad is not optional. The Standard rug pad is ⅛-inch thick and made of polyester and thermoplastic rubber, similar to a yoga mat. The Cushioned pad is about twice as thick as the Standard (⅖ -inch thick) and much more supportive. The thin water-resistant rug topper, made of polyester, then attaches securely to the pad.
When the topper is combined with the thinner Standard pad, the result is a low-pile rug that looks and feels more like carpet tiles—firm, but comfortable—than something we’d call cozy. Still, for spaces where the everyday thrills of spills are a reality of life, Ruggable’s design makes a strong argument for compromising a little comfort for hard wearing convenience. Our smaller 3-by-5-foot sample on the Standard pad also proved to be a pretty good workout mat, sufficiently cushioned and nonslip for cardio, and never exhibiting any pilling. We also tested one of their shag rugs, which we were not a big fan of (more info in our Competition section). In 2022, we found that people on staff who used their Ruggable topper with the thicker Cushioned pad were much happier with their setup. The Cushioned pad is more expensive but we think most people will be happier with a more supportive and cushioned rug.
In 2023, Ruggable added Premium Medium Pile rugs, which are just over ¼ -inch thick (7mm). Compared with the ⅛-inch (2mm) Classic Low Pile, the Premium rug feels more substantial and plush underfoot. Paired with the thicker Cushioned rug pad, this rug feels even more thick and luxurious. The surface still has that synthetic, slippery feel that most polyester rugs have, but if you like a thick rug and prefer being able to throw it in the washing machine, we think it’s worth the upgrade.
The Premium Medium Pile rug isn’t available in as many sizes or styles as the Classic, but Ruggable said it will continue to expand the line. It was tricky fitting the 6-by-9-foot Premium version we tested in our standard, 4.5-cubic-foot washer, but it was still possible. Keep sizing in mind for anything above 5 by 7 feet, or if you have a smaller washing machine.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The rug we tested laid flat almost immediately upon unrolling, but one side remained curled every so slightly before we used a kettlebell to press the stubborn corners into place. In 2022 we received feedback from several people on staff who own Ruggables that curling and edges lifting up was a widespread issue, especially in high-traffic areas like hallways and kitchens (which we expand on in our piece on Ruggables). Ruggable claims it started rolling out a redesigned rug in September 2021 that helps with the curling issue, but we haven’t tested the new version yet. People on staff who use their rugs in low-traffic areas—where activity is centered in the middle of the rug rather than around the edges, like playrooms and kids’ bedrooms—are still very happy with theirs, so for now that's where we recommend using them. Our original tester rug from 2019 is still holding up great, even after dozens of washes. In some instances we found the rug can sound a little squeaky as it acclimates to a space, but the sound fades with time and use as the pad compresses.
Sizes: 2.5′ by 7′, 2.5′ by 10′, 3′ by 5′, 5′ by 7′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 10′, 9′ by 12′, 6′ round, 8′ round
Materials: polyester with a polyurethane water-resistant barrier, thermoplastic rubber pad
Colors: wide variety of colors and patterns
Shipping: free (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, and the US territories)
These square-foot-size tiles inexpensively hide ugly flooring. They’re a good option if you like the look of Flor tiles but can’t afford them (these are one-fifth the price).
Best for: kitchen, dining room, kids room
Why it’s great: If you need to cover ugly flooring—say, linoleum in your living room—on a bare-bones budget, these Lowe’s indoor/outdoor rug tiles are a great option. They cost less per square foot than any other rug we tested and are similar to the popular Flor tiles (though not as design conscious, they cost only a fifth of the price). You can easily install them in any configuration, thanks to peel-and-stick backing. Though they are thinner than Flor’s indoor/outdoor offerings, the texture is comparable: rough, but also a little cushy underfoot. The tiles are great for an area that sees high traffic from accident-prone kids or pets—if you damage a tile, you can simply remove and replace it. The adhesive should be easy to wipe off the floor with a cleaning solution (your mileage may vary depending on the surface you’re adhering to).
Flaws but not dealbreakers: These tiles look and feel industrial—like something you’d find in an office building or an elementary school. They won’t add the same unifying coziness to a room that other rugs will, and of everything we’re recommending here, they’re the roughest. Because they are tiles, they don’t have the finished edge most rugs do and will look best covering a space wall-to-wall. We’d hesitate to use these in a bedroom or living room.
Sizes: The square-foot-size tiles (which you can cut smaller for fine-tuning) allow you to make this rug any size you want it to be.
Colors: black, oatmeal, chestnut, ocean blue, denim, taupe, ivory, olive, mocha, sky gray
Shipping: free store pickup; shipping rates vary depending on location
This is the softest of the especially inexpensive rugs we tried. It’s a great choice if you need a large, affordable rug for a living room or bedroom. But it may end up looking dingy after a few years.
