Rugs are beautiful aesthetics that increase the cosiness of your house. Cleaning them, however, isn’t as comfortable as keeping them. Each type of rug requires a special rug cleaning routine, different cleaning products, and diverse drying techniques.
If you’re not careful enough, you could damage your beloved rugs permanently. You can dry-clean them if you want to ensure their safety. However, not everyone has the luxury to send their precious rugs to the dry cleaning every few weeks.
For that reason, learning how to clean wool, sheepskin, and shaggy rugs safely at home would save you a lot of headaches.
Maintaining and Cleaning a Wool Rug
Wool rugs are the warmest floor coverings you could have. They are much more durable than sheepskin rugs or shaggy rugs and come in many beautiful patterns. Whether you have a hand-woven carpet or a machine-woven one, wool rugs add vintage elegance to your house décor. Such a delicate fibre requires much attention and specific wool rug cleaning instructions to maintain its longevity for a lifetime.
How to Maintain a Wool Rug
Maintaining the beauty of a wool rug for a long time is a daunting task. Without professional care, you might be risking damaging the fibres of the rug. Thick wool rugs are known to accumulate a huge amount of dust in a short period. It’s necessary to regularly vacuum your wool rug at least once a week. If your rug is in a place of constant footfall, it’ll accumulate dirt faster than usual. In that case, you might want to consider vacuuming your rug every two to three days. Here are a few remarks you might want to consider while vacuuming a wool rug:
- Always vacuum it from side to side to ensure thorough cleaning.
- Don’t use a beater bar to vacuum, as it can damage the wool.
- Don’t vacuum the fringes unless your vacuum has a brush add-on.
How to Clean a Wool Rug at Home
The great thing about wool rugs is that if you dust them properly a few times a week, you won’t need to wash them frequently. Washing wool rugs once a year is enough to maintain their quality, especially if you own woven carpets.
It’s often recommended to professionally wash expensive woollen rugs. However, a careful wash using the right products would be equally effective.
To properly wash a woollen rug, follow these simple steps:
- Beat out the loose dirt on the rug.
- Vacuum the rug on both sides.
- Lay your rug on a clean dry floor.
- Wet your carpet evenly from all sides with cold water.
- Dilute wool cleaning detergent with cool water.
- Dip a sponge in the mixture and gently scrub the foamy liquid on your rug.
- Rinse the rug properly with cold water.
- Remove excess moisture by rubbing a towel along the rug.
- Leave the rug to dry completely in the open air.
Maintaining and Cleaning a Sheepskin Rug
Taking care of some fancy sheepskin rugs is trickier than taking care of wool rugs. That’s because they are made of wool on one side and leather on the other side. The problem here lies more on the leather than the wool, as washing leather could result in its disintegration. Before attempting to clean a sheepskin rug, you need to know whether your rug is a natural or a synthetic product. Synthetic sheepskin is made of materials like acrylic or polyester. Those types of rugs require a different treatment from real sheepskin rugs.
How to Maintain a Sheepskin Rug
Many experts would advise against washing natural sheepskin rugs, especially if you have had them for over a decade. Maintaining them and curing stains now and then is a much better option than washing them. Gentle brushing with a wire bristle brush would keep the softness of the wool without damaging the leather. In addition to regular brushing, It’s necessary to keep the rug away from direct sunlight. By doing so, you’re protecting the leather from decaying and preventing the discolouration of the wool.
How to Clean a Sheepskin Rug
If you feel that it’s necessary to clean your sheepskin rug, your first resort should be a steam cleaning. Steam won’t affect the leatherback of the sheepskin rug and would kill all the bacteria and microbes. All you need to do is to steam your rug for up to 10 minutes, and it’s ready for use once more. However, if you still think that washing your sheepskin rug is a must, here is how you can do it without damaging the rug:
- Soak it in lukewarm water for a few minutes.
- Add wool cleaning detergent with a little bit of glycerine to protect the leather.
- Don’t use any fabric softener or alkaline detergents that could damage the rug.
- Rinse the rug thoroughly multiple times.
- Dry the excess water using sponges, and leave it to dry away from the sun.
Maintaining and Cleaning a Shaggy Rug
Shaggy rugs are some of the softest rugs out there. Unlike wool and sheepskin rugs, shaggy rugs are easier to clean and maintain without the help of professionals. Because shaggy rugs are made of synthetic fibres, you could place them anywhere without worrying about them getting damaged.
How to Maintain a Shaggy Rug
Similar to wool, the high pile in a shaggy rug collects dust and other accumulated dirt. It’s hard to keep them clean when placed in high-traffic areas around the house. To maintain your shaggy rug, it’s effective to regularly shake off the dirt using a rug beater. You could also carefully vacuum between the threads.
How to Clean a Shaggy Rug
You don’t have to worry about your shaggy rug when soaking it in foamy water. Most of the synthetic fibres are unaffected by the alkalinity of detergents. You could easily hand wash your rug by bathing it in cold water and adding shampoo or delicate fabric detergents. Soak it in water for up to 20 minutes, then rinse it carefully. It’s preferable to dry rugs away from sunlight to prevent the fading of their colours. However, if you want to maintain their softness, it’s recommended that you steam them for 10 minutes instead of washing them.
To Sum Up
Rugs have been adding sophistication and elegance to many homes for years. Having those refined floor covers doesn’t come without a price. They need to be regularly maintained and cleaned to enjoy their beauty for years. However, professional cleaning for those types of rugs comes at a high cost. So, knowing how to clean wool, sheepskin, and shaggy rugs at home is your less hassle choice.
