| ================= Washing Wool Rugs ================= ================================ Before trying any of these methods or ideas, be sure it is appropriate for your situation. ================================ § The rugs I have woven of wool weft and linen warp have been hand washed in the tub in hot water and a gentle soap. I used shampoo and I use shampoo on other finished goods in alpaca or wool. Back to the rug.. mine have been small and seem to be able to tolerate a lot of dirt without showing that much. I used my rug for a year or more without washing. Two others have been brushed, were woven several years ago and have never been washed yet. I did a soak, and rinse and then blotted as much water out as possible and dryed on a linoleum floor... flat. The soaking was done in hot water with minimal shampoo..swished around in the water. I then drained the tub, rolled the rug up to squeeze as much water out as possible, refilled the tub and pushed the rug down in the water a few times. I may have rinsed a 2nd time, can't remember but it seems logical if it was dirty. The blotting was done by rolling the rug up in thick bathroom towels and jumping up and down on the rolled up rug. Then I threw the towels in the dryer. The rug just stayed on the bathroom floor until dry and I flipped it over a few times. It stayed there a couple of days and then I moved it to under the kitchen table area which is where it usually lives . Washing does change the stiffness of the linen. It will never be that stiff again. Kim Kerley ------------ Snow cleaning is an excellent way to clean rugs if you live in a snow area. Use only freshly fallen dry snow. Leave the covered rug outside for a couple of hours to get thoroughly cold. Now put the dry, cold rug on the snow. Shovel clean snow on top. Now, sweep the snow off the rug with a new, stiff natural fiber broom. The first swept snow will be black. Repeat several times. You can add years to the life of a rug by putting a thin rug pad underneath. Susanne in Maine ---------------- (This is how) I clean my rugs woven with linen warp and wool weft. I lay the rug outdoors, on the clean, mowed and swept grass, and wet down with cold water from the outdoor hose. When thoroughly wet, I use a soft scrub brush with water mixed with ERA detergent. Not too much detergent, only enough to get any dirt out of the rug....I do *not* want to put a lot of suds into the fibers as that creates a need for excessive rinsing. When the light scrubbing is done, I once again wet the rug with the hose to rinse the rug. I leave the rug in the grass to dry, hopefully the sun will not beat down on it too much of the day. The grass allows air underneath the rug and the drying process is fast. Linen does absorb a lot of water, but dries quickly, at least for me. Wool can retain about 35% of its weight in water and still feel dry....that is one reason it is such a good insulating fiber for colder climates. My rugs usually dry in a day (I only wash on warm days so the moisture will evaporate.....I live in a very humid climate) and I have never experienced mildew or a moldy smell. I am not certain you can prevent the linen from softening, but using an 8/4 or 8/5 linen for the warp, and if the rug is well woven and packed, softening of the linen should have no drastic effect on the rug. Might make it a tad more drapey, but nothing to worry about. I only clean my wool rugs when necessary, preferring to vacuum thoroughly instead of washing, but every once in a while a good wet cleaning is necessary. Su Butler ----------- My wool rugs are woven on a linen warp. When I take them off the loom, I wash them in the washer--filling the washer w/warm water, letting the washer agitate for a very short while to full, then letting the washer cycle finish. After that initial wash, I wash the rugs, when needed, in the washer in cool water; then lay flat to dry. Only one washer has caused problems w/the warp ends (which are twisted and tied to finish). Rag rugs (on a linen warp) get tossed in the washer and dryer w/no problems--the best reason for using linen, since it doesn't shrink! Suzie Roddy ------------ Please do not use detergent on wool. It will break down the lanolin. Use a soap like (wool cleaner) or even better (a product) which restores the lanolin. Mickey Drake ------------ I feel if ERA is good enough for the Oriental rug dealers I know, it is certainly good enough for me. Detergent simply cleanses the item....it doesn't alter the pH and doesn't break down anything but the dirt in the item. It rinses away cleanly and leaves no residue in the final product. I have always heard (some wool cleaners) are one of the worst products to use on Wool as it alters the pH and breaks down the wool fiber over time. And