Cleaning sheepskin rug
 

Let me apologise first as this is not a travel related question.I felt the only place I would get sound advice is here.

I bought a sheepskin rug in Victoria Market a few years ago.Its lying on my couch & the color has turned a dirty yellow.I've decided to spring clean my house.
The guy I bought it from claimed that I could simply wash it with water & soap.Is that true.If not,should it be shampooed?
Help!!

Hi - I found this weblink which may help

http://www.kiwi-sheepskins.com/sheepskin-care.asp

Thanks Daneille.A useful site,valuable tips

just don't put it in the dryer! A friend gave me a sheepskin way back when I was young and dopey, and I washed it and threw it in the dryer - ended up with a nice toilet lid cover...

We have an old one that we gave to the dog for his bed and just wash it in the washing machine (but not the dryer as stamiya said) and it was fine. I think I might have used quilt soap, but probably used regular detergent. A good one I would be sure to use a gentle soap, but they come out just lovely.
Sally in Seattle

You will get away with a few washes, but after a while the oils and chemicals used in the tanning process, which make the skin soft, will dissapear, and the skin will become stiff. Probably better to keep washing to a minimum, and don't use strong detergents. The actual wool should be treated like any woolen garment, wash gently, and dry with low heat, or outside. You can fluff the wool up with a fine wire brush

Thank you all, once again.Harsha

Hi from a genuine Kiwi brought up on a sheep farm .Toss in washing machine ( WOOL CYCLE ) , I use a wool detergent too. Hang on clothes line in sun to dry. While drying, brush with a strong hair brush also use wide toothed comb. I have had the same rugs for years and they come up like new with this treatment.

Listen to the Kiwi: Think about it ... sheep get dirty, it rains,they dry out and then when they're shorn, what do you have? Nice clean wool with, perhaps, a bit of grot at the edges. So, use some shampoo/wool wash as "heathy" says. Or handwash in a wool wash.

When was the last time you saw a sheep in a dryer (LOL) ???? :)

Ewe put it in a baaaaaath.