Care Information
The great news about wool is that it has a naturally inbuilt dirt repellent. The unique structure of wool means it resists soiling and releases dirt easily. It is important however to take care of your Fibre product to preserve the individual character of each piece. Your Fibre rug will retain its good looks and last longer if you follow the recommended care routine;
- Avoid direct sunlight to avoid UV damage
- Shake often
- Dry vacuum regularly
- Promptly attend to spills and stains
- Never rub, brush or massage the carpet pile when it is damp or wet
- Not suitable for bathrooms or outdoors, the moisture could damage the leather backing.
Recommended:
Dry vacuum regularly. At least once a week and more often in heavy traffic areas. This will remove free soil particles and surface litter, and prevents soil becoming embedded in the pile, causing accelerated wear by grinding at the base of the tufts.
We recommend the use of a plain suction-type vacuum cleaner. Turbo or revolving brush head attachments may reduce surface hairiness or frizzing. Beater bar and adjustable revolving brushes should only be used on the lightest settings.
Promptly attend to spills and stains (see the Stain Cleaning Guide below).
Spills & Stains
Any accidental spills and stains need to be dealt with immediately to avoid permanent damage. See the stain cleaning guide for advice on specific stains. Before using any stain treatment, make sure you have 'contained the stain' to stop it spreading further.
Soiling
More often than not, soiling occurs as the result of particles of dirt being walked into the rug from outside. Prevention is always better than cure, and door mats at entranceways create a barrier to soiling.
Staining
Staining occurs from the chemical bonding of a pigment with the wool fiber. Once this bonding has taken place, removal can be extremely difficult without causing some damage to the wool pile. This is why promptly attending to spills and stains is so critical.
Frequent and moderate cleaning is preferable to harsh treatment likely to be required if cleaning is done infrequently.
DO: 'Contain the stain'
- Blot up liquids straight away using a paper towel or clean cloth. In the event of any large area spills, we would recommend putting a clean towel down and standing on it to absorb a much liquid as possible.
- Scoop up solids immediately using a knife or spoon - try not to push the substance further into the wool pile.
DON'T:
- Rub wet wool pile... ever! This will damage the wool pile and can spread the stain further.
- Drown the wool in water or any other liquid.
With liquid stains, we'd recommend the use of a Wet Stain Remover - but again before any stain treatment, you must firmly blot up the stain first before applying. If you don't have any of the Wet Stain Remover handy, then the next best thing would be to dilute the area with lukewarm (not hot) water and re-blot thoroughly using a clean dry towel or paper towel, ensuring you do not rub the stain. You can continue to gently apply water and re-blot. The wool pile will not be damaged by water as long as you don't over-wet the wool, as this may cause water marks on the surface and may damage the backing.
Most oily or greasy stains can be removed, even after a period of time. However, certain stains may have a chemical reaction with the fiber and can cause irreversible damage.
Stain Cleaning Guide
There are a number of cleaning treatments that can be used, depending on the type of stain. However, BEFORE you use any of them, do make sure you have 'contained the stain' - firmly blotting up any excess liquid spills and scraping up any solids.
In the event of a very large stain, put a towel down and stand on it to firmly remove as much liquid as you can before applying any stain treatment. And remember, NEVER rub wet wool. Simply cross reference the type of treatment with the specific stain in the table below.
