When cleaning a sheepskin rug it’s important to follow some important guidelines to keep the sheepskin and leather soft and in good condition.

First of all, consider if you really need to wash the rug – a good brushing with a sheepskin wire brush, spot cleaning and airing can work wonders.

If your sheepskin rug needs a full clean then make sure you use a specialist wool shampoo containing lanolin – this is important to replace the natural lanolin in the skin which keeps the fleece soft.

Handwashing is always best – give your rug a cool bath (temperature no higher than 30°C) and gently agitate the fleece in the water to remove the dirt.

Gently wring the water out of the sheepskin and hang over the side of the bath until it no longer drips water.

Stretch the sheepskin into shape and as its drying over the next few days keep stretching the leather periodically to keep it nice and supple.

Dry on an airer away from any direct heat – drying slowly in a cooler temperature will ensure that the leather doesn’t shrink.

Give your sheepskin a good brushing once it’s dry – if the leather feels a little stiff to begin with then ‘work’ the leather over the corner of a hard surface such as a table or worktop.  Your sheepskin rug will soon be as good as new!