How to clean a sheepskin rug

Most sheepskin rugs get cleaned far more often than they need to be, and far more aggressively than they should be. Wool is naturally dirt resistant and contains lanolin, which repels water and stops grime from bedding into the fiber. Left alone, a good hide stays fresh for years.

That said, things get spilled. Here is how to deal with it without destroying the rug.

Three things that will ruin a sheepskin

Start here, because these are the mistakes that cannot be undone.

• Hot water. Anything above roughly 86 degrees Fahrenheit will shrink the hide and make the leather backing stiff and papery. It does not come back.
• Regular laundry detergent. Standard detergents and anything containing enzymes or bleach strip the lanolin out of the wool. The rug will feel dry and coarse afterward, and it will start shedding.
• A tumble dryer, a radiator or direct sun. Fast heat dries the leather much quicker than the wool, which is what causes curling at the edges and cracking across the back.

Routine care, which is most of the job

Take the rug outside and shake it hard. That removes the majority of loose dirt and dust, and for a rug in a low traffic spot it may be all you ever need to do.

Every few weeks, brush the wool with a proper wool comb or a metal pet brush, working in the direction the fibers grow rather than against them. Brushing lifts the pile and stops the wool from matting together, which is the main thing that makes an older sheepskin look tired.

If you vacuum, use the upholstery attachment on a low setting and never a beater bar. A rotating brush head will pull wool out of the hide.

Long wool needs brushing more often than short wool. If you have one of our long wool sheepskins, a quick comb once a fortnight keeps it looking the way it did when it arrived. Short wool and curly wool need much less attention, which is worth knowing if the rug is going somewhere busy.

Spot cleaning a spill

Deal with it while it is wet. Almost every stain that becomes permanent did so because it was left.

1. Blot, do not rub. Press a clean dry cloth into the wool and lift. Rubbing pushes the spill down into the fiber and tangles the wool.
2. Scrape off anything solid with the edge of a spoon, working with the direction of the wool.
3. Mix a mild solution. Cool water with a small amount of wool detergent or a lanolin based sheepskin shampoo. Never neat detergent straight onto the hide.
4. Work only the affected patch. Dab it with a cloth dipped in the solution and wrung out well. You want the wool damp, not wet, and you want to keep water off the leather side.
5. Rinse the same way with a cloth and clean cool water, then blot dry and leave it to air.

For grease, a little cornstarch or talcum powder left on the mark for a few hours will draw the oil out. Brush it away afterward.

Washing the whole rug

Only when it genuinely needs it, which for most rugs is once every year or two at most.

Fill a bath or a large tub with cool water, no warmer than 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and add a wool detergent or sheepskin shampoo. Submerge the rug and move it gently through the water with your hands. Do not wring it, do not scrub it, and do not leave it soaking for more than a few minutes.

Drain and rinse in cool water until the water runs clear. Press the water out by hand rather than twisting. The rug will be extremely heavy at this point, so support it from underneath when you lift it.

If your washing machine has a genuine wool or hand wash cycle that runs cold with a very low spin, some hides can go through it. Check the label first, and if you are in any doubt, do it by hand.

Drying, which matters more than the wash

Lay the rug flat or hang it over a drying rack somewhere with moving air, out of the sun and away from any heat source. It will take a day or two.

While it is still slightly damp, gently stretch the leather side back into shape with your hands. Hides tighten a little as they dry, and a bit of stretching at this stage keeps the rug from shrinking and stiffening.

Once it is fully dry, brush the wool out. It will look flat and disappointing until you do, and then it comes back.

Natural colors and dyed colors behave differently

Undyed hides from our natural color range are the most forgiving, because there is no dye to lift or fade. Dyed sheepskins, especially the darker and brighter shades, should be kept out of direct sunlight and washed on their own the first time in case of any color transfer.

When to hand it to a professional

Large multi skin rugs, anything with a stubborn set stain, and any hide you are genuinely nervous about are all worth taking to a specialist leather or fur cleaner rather than a regular dry cleaner. Ordinary dry cleaning solvents are hard on tanned hide.

Our full sheepskin care guide has the complete instructions, and if you have a specific problem you would like a second opinion on, send us a photo. We have seen most of them.