How to clean sheepskin and keep it clean
Keeping your sheepskin clean is not as hard as you think!
How to clean your sheepskin rug properly
Real sheepskin rugs are very delicate and need to be treated with care; sheepskin is a natural product and therefore very susceptible to damage if washed incorrectly. If your sheepskin doesn’t have any stain that needs to be removed or some type of larger noticeable area that needs to be washed, then washing your sheepskin would not be advised. If possible you should never have to clean your sheepskin for it to maintain its softness and color, however sometimes there is a need to wash it and if so here is everything you need to know to bring life back into your sheepskin rug.
Hand wash always comes before any machine washing when it comes to these sensitive skins. But if it can’t be avoided, always wash the sheepskins on the hand wash setting. Wash the sheepskin in cold – to lukewarm water with a maximum temperature of 108°F or 40°C. Always use a mild detergent and add a small amount of it directly onto the sheepskin. It is also important to avoid any type of products that contain bleach, bleach will damage the leather and will take away the softness of the wool.
Hand washing
If washing the skin by hand let the skin soak in lukewarm water with light dishwashing liquid or if available to you there is detergentes especially made for wool that can be used, however these detergents can be harmful for the leather part of the sheepskin rug so avoid direct contact with the leather if using these alternatives. After soaking the sheepskin lightly wipe at the area needing cleaning with a soft towle avoiding heavy rubbing once the stain has more or less subsided lie the sheepskin on a flat surface until fully dry however do not keep the sheepskin rug in direct sunlight to dry faster, the sunlight can damage the leather part of the hide and the sheepskins lifespan will shorten.
Washing machine
While washing sheepskin in the washing machine only use mild detergents and only wash it on the hand washing setting when it’s done washing do not use a dryer under any circumstances as it will destroy both wool and leather. Lay the skin out to dry on a flat surface away from direct sunlight and let it dry naturally.
Wine stains or other harder strains
The first thing to do if wine spilled on your sheepskin rug is to act fast with either a sponge, soft towel or paper, blot the spill to try to extract as much of the liquid as possible before moving onto other steps. It’s important to do this before to avoid the wine spreading more when trying to rinse it out directly. After you remove as much as possible with blotting rince the sheepskin in cold water with mild soap while rinsing the stain keep blotting but do not try to rub at the strain it will do more harm than good. After that let dry fully then repeat the process again blotting the stain with water and mild soap, keep doing this process until you see results you want. After washing your sheepskin a few times you can use a soft brush to brush out the sheepskin to restore more fullness into the wool.
Remembering all the steps for washing your sheepskin can be tricky and if your sheepskin needs amidet care it can be hard wasting time googling the correct way to do so. That’s why every time you buy a skin from us here at woolbase we make sure to include a pamphlet with the summarized information about your sheepskin and how to maintain its long and beautiful life!