Wool Rug Care & Maintenance Guide

Five things never to do

Never soak it. A hand-tufted rug has a latex-sealed backing. Saturating it breaks down the bond and the pile will eventually shed in patches. This is the single most damaging thing you can do.
Never machine wash or tumble dry. Not on any setting.
Never use a rotating beater bar at full strength. It pulls tufts out of the backing.
Never rub a stain. Rubbing forces it deeper and distorts the pile permanently. Blot only.
Never use bleach, ammonia, or an alkaline cleaner. Wool is a protein fibre — these strip it and set the damage in.

The first eight weeks

A new hand-tufted rug settles. Here is what is normal and what is not.

Shedding is normal. Loose fibre from the cutting and carving stage works its way out for four to eight weeks. Vacuum gently and often; it slows and then stops. It is not a fault and it does not thin the pile.
A faint new-wool smell is normal. Air the room for a few days. It goes.
Roll creases are normal. Lay the rug flat, pile up, and give it three to seven days. Reverse-rolling it gently for an hour speeds this up.
Sprouting — a single long tuft standing above the pile — is normal. Snip it level with scissors. Never pull it, or you will unseat the neighbouring tufts.
Not normal: bald patches, a backing that is separating, or shedding that is still heavy after three months. Photograph it and contact us.

Vacuuming

Vacuum weekly. Twice weekly in a high-traffic room.
Use suction only, or a beater bar on its lowest setting. A hard-floor or upholstery attachment is ideal.
Vacuum in the direction of the pile, not against it. You can feel which way it lies with your palm.
Do not run the vacuum over the bound edge or the fringe — go parallel to it, or use the crevice tool.
Every few months, turn the rug over and vacuum the reverse to pull out grit that has worked through. Grit is what actually abrades a rug from the inside.
Wool naturally resists soil bonding, so consistent dry vacuuming does most of the work of keeping the rug looking new.

Spills & stains

Speed matters more than technique. Wool's lanolin gives you a short window before a spill penetrates the fibre.

Scrape up solids with a spoon, working toward the centre of the spill.
Blot liquid with a clean, dry white cloth. Press firmly straight down and lift. Do not wipe. Keep moving to a dry part of the cloth. Coloured cloths can transfer dye.
Work from the outside in so you do not spread the edge of the stain.
If more is needed: mix a few drops of clear, pH-neutral wool detergent into 250 ml of cool water. Dampen — do not soak — a cloth and blot.
Rinse by blotting with a cloth dampened in plain cool water, to lift the detergent out.
Dry by pressing a thick dry towel into the area with your weight on it, then let it air-dry with a fan on it. Never apply heat.
Restore the pile once dry with a soft brush in the direction of the nap.

Always test any cleaner on a hidden corner first and wait ten minutes.

Stain reference table

Spill	Do this	Never
Water, tea without milk	Blot dry, air with a fan	Apply heat
Coffee, tea with milk	Blot, then cool water with wool detergent, blot again	Hot water — it sets the tannin
Red wine	Blot hard immediately, cover in table salt to draw it out, vacuum when dry, then treat as a general stain	White wine, soda water, or bleach
Oil, butter, ghee, curry	Cornflour or talc for 20 minutes to absorb, vacuum, then a solvent-based wool-safe spotter	Water first — it spreads the oil
Ink	Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud, working inward	Any water-based cleaner
Pet urine	Blot heavily, then an enzyme cleaner rated for wool. Call a professional if it has soaked through	Ammonia — it smells like urine and encourages a repeat
Mud, dry soil	Let it dry fully, then vacuum. Only treat what remains	Attacking it wet
Candle wax	Ice to harden, chip off, then a warm iron over brown paper	Direct iron on the wool
Blood	Cool water and wool detergent, blot repeatedly	Warm water — it sets protein
Chewing gum	Ice to harden, then chip out with a blunt edge	Solvent, unless a professional applies it

Rotation & sunlight

Rotate 180° every six months. This spreads foot traffic and light exposure so the rug ages evenly rather than developing one worn path and one faded edge.
Keep it out of prolonged direct sunlight. Every natural dye fades in UV. Sheer curtains or a UV window film make a real difference.
Watch for furniture dents. Move heavy legs slightly every few months. To lift an existing dent: an ice cube in the depression, let it melt, blot, then brush the pile up as it dries.
Use a rug pad. It cushions the pile against compression and roughly doubles the working life of the rug.

Pets & children

Wool is a good choice for a home with animals and children — it hides soil, resists static, and does not off-gas. A few practical notes:

Keep claws trimmed. Snags are the main cause of pulled tufts.
Snip any pulled loop level with scissors. Never pull it out.
Deal with urine immediately with an enzyme cleaner rated for wool — it breaks down the uric acid rather than masking it.
For a child's room, choose a short dense pile and put a good pad underneath.

Professional cleaning

Have the rug professionally cleaned every eighteen to twenty-four months, or annually in a heavy-traffic room.
Use a reputable specialist who works with handmade wool rugs, not a general wall-to-wall carpet service.
Show the cleaner the material, weave and backing details from the product page before approving a method.
For latex-backed hand-tufted pieces, avoid methods that saturate the backing unless the specialist confirms the process is suitable.

Wall & mirror rug care

Wall rugs collect far less soil than floor rugs. A light vacuum on the lowest suction, top to bottom, every couple of months is enough.
Take it down twice a year and give the reverse a gentle vacuum.
To release creases, steam gently from 20 cm away — never press an iron onto the pile.
Mirror rugs: clean the glass with a barely-damp microfibre cloth. Never spray glass cleaner — it wicks into the wool bezel and stains it permanently.
Never rest a mirror rug face-down on a hard surface. Lay it on the wool side, on something soft.
Check the rod and wall fixings once a year. Wool wall pieces are heavier than they look, and mirror pieces heavier still.

Storing a rug

Vacuum both faces thoroughly. Stored soil attracts moths.
Make sure it is completely dry. Any residual damp will mildew in storage.
Roll it — never fold it. Folding creases the latex backing and those creases do not come out. Roll pile-side in, around a cardboard or paper core.
Wrap in breathable cotton sheeting or acid-free paper. Never plastic — it traps moisture against the wool.
Add cedar blocks or lavender sachets against moths. Avoid mothballs; the smell stays in the wool for years.
Store flat or standing upright in a cool, dry, dark place off the floor. Never stack anything on top of a rolled rug.
Unroll and air it for a day every six months if it is in long-term storage.

Repairs

Most damage on a hand-tufted rug is repairable, and often invisibly so — a re-tuft, an edge re-bind, a patch. If something has gone wrong, photograph it clearly and send it to us on WhatsApp or at craftaraliving@gmail.com. We will tell you honestly whether it is a home fix, a local job, or something to send back to us.

Manufacturing defects are covered. Photograph and report within forty-eight hours of delivery for transit damage.

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