Cotton Rugs

A cotton rug is one woven from cotton yarn rather than wool or silk. The pile is short, the rug is light enough to lift with one hand, and many pieces are washable. Cotton is also the fiber most Anatolian rugs use for the warp, where its low stretch holds the foundation straight.

Cotton does two jobs in rug making, and they are worth separating: it is a pile fiber in its own right, and it is the structural thread underneath a great many wool rugs. This page covers both, the patterns cotton is woven in, how it compares with the other fibers, and how to wash one without shrinking it.

What cotton does as a pile, and what it does as a warp

As a pile, cotton is flat, cool and matte. It has none of wool's spring, so a cotton rug does not lift back after a chair leg has stood on it in the way a wool pile does, and it does not have wool's depth underfoot. What it has instead is lightness, a short even surface, and the ability to go through water. A short pile also means there is less depth for dust and lint to settle into, and what does settle comes out with a vacuum rather than staying down in the fiber.

As a warp, cotton is doing something else entirely. It stretches less than wool under tension, so a cotton-warped rug comes off the loom straight and stays rectangular, and it is strong enough in a fine gauge to carry a very high knot count. That is why the fine workshop traditions use cotton warps under wool and silk pile, and why the back of a good hand-knotted rug is usually cotton.

The patterns cotton is woven in

Cotton takes almost the whole design range, in both hand and machine construction.

• Afghan — the drawing of Afghan weaving worked in cotton. It sits well against cream and wood, in classic and modern rooms alike, and because these are usually handwoven they want professional washing rather than a machine. See Afghan rugs.
• Ethnic — tribal drawing and color, woven in cotton, wool or synthetic yarn and by hand or by machine, so no two pieces in the group behave quite alike. See ethnic rug designs.
• Damask — the repeating formal motif, made both ways. Handwoven damask is worked in natural yarn such as cotton; the machine-woven version is usually synthetic, and the two feel different underfoot. See damask rugs.
• Geometric and abstract — shapes, lines and grids on one side; drawing with no fixed order at all on the other. See geometric rugs and abstract rugs.
• Oushak pattern — geometric motifs, flowers and stylized animal figures from the Oushak repertoire. Cotton yarn sharpens the edges of the drawing while keeping the handle soft. See Oushak rugs.
• Classic and modern — historic drawing, generally handwoven and made in a wide range of sizes; or plain contemporary work made both ways. See classic rugs and modern rugs.

Why a cotton rug is light, cool and washable

The practical properties follow from the fiber and the short pile.

• Light. A cotton rug of a given size weighs a fraction of the wool equivalent, so it can be rolled, moved between rooms and shaken out without help.
• Cool. Cotton does not insulate the way wool does, which is a drawback in January and the whole point in July.
• Washable. Many cotton rugs can be washed, and some are made for a domestic machine. See machine-washable rugs.
• Short-piled. Less depth for dust and lint, and easier to clear what does collect.
• Stable. Cotton stays soft with age rather than hardening, which is a common complaint about cheap synthetic pile.
• Often reversible, sometimes non-slip. Some flat cotton rugs are usable on either face, and some are made with a non-slip backing. Both are worth checking on the product page rather than assuming.

Cotton against wool, viscose and jute

Fiber	Underfoot	Washing	Best for
Cotton	Flat, cool, light	Many pieces washable; shrinks if handled badly	Kitchens, children's rooms, summer, layering
Wool	Warm, springy, dense	Professional washing; infrequent	Living rooms and bedrooms kept for decades
Viscose	Soft, high sheen	Marks with water; specialist cleaning only	Low-traffic rooms where the sheen is the point
Jute	Coarse, dry, textured	Dry cleaning only	Neutral ground layers under smaller rugs

Compare wool rugs, viscose rugs and jute rugs, or the whole of the natural fiber group.

Where a cotton rug belongs

Anywhere the rug has to be picked up and cleaned. A cotton rug works in a living room or a sitting room, and it is the obvious answer in a kitchen, where things get spilled, and in a child's room, where washability matters more than depth of pile. In a bedroom it gives a cool, flat surface beside the bed. Smaller classic pieces do well on a balcony, in an entrance hall or as a runner.

Where it does not belong is a cold room in winter or a floor that wants depth underfoot. That is a wool question, or a kilim if the room needs something thin but firmer than cotton.

Washing and caring for a cotton rug

Cotton fiber can shrink when it is wet, which governs everything else. Day to day, vacuum on a low setting; that removes almost all of what accumulates in a short pile. For a deeper clean, professional washing is the right answer for most cotton rugs, and for anything handwoven it is the only sensible one.

Where a rug is marked as washable, a few rules keep it the size it was. Test any detergent or shampoo on a corner first to see whether the color moves. Wash cool rather than hot. Set the spin correctly rather than at maximum, and dry the rug flat and out of direct sunlight, since sun fades cotton dye quickly.

Local marks rarely need the whole rug washed. Coffee, tea and fruit juice come out with a mild detergent and a damp cloth. A soft brush can be worked over solid soil, but not as part of a routine and gently on anything handwoven, where scrubbing distorts the structure. Between washes, a lightly damp cloth and air drying are enough. Read how a rug is washed before sending one out.

Frequently asked questions

What is a cotton rug?

It is a rug woven from cotton yarn rather than wool or silk. The pile is short and flat, the rug is light, and many pieces are washable. Cotton is also the standard warp fiber underneath wool and silk pile.

Are cotton rugs machine washable?

Some are, and the product page says so. Where a rug is washable, test the detergent for colorfastness first, wash cool rather than hot, set a moderate spin, and dry the rug flat out of direct sunlight.

Why does a cotton rug feel cool underfoot?

Cotton conducts heat better than wool does and the pile is short, so it holds no insulating layer of air against the floor. That is a disadvantage in winter and the reason cotton rugs come out in summer.

Where should a cotton rug not be used?

It is the wrong choice for a cold room in winter and for any floor that wants depth underfoot, because cotton neither insulates nor springs back the way a wool pile does. Wool or a kilim answers those rooms better.

What is the difference between a cotton rug and a viscose rug?

Cotton is a plant fiber that is matte, hard-wearing and often washable. Viscose is a manufactured fiber with a high sheen that marks permanently where water touches it and needs specialist cleaning rather than washing.

Why is cotton used for the warp of a wool rug?

Cotton stretches far less than wool under tension, so a cotton-warped rug leaves the loom straight and keeps its shape. It is also strong in a fine gauge, which is what allows a very high knot count.

Do cotton rugs shrink?

Cotton fiber can shrink when it gets wet, which is why hot washing and hard spinning are risky. Washing cool, spinning moderately and drying flat keeps a washable cotton rug at the size it was bought.

Related collections: wool rugs · handwoven kilims · natural fiber rugs · machine-washable rugs