Dyeing a rug?

[CawCanny]

Has anyone successfully done this that could offer me some tips or recommend a product. We have a 8'x10' cream rug that's desperately dirty. It's obviously too big for the washing machine and the rug doctor shampoo machine I rented has failed to even faintly improve it! I've been pondering the idea of dyeing it a more practical colour but not sure if it's possible? I don't know what it's made of (maybe Polyester? it wasn't that expensive) it's quite shaggy and all one colour (filthy! )

If it is polyester it won't take the dye you can buy for domestic use. I would suggest either having it professionally cleaned or, depending on it's size, taking it to a launderette. Use one of their big machines on a low temp with bio powder. But do find out what it is made of for sure. Washing it might be 'kill or cure'!

Just realised I hadn't seen the dimensions - I doubt that will fit in even a large washing machine.

There is an excellent technique for cleaning rugs in powder snow, if you look on apartment therapy.com. I live in Sydney so no snow ever, so I clean my rugs by sloshing wool wash and water all over them and scrubbing with a stiff broom. you need a warm dry day for the rug to dry properly, though.

wouldn't recommend dyeing a synthetic rug, as I think the colour would take unevenly if at all, and it might bleed onto your floor.

Thanks for your replies, I can't find a label on it, I've looked under most of it but one corner is under the edge of our (v heavy) sofa so there's a chance the label might be there, I will check and see.
I could haul it outdoors to do the dying potentially so the floor would be ok. The rug itself weighs a ton too so definitely not a candidate for even the biggest washing machine in the world!

Meant to say I did try washing it too, with biological washing powder dissolved in super hot water, to no avail!
Zero snow here either!

No to hot water Caw: it 'fixes' stains. Too late now I guess. Always better to use cold water on stains or marks you want to get out before they stain. Also biological washing detergent works better at lower temperatures - too much heat will just kill the enzymes rather that activate them.

Whoops, wowfudge I guess I messed up on a few levels then! Its not so much stains even, it's just general black/grey muck. It's right by the door where a whole summer's worth of foot/pool/yard dirt has been trampled into it. Maybe it's time to replace...