How To Clean A Wool Rug

How To Care For A Wool Rug

You can extend the life of your wool area rug by keeping it well maintained.

• Frequently vacuuming your rug will help to preserve the beauty of the fibers. Vacuuming your new wool rug twice a week helps to reduce shedding and helps keep your home dust free.

  Pro tip: It’s completely normal for new wool rugs to shed. The shedding should slow down after a couple months with proper maintenance.

• Having people remove their shoes is another strategy that will help to extend the life of your rug and other flooring.

Eventually your wool rug will need to be cleaned. Dirt, spills and pet stains can make your rug look dingy and old. The following steps are the best way to clean a wool rug:

Shake It Out

One of the oldest tricks in the book and for good reason. Shaking out your rugs helps remove dirt and debris making your wool rug look like new.

• Roll up your wool rug and take it outside.
• Firmly hold the corners of the rug while you powerfully shake it. Continue shaking until dirt, debris and crumbs stop falling from the rug.
• If your rug is too large to shake by yourself, you can hang it over a railing, fence or clothesline then give the rug a good beating with a broomstick or other strong stick. Be sure to hit both sides of the rug.

Vacuum

• Vacuum your rug thoroughly starting with the back of the rug. Vacuuming the back of the rug (with the beater brush engaged) helps to loosen dirt within the rug fibers.
• If you have a long fiber rug (¾”+), consider disabling the beater brush while vacuuming the top of the rug.
• Avoid vacuuming fringe and knots with the beater brush. Any long fibers can be vacuumed using the upholstery attachment.

How To Spot Clean A Wool Rug

If your rug only has a few areas that need to be cleaned, then spot cleaning can do the trick.

• Remove and excess moisture or debris from the spot.
• Blot liquids (like urine or wine) with a clean towel.
• If the stain has dried use the edge of a spoon to remove solid debris. Mix together water with a small amount of mild detergent.
• Use a clean sponge to blot the spot with the detergent water. Be sure not to rub as this can drive the stain further into the fibers.
• Clean the sponge and repeat until the stain is gone.
• Then blot the spot several times with clean water until all the detergent is removed. Detergent left in the rug can actually attract dirt.

Deep Clean

• To deep clean a wool rug, mix together water with a small amount of mild detergent.
• Using a clean sponge, dip into the water detergent mixture and scrub the rug. Start at the corner and work in a grid pattern to go over the entire rug. Clean your sponge frequently.
• Once you’ve scrubbed the entire rug, go over the rug again with clean water. Be sure all the detergent is removed as it can attract dirt once the rug dries.
• Allow your rug to dry completely before putting it back in place on the rug pad. It’s best to hang the rug or elevate it in some way so that air can circulate until the rug is completely dry.

Power washing or soaking your wool rug is not recommended. If you still have stains after following the steps above, we recommend getting your wool rug cleaned professionally.