Cleaning sheepskin rug: Here’s all you need to know

Your throw is easy to maintain

Just like with a pair of good shoes, you need to take care of your lambskin. Don’t worry though because it’s very easy and by the time you have finished reading this article you will be an expert.

You’ll love your sheepskin

A natural lambskin product can quickly turn out to be one of your favourite items. If you treat it right it will bring you great joy for many years. There is nothing I love more than sinking my hands into my own throw made of Icelandic Sheepskin. I am one of those who look forward to autumn so I can wear my favorite woolen jumper!

And I am not alone! Sheepskin products are one of the most popular products in history. In history? Yes … IN HISTORY! The first sheep were domesticated between 9 000 to 11 000 years ago and there are evidence of tanning processes that are almost as old.

You need to treat your lambskin the way you care for your shoes

You are walking on the street when someone suddenly stops you. “May I kindly ask you where you bought your incredible shoes?”

Oh yes, that’s the feeling that I want to help you keep alive. If you want your sheepskin to steal the show, even as time goes by, read this and prepare yourself to be showered with compliments.

Humans clearly have a natural necessity to feel the softness and warmth of a wonderful fur pelt. It’s not strange that you will frequently find them in basically every television show ranging from “Game of Thrones” to “Marco Polo”.

Okay okay, you already know that sheepskin are amazing. But don’t these white, fluffy wonders get dirty? How in the world do you care for them?

So perhaps you are thinking of buying a lamb rug but you don’t know if it’s going to mean a bunch of work for you to maintain it. Or perhaps you have already bought a fur throw and you want to know how to care for it? If so, keep reading because this article is for you.

The secret you need to know about sheep

Ever been to a farm and seen these animals in real life? Were they spending their time in ultra hygienic, super modern white rooms? Did you see them wearing a protective cover against rain and mud? Or were they walking around outside in a semi-muddy meadow?

You don’t need to clean them

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Sheep keep themselves clean. This occurs because of their natural characteristics that have been developed over millions of years of evolution, further perfected by almost 10 000 years of breeding. These properties were absolutely essential for the animals to develop in order to protect themselves against external threats.

Lanolin: The Super Ingredient You Didn’t Know About

Lanolin is the natural fat that you find in wool. It is the natural super grease that a bunch of companies want to extract from wool in order to make a range of products from skincare to lubrication. And guess what, the weight of fresh wool consists of between five to twentyfive percent lanolin!

Natural properties of wool:

Here’s a short list of natural characteristics that have been developed by sheep to keep them clean.

• Dirt repellent
• Resistant to: Water, flame, static electricity
• Anti-bacterial
• Hypoallergenic
• Resilient

But it doesn’t mean you don’t have to anything!

If you choose to buy a product made of lambskin, you will still need to do some maintenance work to keep it fluffy and clean.

The point is to take care of the sheepskin in a way that doesn’t force you to wash it. You do not want to get to the point where you have to use cleaning chemicals that eliminate the natural lanolin that keeps it clean. This article is meant to help you prevent this situation rather than teach you how to do the wash itself.

So here are some basic cleaning instructions that we always recommend to customers that buy our sheepskin butterfly chair:

Follow these easy steps to care for your lambskin

1. Keep it fluffy by brushing it

   If you sit on your pelt all the time, it will start to flatten eventually. You need to brush and shake the sheepskin regularly to avoid this from happening. How often, you ask? It depends on its usage. You will notice when the wool begins to flatten.

2. Shake it to help it repel dirt

   Since lanolin repels dirt naturally, you will notice that it’s quite simple to remove it by shaking your product. This helps the dirty particles that are loosely attached, basically fall off.

3. Avoid stains!

   Yes, the wool naturally repels dirt but please try not to spill wine, coffee or any other things that will stain it. These liquids are not naturally occurring in nature and sheep haven’t developed a way to protect themselves against it. If you get these types of stains you will be forced to make an effort to remove them at the risk of losing the lambskin’s natural potency.

4. If you get a stain anyway, do this.

   As I already mentioned, you do not want to use chemical detergents to remove stains from your sheepskin throw. They usually contain surfactants that affect the naturally protecting grease in the wool. Instead, use the cleaner that mother nature has given us: Starch. Simply dampen the wool a little, cover it with potato starch or cornstarch and rub it. Leave it to dry and then brush and shake the dry starch away. You won’t believe it but it actually works. I don’t know why it works so if you know I’d love you to tell me in the comments section below.

   Don’t overuse water though. It’s not good for the wool to get too wet. And take it easy with the water temperature. It’s not good for the lanolin to be heated too much. It’s enough if you use lukewarm water.

   You should repeat this step every once in a while even if you don’t get a stain in order to keep your pelt fresh.

5. Avoid direct sunlight

   Your sheepskin won’t get destroyed if you place it in the sun but it will lose its fine tone so I always recommend this part for long term use.

3 Easy And Effective Ways To Take Care Of Your Sheepskin

In summary, learning how to best take care of your Cuero Design Sheepskin, Sheepskin Stool and Sheepskin Butterfly Chair is pretty easy. You simply have to follow three easy steps:

1. 1. Occasionally remove the sheepskin seat and let it hang overnight in the fresh air. Shake the seat and brush the wool carefully.
   2. To remove stains and give the wool new freshness, spray with water until damp, cover with potato or corn starch and rub in. Leave it to dry.
   3. Vacuum or brush the starch away and then shake off any residues.

The Best Advice You Can Receive

Every company eventually has its own care instructions for sheepskin. There are countless of helpful guides that offer useful information. The best advice you can receive regarding your rug is to follow the instructions given to you by the person you bought it from.

Do you have any advice to share?

Have you had any good or bad experiences that we could all benefit from knowing about? Perhaps you have some good tricks up your sleeve? If so, please let us know in the comment’s section below!

Did something happen to your sheepskin? Let us take a look at it.

Help Me Restore My Sheepskin

Written by Maria Agustina Vouk & Nils Kjerstadius
www.waterfallwords.com