3rd November, 2015
Care & Maintenance, Sheepskin Care

Everybody loves a sheepskin rug. The softness allows it to be used for many different things, it could be the first thing that your feet meet when you get out of bed, you can have it draped over furniture to make you never want to get out of a chair or whether it be just a decorative item in the household – they are warm and inviting.

But many would ask the question: how do you keep your sheepskin rug in such great condition? Well here are just a few tips to help you maintain the perfect sheepskin rug.

Firstly, you must remember that sheepskin is a natural product and it can be affected in different ways, particularly sunlight and damp conditions. If you have your sheepskin rug in strong sunlight, it could potentially dry out the skin on the rug resulting in it losing its wonderful softness.

Similarly, damp conditions can damage your beloved sheepskin rug with mould that will ultimately make the fibres curl up and again you risk losing that soft touch, so keep your rug away from risk of damp and if the rug does get wet (we know accidents do happen) then hang out the rug away from the sun to save the texture.

Of course with all natural products, washing is something that will cause damage, but like we said, accidents do happen and particularly those with young children, you have to be some sort of miracle worker to avoid any spillages on your beloved sheepskin rug.

You can purchase ‘Woolskin Wool Wash’ from many websites online, a wool shampoo that contains no harmful chemicals that will damage the skin.

If you do feel that the sheepskin has to be machine washed, then you have to have it on a very low temperature (30’ or below) and use your wool shampoo to clean.

It is critical that you do not tumble dry your rug or leave it to dry on a hot radiator, as this will cause permanent damage!

Obviously we don’t recommend washing the sheepskin rug at all because a natural product needs to be left in its natural state, so be extra careful with your sheepskin rug wherever it may be and if you do wash it, be very patient with the drying process to ensure it returns closest to its original state possible.

Things to remember:

  • Keep out of direct sunlight and damp areas
  • Use damp cloth with wool shampoo if possible
  • If machine washing, low temperature
  • DO NOT tumble dry or dry on radiator, let product dry naturally

You can view our extensive range of sheepskin rugs and appropriate cleaning products here.

If you would like more information on cleaning sheepskin please view the following articles: 

*this article was updated in January 2024