A natural sheepskin rug is so easy and hassle-free to care for and it can look so good and new again after being washed. Of recent, I washed my two natural double creamy long-wool sheepskin rugs which I have been using beside my bed for more than 4years.
One thing you should bear in mind is that the best time for one to wash his or her sheepskin rug is during the autumn, summer, or spring. With a good carding brush, I gave my sheepskin rug a good brush to get out as much dirt I could before the rug gets wet and matt up more in the washing process.
I started by washing the big double sheepskin rugs in a bath with lukewarm water, and making use of little amount of the recommended sheepskin wool wash (Gorgeous creatures sheepskin wool wash). Take note that you can wash a single sheepskin in a washing machine if you don’t feel like hand-washing it.
When washing your sheepskins, ensure you don’t use detergents that are alkaline, iconic or contain biological enzymes. Refrain from making use of woolite or any other laundry detergent such as Tide; making use of them will cause damages to the sheepskin rug
The recommended wool wash was formulated to be harmless when used on both the leather and wool. The formulation of the wool wash is an important fact of difference in the sense that most wool washes will be so insidious to both the wool and leather; older sheepskins will begin to fall away from each other.
While washing the sheepskin rug, I avoided massaging the sheepskin rug excessively, so, ensure you don’t massage yours too much while washing it. You will want water to move throughout the wool in order to dislodge the dirt particles stuck in the wool, it’s best you massage gently. Have the water swished gently for 3 to 5 minutes, get the dirty water out and have the bath refilled with fresh lukewarm water to rinse the last dirt and soup away. Endeavour to repeat the rising of the rug till the water becomes almost clear.
After the rinsing, roll up the rug and squeeze out enough water as you can, allow it to drain for about more than 15 minutes and then move it to a washing machine that will squeeze out the excess water in it gently.
After spinning out the excess water with the help of the washing machine, I dried the sheepskin rug by laying it on a clean towel and making it lay flat. It is best to allow the leather dry slowly away from any form of direct heat such as artificial heat or direct sunlight; this will save the leather from shrinking and hardening.
You can also dry your sheepskin rug on a low heat setting; don’t use a hot heat setting, else you will have your sheepskin ruined. Ensure you don’t place your rug on a steam pipe, radiator or in front of a fan heater, doing so will cause damages on the sheepskin. Allow it to dry with natural air, avoid being tempted to accelerate the drying process.
