How to care for a sheepskin rug

A sheepskin is wonderfully easy to live with. The wool is naturally resilient, and most sheepskins never need a real clean. Here is the simple routine that keeps yours soft and full for years.

Shake and air

Give your sheepskin a good shake outdoors now and then, and let it air for an hour in the shade. Fresh air keeps the wool light and lovely.

Brush the longer wool

Brush a dry sheepskin now and then with a sheepskin brush, in short strokes in the direction the wool falls. On long wool, start at the tips and work towards the leather. Two exceptions: our white curly sheepskin holds its curls best without brushing, and short, shorn medical sheepskins do not tangle, so a shake is all they need.

Spills

Blot a spill straight away. Then clean just the wool with a little wool shampoo and a damp cloth, keep the leather dry, and let the sheepskin dry flat, away from heat and direct sun. Brush it once it is dry.

A deeper clean

We don’t recommend a washing machine: water that soaks into the leather can make it stiff. For a deeper clean, a professional cleaner who specialises in sheepskins is the gentlest choice.

A new skin

A new sheepskin can smell faintly of lanolin, the wool’s own natural grease. A few days of fresh air and it fades.

Looking for your next favourite spot to curl up? Browse our sheepskin rugs and Icelandic sheepskins.