Five Ways to Clean Your Wool Rug

You have a stain on your favorite wool rug that you want to remove. After a bit of research both online and offline, you realize that there are various ways recommended to clean up your rug. But how do you know which one among the solutions will be suitable for your rug?

Wool rugs have natural fibers that are easy to get dirty and damaged. They gather stains, grime, and dirt over time. 

While it looks as though they would be a pain to clean, cleaning wool rugs is easy! All you need to do is follow a few steps to help make your rug look as good as new again.

This guide provides you with the best tricks and tips to clean and maintain your wool rugs.

Here are five easy methods to maintain your rug in a good condition. Let’s dive in!

Ways to Clean Your Wool Rug

1: Vacuum Regularly

One of the best ways of cleaning a rug and keeping it in excellent good condition is to vacuum it regularly — and properly. This is the cheapest and most effective way to remove dirt particles and soil from your rug before they become embedded into the rug’s pile.

Make sure to vacuum both sides of the rug thoroughly at least two or three times each until you clean all the dirt in your rug.

Make sure that the vacuum’s setting is right for the rug you are cleaning to avoid agitating the rug and damaging the fibers with brushes or beater bars. It is recommended to clean your wool rug with a vacuum that only uses suction.

2: Beat Your Rug

Another great way of cleaning your wool area rug is to shake out the dirt on it. On a sunny day, take the rug outside and hang it on a couple of chairs or porch railing. Use a rug beater or broom to hit all over the rug to loosen deeply embedded dirt and soil particles.

After that, you can use a vacuum cleaner to remove any debris that has been loosened. It also allows you to expose your rug to the sun which helps in getting rid of any odor it may have. 

3: Treat Spills Immediately

The wool rug's surface naturally repels liquids. Because of this, you have to avoid having stains on your rug as much as possible by taking care of stains and spills as soon as they happen.

If there are stains on your rug, you will have to spot clean them immediately. Pour a small amount of water on the stain to dilute, then blot with a clean, white towel or paper until the stains are transferred to the paper or towel.

4: Brushing/Sweeping

Brushing is one of the best methods to remove stubborn dirt such as pet hairs and certain debris that your vacuum missed. Use a carpet sweeper or brush for short pile area rugs. For a longer pile, a carpet rake works very well—sweeping is the best option for outdoor rugs. The rigid piles of the indoor-outdoor rugs do not attract dirt as quickly as other wool rugs.

5: Professional Cleaning

It is important to engage the services of a professional cleaning company every 3-4 years. The main reason for this is that dirt will eventually work its way into the rug and can damage the fibers over time.

A professional cleaning company knows to provide a deep clean for the rug and remove all dirt. This, along with proper home care, will keep it in great shape.

These companies also have staff who can repair damage to the rug and return it to its original condition. Attempting to wash one of these expensive rugs at home can be a disaster. Sometimes, it is better to leave it in good hands and only do the essential maintenance yourself.

Cleaning Methods to Avoid

If not treated with care, your rug’s fibers can be easily destroyed. Here are cleaning methods to avoid at all cost:

• Avoid the use of any cleanser which contains “oxy products or bleach, these chemicals are powerful enough to effect the color of the rug fibers.
• Do not use a steam cleaner to clean your rug or any other method that requires you to saturate the rug with water. This is because the wool fibers readily absorb liquids that penetrate the surface of your rug, and it will be tough to dry completely.
• Avoid using laundry soap, soda ash, or similar products. Alkaline cleansers can damage the wool fibers and may cause color bleeding.
• It is not recommended to use ammonia on wool rugs.
• Do not use any dry powder cleaners as well, as they can easily get trapped in the rug and may be extremely difficult to remove.

Preventative Measures

Apply these preventative measures to help maintain your rug and keep it in good shape:

• Ensure to clean your rug regularly, even before it becomes dirty, and vacuum frequently to remove soil particles.
• Use a washable entrance mat and frequently clean it so that it acts as a dirt and dust trap.
• If possible, restrict drinks and foods to non-carpeted areas of your home or office.
• Ensure to select cleaning products carefully, as some of them may be harmful to your rug’s wool fibers.
• Use window coverings to reduce sunlight exposure to prevent your rug from fading.

Conclusion

As you can see from the methods mentioned above, it is not complicated to care for your wool rug. To ensure that your rug is clean and in good condition at all times, employ the cleaning methods described in this article. 

The best wool rugs are available at Rugs by Roo. The company offers its customers the most incredible assortment of innovative and fashionable rugs. It has helped thousands of customers find the perfect area rugs for all spaces, and they can help you find yours as well!

For more information about what is rug click here.