How To Clean A Wool Rug?

bigspender2

Hi i have a 100% wool rug my dog has been sick on it 4 times and i can not get the stains out! does anyone have any tips?
cheers

comping_cat

Try sponging the stains with a borax solution ( i suppose washing powder will work if you dont have borax), then rinse with clear water with a small drop of antiseptic in it. Once its dry, try sprinkling with bicarb to freshen the rug, leave for about 15 mins then vacuum up.

owey

I think it will be dry clean only, we had a 6x4 rug and they wanted £65 to dry clean it. If anyone says that you can clean it with a carpet cleaner, they are wrong.

Anne_Marie_2

Not sure if this will help at all, but have just cleaned my very old sheepskin rug which was really manky. In all honesty, if it didn't clean up was going to chuck it, but it has come up really well.
Threw the rug into the bath and soaked in really hot water with a couple of scoops of oxy-clean stuff. Then into washing machine and put on a wool wash. Has taken days to dry.

Another possibility is a steam cleaner, but test on a small area first, might take a few goes to get rid of the stain.

kittiwoz

You could try Woolite or similar. Might not get the stains out but shouldn't harm the rug.

I think owey is mistaken about the carpet cleaner though. You can get low-alkaline carpet shampoo which says it is suitable for wool carpets. It is very foamy so it doesn't get the carpet (or coat) too wet. You rub it in so it all foams up and then blot it off with a barely damp cloth. I used it to clean a "dry clean only" 80% wool jacket once and in fact I hosed that down with the shower, but it was very mucky and a bit worn and only cost £22 so I wasn't willing to pay dry cleaning. You have to make sure that it is a wool safe carpet cleaner though. My parents use this stuff on their carpet, and also on the sofa, but it might be a high percentage wool mix like my my coat. Still I don't really see why it wouldn't work on a 100% wool rug though possibly I'm missing something.

janb5

Are there are any washing instructions on the label? Failing that you could use an industrial dry cleaning machine which is cheaper than a shop and maybe dry clean curtains at the same time?