as far as retaining lanolin, I prefer to remove it from any rugs I make as it causes dirt to build up far too quickly on any rug in use, makes the fibers pack down and appear felted and makes the rugs smell bad and seems to make them more palatable to moths. In all the years I have been weaving rugs, I have yet to have one that has been harmed by cleaning with water and detergent. Su Butler ---------- My mother-in-law had very large oriental rugs. She would, no more than once a year, maybe less often, put a small amount of ammonia in a basin of cold water. She dipped soft cloths in, wrung them out, and thoroughly wiped the surface of the rug. This must have cleaned the nap, because they looked beautiful afterward. They were vacuumed weekly with an old Hoover canister vacuum. They were never taken off the floor, but they were turned occasionally. They were in wonderful condition after 30 years. Pat Russo ------------ The debate about what to use to wash wool rugs is periodic and endless. And even the authorities often disagree. A great many of us who wash oriental rugs frequent use Orvus but some use any "unbuilt" detergent. Ivory Snow for dishes works well for me too. But there have even been debates about Orvus. A couple of folks indicate at a large rug conference a couple of years ago, that Orvus left a residue and that it was not ph neutral and could damage wool over the long term. This led some Smithsonian scientists to respond in Hali that while it was true that Orvus tended to leave a residue (although that could be reduced greatly with adequate rinsing) this residue functioned as a transparent "dye" that they compared with those in hair shampoos. They denied that Orvus has any detrimental long term effects. And on and on. R. John Howe ------------- I use soap flakes, sort of hard to find, but White King used to make it, and I think still does. Vermont Country Store also used to carry pure soap flakes. I make a slurry of hot water and soap flakes, add it to the cool water, agitate, add the material and wash. Use an extra rinse, if neccessary. Vaughn Drake, Western CO ------------- I've washed wool sweaters in ordinary detergent with a cup of vinegar added to correct the pH for years. I've even managed to wash them in the machine on a gentle cycle with no problems, although I don't recommend using the machine for anything but spinning them nearly dry. Other than maintaing a low pH, the other thing to watch out for is sudden temperature change. I've always followed the guideline that an acidic solution harms vegetable fibres and an alkaline solution will felt any animal fibre. This very basic chemistry has served me well, and I have machine washed wool sweaters that are now old enough to vote. warp --------------- Living close to Smithsonian has been a valuable help to me. I found out that what is used by the conservators when working with textiles is Orvus Paste (NOT ORVIS that is a clothing company). It is a ph neutral detergent that is the basis of almost all shampoos (sodium lauryl sulfate). The detergent will get out the oily dirt and the ph being neutral will not aid in the deterioration of the fibers. Because it contains no other additives it rinses out nicely. Most of the folks around here use it to wash their farm animals for county fairs and almost all of the feed supply stores sell it. It comes in a 5# container and looks like Crisco in the winter and Karo Syrup in the summer. I wash all of my woolen goods in it (I block wool sweaters). I have never had any trouble with the product and it leaves the sweaters clean and soft. I also wash my wool rugs with it and have the same result. Around here it sells for about $20 and lasts forever. Just a happy user of a great product, no affiliation with Proctor and Gamble. Bob Kelly ---------- I use Orvus Paste to wash my fleece locks before dyeing them. (The raw wool has already been washed once in liquid laundry soap.) It's great and the locks take the dye much better. I bought mine from Maiwa Handprints, Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. They supply materials and tools for all kinds of fibre and fabric dyeing. They are on the net and they ship. Merrilyn ---------- |
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| (The rugs I have woven of wool weft and linen warp have been hand washed in the tub in hot water and a gentle soap.) |
| (Snow cleaning is an excellent way to clean rugs if you live in a snow area.) |
| (I lay the rug outdoors, on the clean, mowed and swept grass...) |
| (The debate about what to use to wash wool rugs is periodic and endless. And even the authorities often disagree.) |
| (Living close to Smithsonian has been a valuable help to me. I found out that what is used by the conservators...) |