Best for: living room, bedroom
Why it’s great: Of all the lower-budget options we tested, the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis Area Rug was our favorite. At just a few cents more per square foot than the Lowe’s tiles, it’s the second-cheapest rug that we like—and it’s softer than other rugs at a similar price. It will make a living room or bedroom instantly look more homey and cozy without costing you a lot. It’s slightly cushy but not pillow comfy. We found that cat barf was easy to clean off the light-gray version. Amazon reviewers agree that it’s a good buy: “What an incredible rug for the price,” writes one. “It’s nice and fluffy and the color is exactly as advertised.” After some new testing in 2020, Gregory found that it was the ideal rug to do workouts on while quarantining at home, since shedding was almost nonexistent. Like our original testers, he also found it was one of the easiest rugs to clean while taking care of a sick cat at home.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: After using the light-gray version in a living room for five months, we found that it needed regular vacuuming to look nice, and that even small dark stains stood out. According to rug cleaner Lisa Wagner, this tends to be a problem with low-pile polypropylene rugs.
Sizes: 4′ by 5′, 5′ by 7′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 11′
Colors: brown, turquoise, gray, charcoal, orange
This nylon rug is easier to wipe clean and less prone to staining than some low-pile rugs. The neutral color and white trellis pattern can provide a nice backdrop for more dramatic room decorations.
Best for: living room, bedroom, kids room
Why it’s great: The pattern on IKEA’s Hovslund looks similar to that of the Persian Area Rugs 3028 Moroccan Trellis, but it’s easier to clean and not as prone to stains. It is, however, also not as soft. Gray is a great neutral color for a rug, according to design experts we spoke to: It hides dirt and is a little more interesting than khaki or white. The white pattern on the Hovslund adds a bit of dimension, as well, without commanding too much attention.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Although the white lines will show a stain more easily than the gray, they are thin, so a stain or a small color change from dirt won’t stand out as easily as it would on a rug with more white area. The super-low pile is made of nylon—which makes this rug easy to wipe down with a cloth.
Materials: 100% polypropylene, synthetic rubber backing
Colors: dark gray with cream lattice pattern
Shipping: $10 to $100, depending on location
Consider rugs with higher pile for areas of your home where you want a more comfortable surface, such as a bedroom, a living room, or an area where babies and kids might crawl around. Rugs with fibers longer than ¼ inch are considered medium pile, while those over ½ inch are high pile; those taller than ¾ inch are considered plush or shag. The higher the pile, the cushier and softer a rug will be—and the harder to clean.
Shag rugs, in particular, can make a room feel cozy, interior designer and author Jessica Probus noted. But they’re also great at trapping dirt—of all the budget rugs, they can hang on to crumbs, sand, and hair the most. According to rug cleaner Lisa Wagner, polypropylene tends to attract oil more than a material like wool. These rugs also require regular steam cleaning to keep them looking decent.
We like these rugs best in small doses: at the foot of a piece of furniture to support bare feet, for example, or as an accent rug in a playroom to create a soft spot where kids can lie down with a book.
Though high-pile and shag rugs are straightforward stylewise, we wouldn’t purchase one ourselves online unless we had seen and felt it in person first, or had a good recommendation for one. The majority of these rugs that we put our hands and feet on had dry, scratchy polypropylene fibers, a design that spaced the fibers too thinly and made the rug feel flat rather than plush, or both.
Minimalist in design and maximalist in feel, this wool rug warms up any room with its toe-curling soft texture and the richness of its dyes.
Best for: bedroom, living room, kids room
Why it’s great: Revival’s Ombre Wool Rug is plush, soft, and almost silky—the type of area rug we imagine most people want in rooms where comfort and warmth are paramount. Of all the rugs we tested, this rug offered the most supple and pleasant feeling to walk on. It would work great near a bed or in a living room where kids can play around. The rug is made of 100% wool with a cotton backing and has a medium pile (around ⅓ inch thick). We didn’t notice any unpleasant off-gassing, and it was fairly easy to spot-clean with some water and wool-friendly detergent. Unlike other rugs that ship rolled, Revival rugs arrive folded in a cardboard box. The faint creases from shipping were barely noticeable and faded after about a week.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Everything we like about this plush, soft rug may be a drawback in high-traffic situations. Like most wool rugs, it pills and is probably best in “no shoes inside” households, but we found the pilling did subside after the first few months. It’s a more delicate rug than a flatweave or polyester rug, and you need to get it professionally hand-washed every 3 to 5 years depending on your use (we also have more in-depth rug cleaning advice). Also, because of its deeper pile, you need a powerful vacuum to get dirt out from its depths (but avoid the rotary vacuum attachment). Revival also has more detailed rug care advice you can follow.
