How do you clean a pure wool rug?

Question

I have a beautiful beige wool rug in my lounge that desperately needs a clean. Can I do it myself or does it need specialist cleaning? If I can do it myself what`s the best cleaning products for it and the best way to do it? Many thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I have a huge pure wool rug which is all tufty, lumpy and shaggy and if it's like mine then as it's not a flat surface a carpet cleaner, steamer or shampoo wouldn't be any use on such an irregular surface, besides, doing so would shrink it and you'd be left with a carpet for a kids play house! You can either hire a professional or attempt it yourself using a damp towel and either woolite, or - as it's real, natural hair - regular hair or pet shampoo and then blot with a towel and dry as thoroughly as possible, afterwards open the windows and spray the rug liberally with sillicon spray, it's colourless and will make the rug water and dirt repellant, i did this with mine as soon as i got it home but as yours is dirty you will need to be cleaned first...good luck!

Answer 2

Do NOT take it to a drycleaner!  if the rug is worth anything, take it to a specialist as any liability for color run or correction of such should be their responsibility.  You can clean the rug yourself, but it's a pretty intense proposition.  Wet wool is smelly, and you need to have a really big area to allow the rug to dry.

Answer 3

Advice from a Rug Maker in India:

Use white Petrol for stains, spills or generall cleaning. White petrol . Do not scrub in case of stains/spills, use a clean white cloth and clean the stained area in a circular motion.

White petrol is available at petrol pumps or with your local drugstore

Answer 4

is it woven?  or sheepskin?

i had a woven one from ikea once and i took it to the laudrette and washed it in a huge washing machine.  i used a natural detergent and it worked a treat.  plus i saved a fortune by not buying chemical cleaning products.

Answer 5

2 ways.  Rent a rug shampooer, or buy the aerosol carpet cleaner that comes in cans.

Answer 6

Call the local drycleaner and see if they will do rugs.  That's the easiest way to get it cleaned.