Dec 26, 2022

How To Clean An Alpaca Rug

Alpaca rugs are a delightfully luxurious kind of rug, but if you own one, you might be wondering how to clean it properly.

Online searches bring up a bunch of contradictory results, so we’ve put together a definitive guide on how to clean an alpaca rug. This complete care guide will ensure that your alpaca rug stays clean and soft for years to come.

We’ve been in the business for over 30 years, so we know exactly how to keep your rugs clean and safe.

How To Clean An Alpaca Rug

Alpaca rugs are a wonderful natural fiber alternative to synthetic rugs and are also a sustainable material. That means that you have to clean it differently from how you clean a synthetic rug.

Alpaca fur has some major advantages as a rug material because it naturally repels things like water and dirt. This means that you won’t have to clean your alpaca rug as often as you would clean a cotton rug.

Another way to extend the time between cleanings is to use a carpet protector, designed to help the natural repellant nature of your rug.

In fact, you should start cleaning your rug without using water, as this minimizes the risk of damage. But, if you need to wash it, our guide will ensure you can do it without any harm coming to it.

Shake It Out

The first step you should take when cleaning your alpaca rug is the same as cleaning any rug. Simply take the rug outside and give it a good shake. This should remove any surface dust on the rug.

While alpaca rugs do repel dirt, dust can build up on anything, and a good shake will often be enough to fully clean your rug. Doing this regularly will reduce the amount of other cleaning you will have to do.

But, it will need a deep clean occasionally, or a spot clean if you spill something on it.

Try To Clean It Dry

Like cleaning other natural fiber rugs, you don’t necessarily want to start out by wetting your rug. If this is just a regular deep clean, you can start by brushing the rug.

Brushing the rug with a standard hair brush is a good way to clean any fluffy rug. This can get rid of some of the dirt and dust that have settled into the rug, which might not come out with just shaking.

If this isn’t good enough to get the rug fully clean, then you can use a vacuum on it - but with extreme caution! Make sure you have a soft attachment to reduce the risk of damage to your rug.

Spot Wash

If something has been spilled on your rug, your best bet is to spot-clean it. This means that you don’t wet the entire rug, but focus on the areas that are actually dirty.

With alpaca rugs, they are only likely to get dirty in the short term if you make a mess on them. Apply a cool, damp cloth to the dirty area. You want to gently pat, and avoid harsh rubbing.

While alpaca rugs can last for a long time, they are not durable in the same way as synthetic olefin rugs. That means that you need to clean them differently from how you would clean an olefin rug.

For an even more effective spot clean, start with a carpet cleaning pre-spray. Our pre-spray speeds up the cleaning process and means you won’t have to scrub your rug and potentially damage it.

This technique should deal with any dirty spots on the rug. But, if you are still not happy, let’s go over how to fully wash your alpaca rug.

Careful Washing

If you need to fully wash your alpaca rug, it is important to be careful and follow our comprehensive care guide.

Cleaning a handmade rug is not the same as cleaning a nylon rug that you bought at the store. Handmade rugs in general need to be treated with care, and alpaca rugs are no exception to this.

You cannot put an alpaca rug into the washing machine, or else you risk seriously damaging it. Instead, you should hand wash your rug in a bathtub or bucket.

Using hot water will also damage your rug, so make sure to use cold water. Hot water causes alpaca rugs to felt, which means they will develop mats. This would ruin the texture of your lovely alpaca rug.

You also need to use a gentle cleaning agent, like the carpet cleaning products we sell. As before, you don’t want to scrub the rug, but rather gently work the cleaning product in.

Using our high-quality cleaning products also means that any dirt or stains will come right out, meaning you’ll have no reason to scrub.

Drying Your Rug

The way you dry your alpaca rug is just as important as how you actually wash it. Again, tumble dryers are a no-go as these will ruin your rug.

The first step in drying your rug is to roll it up in a towel to make sure that your rug is not soaking wet. You should not leave the towel on for too long, but rather just use it to get rid of excess water.

Then you can leave your rug out to dry. When drying, your alpaca rug should not be left hanging. While wet or damp, this could result in your rug stretching due to its own weight. You must leave your rug lying flat in order to preserve its shape.

Ensure that you do not leave your alpaca rug out in the sun to dry as this will cause it to fade.

Conclusion

While there is a lot of mixed information on the internet about how to clean your alpaca rug, our comprehensive guide answers any questions you may have.

With these techniques and our excellent product, your alpaca rug will always look as good as new.

Did you find our blog helpful? Then consider checking other guides:

How To Clean An Alpaca Rug

Shake It Out

Try To Clean It Dry

Spot Wash

Careful Washing

Drying Your Rug

Conclusion

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