Sizes: 4′ by 6′, 5′ by 8′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 10′, 9′ by 12′, 10′ by 14′, 2′5″ by 9′, and custom sizes
Materials: 100% wool with 100% cotton backing
Colors: ombre red and orange, ombre taupe and pink, ombre green and yellow, ombre gray and blue
Shipping: free shipping within the contiguous US
The dense, soft fibers make it a great rug for a child’s room or any space to which you want to add a luxurious, plush feel on a budget.
Best for: bedroom, kids room
Why it’s great: The Safavieh Milan Shag feels amazing underfoot: “SO PLUSH!” wrote one of our testers. Of the six shag rugs we tested, this rug was one of our favorite budget shags. Unlike on the other shag rugs we tried out, the fibers are both close together and soft, not dry.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The fibers are long—2 inches—and particularly prone to trapping dirt. Even after our vacuum test, this rug held on to a lot of quinoa from our “dirt” test. This shag rug is great for the price, but if you think you want something extra soft and plush, consider the Hay Raw rug, a more luxurious (but expensive) shag option. If you’re not sure, consider ordering a small size to test it out first.
Sizes: 2′ by 4′, 2′ by 6′, 2′ by 8′, 2′ by 10′, 2′ by 12′, 2′ by 14′, 3′ by 5′, 5′1″ square, 4′ by 6′, 5′1″ by 8′, 6′ by 9′, 8′ by 10′, 8′6″ by 12′, 10′ by 14′, 7′ round, 5′1″ round
Materials: primarily polypropylene with jute backing
Colors: aqua, brown, dark beige, dark gray, gray, ivory, navy, purple, red (some colors not available in all dimensions)
We sifted through hundreds of rugs on discount home-decorating sites like Wayfair and Overstock, as well as on Amazon. We checked out the offerings from retailers such as Crate and Barrel, Pier 1 Imports, Target, Walmart, and West Elm, too. Yet per the advice of second-generation rug cleaner Lisa Wagner, we remained skeptical of the price of rugs from big-box stores, because such rugs are often made of the same materials as much cheaper counterparts on discount sites.
We originally called in samples of 38 rugs, all of which had positive owner reviews or came from a major retailer whose offerings we were interested in putting to the test. We were able to eliminate a couple of contenders immediately: one rug that felt more like a dish towel, and another that looked like a thin, faded ghost of a Persian rug. We set the rest up in the Wirecutter office in New York City and had nine testers walk around on them and give us their thoughts on the feel and design of each rug. For the October 2020 update to this guide we called in four new rug styles, which our writer Gregory tested in his own L.A. home due to the pandemic. In the future, we plan to bring these new rugs into the office to get more feedback.
Experts we spoke to advised going with a more neutral rug as a base layer and then adding smaller accent rugs on top—the way you’d add a colorful throw pillow to a plain couch.
After that, we did a vacuum test. We made a mixture of dry quinoa, cinnamon, and crumbled toast that mimic common messes and are easily stuck in fibers, and then sprinkled it over a selection of the rugs of different pile heights. The primary thing we learned from this test was: Don’t spill dry quinoa on your floor. It was a huge pain to vacuum up off every kind of surface.
We also stained swatches of several rugs with wine and chocolate ice cream to see how easy they were to clean off. Finally, we let a cat roll around on several samples of rugs. Egged on by catnip and treats, he pawed at the rugs; we observed which ones held up to his claws. In 2020, our rugs were stress-tested by Gregory’s two senior cats in his home that provided plenty of messes to clean up.
You can easily do these tests at home yourself. Many sites sell rug swatches for $1 to $25. If you’re buying from a retailer like Amazon or Wayfair, rugs often (though not always) come in a small size, such as a 3-by-5-foot version. We strongly recommend ordering swatches and samples of your top few choices, putting them to a foot test, and letting your pets hang out on them. (Ultimately, our vacuum and stain tests were less useful.) Rugs often look different in person than they do online and feel different than you might think—usually, in our experience, rougher. An 80-square-foot rug is a hassle to return if you’re not satisfied with it when it shows up. (Keep in mind: On the smaller versions of rugs, we found that the pattern could sometimes be on a slightly different scale.)
This felt-and-rubber pad offers the most cushioning underfoot of any we tried, and is also one of the best at keeping rugs in place.
Some rugs have a rubberized nonskid backing, in which case you may not need a rug pad. But if you do need one, a thick rug pad will help keep your rug firmly in place, protect floors and the rug itself from excessive wear and tear, and also provide more cushion underfoot.
The pad should be smaller than your area rug by 1 to 2 inches on all sides, so that the edges of the rug lie flat against the floor and don’t become a tripping hazard. This also reduces wear and keeps the pad hidden. If you have a good-quality pad, you should not need any additional adhesives to hold it in place.
Washable Door Mat Indoor After researching dozens of rug pads, interviewing rug cleaners and manufacturers, and testing 15 models, we found that the ¼-inch-thick