4 Places I Use Outdoor Rugs Indoors

Fun fact about me, I have never used an outdoor rug on a deck or patio. However, I have and do use outdoor rugs indoors.

I do this for one main reason…to bring the outdoors in. Kidding!

I use outdoor rugs indoors in certain situations because they seem to be a little less precious than their counterparts and can withstand a tremendous amount of wear and tear. And, when something particularly gag-inducing happens (no, I don’t want to talk about it), the ability of these rugs to be cleaned with a pressure washer or hose is a godsend.

Now, I know rugs of all types have their particular ways of being cleaned and maintained. Each of us has our individual threshold of pain for determining if those various ways are easy or not, too expensive or not, or convenient enough or not.

Here are four places I use outdoor rugs indoors or have used them in the past.

Kid Rooms

I’m sure your kids are perfect angels. Mine too. And accidents never happen. Nope. Never. Not here. What even are those?

But hypothetically, if they were to say, do a science experiment in their room, or their room naturally becomes a science experiment, an outdoor rug can often survive that situation.

Don’t ask me how I know.

Near An Entrance

I have a braided outdoor rug right where we enter the house from our deck. This is a high-traffic area and probably the most used door in our home. Water and dirt are tracked in the house and all over this rug daily.

This outdoor rug does not show wear marks from the traffic pattern and if it gets really gross, I can take it outside, hose it clean, and it will dry pretty fast in the sun.

Outdoor rugs are great near an entrance to your home, in a mudroom, in a garage, or on a covered porch.

Basements

If you’ve ever had a basement with damp issues, an outdoor area rug could be a good idea for that space too.

The photo below is almost 20 years old, so feel free to judge the interior design from Young Me accordingly. I loved this room, but I have evolved a bit since then!

However, I do still have those picture frames, the doors, the black basket, the red tray, and the quilt peeking out on the back of the couch. I’m not sure if I saved my children’s artwork hanging on the door though. Sorry, kids.

Dining Rooms

I’m not a fan of rugs under dining tables, in general, because of cleaning issues and the trickiness of pulling chairs in and out on a rug.

However, in our Oregon house, I did place an outdoor rug under our dining room table because the tile floor under that table was freezing cold in the winter. I couldn’t take it!

An outdoor rug kept our feet warmer and I could aggressively clean that rug with no issues.

This photo is roughly 17 years old. I miss the windows in that house. I do still have that dining room set. I also have the candlesticks, the glass jar, the vases on the table, and the clock.

I love that my kids have only ever known one dining table. Every weekday dinner, all the special occasions, the board games, craft projects, and the homework have all happened at this table. If that table could talk!

Now, to address a point that will probably come up regarding the cleaning of rugs. I know many indoor rugs can also be washed off with a hose depending on what materials they are made from. I also know some rugs are more environmentally friendly than others. I know some rugs can fit in a washing machine.

The whole point of this story is just to let you know that there are no rug police. It’s true. That’s not a thing, thank goodness.

If a rug is labeled outdoors, you can still use it indoors if it works for you and your situation.

If this is a ‘good for you, not for me’ idea, that’s okay too.

In fact, that’s the beautiful thing about decorating. It’s personal and your home should reflect you and serve you and your family well.

Do you have a favorite rug? How do you feel about outdoor rugs? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know. You can always comment on this blog post, email me here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy Decorating!

Here are links to the outdoor rugs in our home:

NuLoom Braided Indoor/Outdoor Rug (Comes in 12 colors. I have the tan color in a 5×8 size and have had it since 2021.)

Novogratz Black Striped Rug (Had this one since 2018! Still looks new.)

NuLoom Striped Border Rug (Just got this one for our front porch. I’ve layered it under our welcome mat.)

Thank you for hanging out with me today. I hope you had fun! If you’ve still got some coffee left in your cup, I have another blog post or two you might enjoy.

Our New Living Room Rug Warms Up This Space

Teenager-Approved Unique Chess Sets and Merch

Buffalo Check Curtains For Our Kitchen

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