Not mine, they belong to an elderly uncle who has dropped food on them for years. It's so trodden in that the rugs have gone past slimy to solid. Tried scrubbing them with a brush but some bits are so bad, it's made no difference. Tried hacking at them with a fork to break the 'crust' which helped a bit but it takes ages just to do a small section. He claims they're valuable and doesn't want them washed with water in case it damages them (this is a complete nonsense, though I suspect at least one is held together by the dirt so if I do wash it, it may fall to pieces). Is there a powder for cleaning rugs that will dislodge the dirt & push it up?
Am aware some companies clean rugs professionally but not sure about this - he is a bit senile & may accuse me of stealing them if I take them out of the house & would be anxious about complete strangers touching his belongings.
Realise I've ruled out lots of options, if there's no other way I will try to persuade him to let them get wet!! Thanks