I have a rug that I love. The problem is that it has clay all over it. I don’t mean just a few places, but several individual places that have dried up over the years. It became the Play-Doh carpet after we moved into a new house that was pretty much all carpet (yes, I mean everywhere, even in the kitchen!) After finally installing a new hardwood floor, I couldn’t Finding another rug that I loved as much as the original, so I decided to take care of cleaning it … and it worked! Here’s how you can get Play-Doh out of your favorite rug or rug:

1. Brush it. Sounds simple right? However, it took desperation to try the simplest way to clean it. I thought it would be there forever, or it would take too long to work on it. But by far the easiest way to remove most of it is to simply let it dry and gently brush it off with a stiff brush (like a small scrub brush). Don’t brush too hard, or you will destroy the pile. Another way is to get a fork and insert it under the dry Play-Doh and above the underside of the mat. You will have to work at it, gently pushing, prodding and brushing the Play-Doh will actually loosen and break the Play-Doh enough for you to pick it up or vacuum it, leaving very little behind. In the event that you grind deep into the carpet, you will have to work a bit more, but most of it should come off. Anything that remains can be fixed in the following two options.

2. Re-saturate. Play-Doh is actually a water-based product, so wetting it again will not leave it in its previous state, but it can make it mobile enough to be removed from the carpet with gentle strokes with a cloth. The best way is to try using water with a little dish soap and pat dry until it is removed, but I am never that patient. I patted it and then rubbed it lightly, and it still came out without ruining the rug.

3. Try “Goo Gone” or other all-purpose cleaners. You’re not really supposed to use them on the carpet. They will work great, but they say don’t use them on the carpet not only because it can destroy the carpet or loosen the pile, but because it can affect the color too. However, if you can’t find another way and you want your rug to be presentable, you can try using this method sparingly to lift up the leftovers. There are no guarantees, but I used this in a couple of strategic areas with no negative effects.

So if you thought you’d never get that Play-Doh out and you need to make your rug presentable, don’t give up hope without at least trying the first two methods.