Sheepskin rugs can often pick up dirt and dust, whether they are on the floor, your chair or even hung on the wall. Follow our simple care instructions below to revive your sheepskin rug to it’s original splendour.
NB: The below instructions are suitable for use with Glencroft British sheepskin rugs only, that have been tanned and finished in the UK from British sheep. Other sheepskin rugs (including Glencroft ICELANDIC sheepskin rugs which are NOT machine washable) may not be suitable for laundering, please read the label or contact the manufacturer to check.
General Care – 3 simple steps
- BEAT AND SHAKE – Take your sheepskin rug outdoors and give it a very good shake to remove dust and other dirt particles. If required ‘beat’ the sheepskin rug with a broom handle or similar implement.
- BRUSH – Brush your sheepskin rug with one of our sheepskin rug brushes (featured in the image above) – you can also buy similar brushes in pet shops sold as ‘dog brushes’ or ‘slicker brushes’. This will remove dust and also make your rug fluffy again if it has gone a bit flat. It is normal for some wool to come off on the brush.
- VACUUM – Once shaken and brushed, run a vacuum cleaner over your rug to pick up all other dust and dirt particles.
We usually find that these 3 steps are sufficient to keep your rug clean for many years without the need for other washing or laundering.
How to Wash Sheepskin
Avoid all heat! Glencroft 100% British sheepskin rugs can be machine or hand washed if necessary using the following instructions. Please note washing can remove natural oils from your sheepskin rug making your rug feel slightly less soft. Only wash if you absolutely have to, as our 3 general care steps above are usually enough on their own.
- Pre-soak in COLD water to 30°C maximum, using a MILD WOOL detergent.
- Gently hand wash OR wash on your machine’s WOOL CYCLE in cold water (again, 30°C maximum).
- Rinse until the water is clear. Spin dry on the SLOWEST SPIN CYCLE to remove excess water.
- Comb wool while still damp.
- Slow drying will give the best results for your sheepskin rug. Hang to dry over two lines away from direct sunlight or artificial heat like radiators.
- When nearly dry, stretch by hand in all directions and finally to the required shape
Dry Cleaning
Speak to your local specialist dry cleaner to ensure any chemicals they use will not affect the sheepskin. We’ve never (as yet) tried dry cleaning our sheepskin rugs so we cannot comment on what the results would be.
- Download these Glencroft British sheepskin rug washing instructions as a PDF to share or print.
- Download Glencroft Icelandic Sheepskin Rug cleaning instructions as a PDF to share or print. Our Icelandic sheepskin rugs are not machine washable.
Shop Glencroft British sheepskin rugs, poufs and Icelandic sheepskins here.
