The Easiest Way to Clean a Lambskin or Sheepskin Rug

Cleaning a Lambskin or Sheepskin Rug

Mommy problems: My son puked on my lambskin rug.

Before the "incident" - My Lambskin Rug

So what now? Granted, the think probably needed to be cleaned anyway, but puking on the lambskin rug changed the scenario from probably needing to be cleaned to MUST be cleaned.

Now, you can take your rug down to the dry cleaners and pay a fortune close to the cost of the actual rug itself, OR you can follow this easy process for cleaning it yourself.

How to Clean and Lamb or Sheepskin Rug

1. Shake out the rug.  This will require two people and a sticky brush to get all the fuzz off you afterward.  Take the rug outside, each grab an end, and "shake it like a Polaroid picture!"

Hang to dry, stretch, and brush like the devil

2. Jam it in your washer.  I read a bunch of blogs that said it should be soaked in a bathtub with baby shampoo.  I did this and all it got me was a furry bathtub that smelled like a wet dog for a week afterwards.  Then I had to take the sopping wet mess and transfer it to the washer after I figured out soaking it wasn't working, so just skip that whole step and put it in your washer.

3. Replace detergent with baby shampoo.  Add a generous (like 1/2 a cup) of baby shampoo directly to the drum.





4. Use a delicate, but water-heavy setting.  I have a high-efficiency, front-loader that I set on warm water, low-spin, and bulky load.  Just let the machine do it's business and you will be shocked how clean and beautiful your rug will get.


5. Hang to dry.  I set a clothesline up in the garage and hung it (in half) to dry.  You must hang it to dry or the leather side will shrink and it will become mis-shaped.  Also, be aware that anywhere you hang it will smell like death for weeks, so the laundry room is out!

After Cleaning - Rug looks like new!

6. Brush it like you are Rapunzel's hairdresser.  Every couple of hours, brush out the hair, giving the leather a good stretch as you do this.  Once dry (about 2-3 days later), give it one last good brushing and it should fluff back to it's store-bought condition.

7. Don't let your child puke on it again for 12 - 18 months. With care, your rug will look as good as new until the next disaster.

*A little mommy humor bonus: While soaking my rug, my child rushed in and started freaking out when he saw the limp pile of sopping white fur because he thought I was drowning our white dog.  Then he ran out and tripped over the dog.  I couldn't stop laughing at this mommy moment!

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