1. Stain Remover for Wet Stains**
2. One teaspooon of wool detergent with one teaspoon of white vinegar in one litre of warm water
3. Clear household disinfectant
4. Stain Remover for Dry Stains
5. Chill with ice cubes in a plastic bag. Pick or scrape off solids.
6. Mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of water
7. Nail polish remover (should not contain lanolin)
8. Surgical alcohol
9. Place absorbent paper over wax or paper towel and apply hot iron to paper. Wax will melt and be absorbed by paper.
10. Vacuum clean
11. Mineral turpentine
12. Seek assistance from a professional cleaner
| STAIN TYPE | STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 |
| Beer & spirits | 1 | 2 | |
| Bleach | 1 | 12 | |
| Blood | 1 | 2 | |
| Butter | 4 | 2 | |
| Candle wax | 9 | 4 | |
| Chewing gum | 5 | 4 | |
| Chocolate | 4 | 1 | |
| Coffee | 1 | 6 | |
| Cola & soft drinks | 1 | 2 | |
| Cooking oil | 4 | 2 | |
| Cream | 1 | 4 | |
| Egg | 1 | 12 | |
| Faeces | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Floor wax | 4 | 1 | |
| Fruit juice | 1 | 2 | |
| Furniture polish | 4 | 1 | |
| Gravy & sauces | 1 | ||
| Ink - ballpoint | 8 | 1 | |
| Ink - felt tip | 4 | 1 | |
| Lipstick | 4 | 2 | |
| Milk | 1 | 4 | |
| Mud (when dry) | 10 | 4 | |
| Mustard | 1 | ||
| Nail polish | 7 | 4 | |
| Oil & grease | 4 | 2 | |
| Paint (oil based) | 4 | ||
| Paint (acrylic) | 1 | 2 | |
| Rust | 6 | 12 | |
| Salad dressing | 1 | 4 | |
| Shoe polish | 4 | 2 | |
| Soot | 10 | 4 | |
| Tar | 11 | 4 | |
| Tea | 1 | 6 | |
| Tomato sauce | 7 | 2 | |
| Urine (fresh) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Urine (old stain) | 12 | ||
| Vomit | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Wine | 1 | 6 |
**if you don't have any wet stain remover handy, then lukewarm water will be the next best option and will do no harm, as long as you do not over-saturate the wool. Please ensure you have blotted up as much excess moisture as possible before gently squeezing any water onto a stain and then blotting up.
Wet Stain Remover
As with all spills, the first step is to 'contain the stain' so it doesn't spread any further, BEFORE applying any stain treatment. Use a clean dry towel or paper towels to firmly blot up the excess liquid prior to using the wet stain remover. If the stain covers a very large area, we'd recommend putting a towel down and standing on it to quickly blot up the excess. It is important to take up all the liquid you can in this first step as this will ensure you need to use less of the stain remover product and will also give you the best result.
It is tempting when you are in a panic to throw water or other liquids directly onto a stain, but that will only spread the stain further and can damage the woolskin backing.
Treating Red Wine Stains
The extent to which this happens is entirely dependent on the type of red wine and can vary markedly. Again, the most important thing is to firmly blot up as much of the red wine as you can BEFORE applying a wet stain remover, and then to continue to reapply and re-blot the area until no further color comes off onto the towel or cloth you are using. As the woolskin dries, the stain should lift further.
Happily, red wine is the one stain where a wet stain remover product can be used to some effect, even after the stain has dried off. If you still notice some discoloration after the stain has dried, try a repeat application to pull more of the stain out of your woolskin.
Dry Stain Remover
Designed to work on most food, drink, oil and grease-based stains and is suitable for woolskin rugs. Is effective on almost any dry stain that has not caused a chemical reaction with the wool fibers.
Rubbing a wet woolskin is an absolute no-no (it damages the wool fibers) so a dry stain remover is designed to be lightly applied as a spray and then the resulting powder vacuumed up using a fine nozzle. You should also check the manufacturer's advice for your specific brand of vacuum cleaner as some more modern vacuums can be sensitive to fine powder and lose their suction.
Woolskin Traits
Fading
In common with all textiles, your Fibre rug can be damaged from direct exposure to UV. Dark colors are the most vulnerable, but no rug is immune. To prevent UV damage & fading, areas exposed to direct sunlight should be avoided.
Indentations from Heavy Furniture
Place furniture cups under the legs of heavy furniture and regularly shift the furniture a few inches one way or another to give the pile a chance to recover. To revive flattened pile, you can use a warm steam iron over a towel laid on top of the rug. Hold the steam iron gently to the towel and use the steam button to inject steam - do not press the iron down on the towel as this could leave gloss marks on the rug underneath.
As with any type of floor covering however, your Fibre rug will need regular care to stay looking its best. To retain its good looks follow the recommended care routine.