Sheepskin rugs are becoming a staple in our living rooms. They add to the decor of the home and is an essential accessory to any home maker. This post will give you a detail introduction on what is sheepskin rugs, how to take care of them, where to buy them and what to look for in your purchase. It is going to be a long post so get ready your coffee : ).

What are sheepskin rugs

Sheepskin is made from the pelt of a sheep. These are then treated and processed before making into fabrics that can be used for clothing and rugs. Sheepskin has two different sides. One side looks liked suede while the other side comprise of wool or fleece.

They also come in different grades just like how wine, leather and diamond does. The main determinant of a good grade sheepskin is what they called ’seed contamination’. The logic is straightforward. The more seeds that are present in the sheepskins, the higher the chance of them getting into the pelt and causing internal tearing and scars to the tissues. These tissue tearing in turn will lead to holes in the actual skin itself. Given that a good sheepskin should not have holes, it makes sense to conclude that seed contamination will be a major factor in determining the grade and eventually the price of the skins.

Benefits of sheepskin rugs

Sheepskin rugs have many positive qualities that make them great for rug making. Aesthetically, sheepskins rugs enhance the design of the home by adding a touch on high end luxury feel. By placing the rugs in strategic places such as the living room or the entrance of the house, it can create a sense of nobility for your visitors. Texture wise, these rugs are soft and inviting, making it ideal as a gathering point for families to chat and lie around.

Sheepskin rugs have natural resistant to things like fire and static. Hence, they are safe to be placed near fireplaces or electric outlets. In addition, they are also hypoallergenic which means people with allergies will not have problems enjoying the comfort of the rugs.

How to buy sheepskin rugs

When buying these rugs, I highly recommend you to go for quality rather than trying to save some money and buy a cheaper but lower quality rug. The reason is simple. High quality sheepskin rugs can last you  a pretty long time, especially if you know how to take care of it. In the long run, you actually save more money by not having to replace your rugs.

So, to pick high quality rugs, one of the criteria is to know where did the skin originate from. The best sheepskin is known to come from Australia and New Zealand.  These countries have a long tradition of producing and manufacturing sheepskin rugs so they have cultivate a high level of standard in their rug making.  Once you know that you are buying a rug from these countries, it is also a guarantee to the quality you will be getting.

Next to consider in your buying decision is the size of the rugs. They typically come in these sizes: 6’X9’, 8’X10’, 9’X12’ and 12’X15’. and even as large as 15’X18’. Note that the larger the size, the less variety you will have in terms of the designs as there is insufficient demand to warrant that kind of diversity.

So, how do you determine the size of the rugs? The primary factor is the size of your home and how you want to make use of the rugs. If you intend your rug to be the centerpiece of your living room, then you need to buy one that is large and has bright or distinct design to attract the attention of your visitors. However, if you want your rug to complement your furniture instead then it is better to buy a smaller rug with a monotone colors or plain designs.

When it comes to fitting into your room, make sure you take exact measure so that you don’t buy one that is too small or too large. One advice I have is to place markers on the floor where you want the rugs to be placed and see if it is ok. Once you are satisfied with the markers, then take a measuring tape to measure exactly how big a rug you need. Using my tips, you will never buy a rug that has the wrong size.

Buy sheepskin rugs online

If you want to save some money, then I suggest you go online to buy your rugs. Trust me when I say the best deals are often found online. What you need to do is to check out some big shopping sites like Amazon or specialized rug sites and look at the prices they are offering. Very often, they are about 10-20% lower than what you will get in a physical retail store.

If you are not comfortable with buying online, rest assured that many sites now offer good return policies and warranties, especially from branded sites like Amazon. With these policies in place, you need not worry about getting an inferior good and having no place to return to.

Here are some tips to look out for when selecting the sites to buy from. A good site will have a great navigation system that can guide you  clearly around the site. They also offer images of the products so that you know what you are getting. If a site doesn’t offer these qualities, it is likely that they are not too serious about online customers, which means you should steer clear of them.

How to clean and maintain sheepskin rugs

For regular maintenance , just use a vacuum cleaner to suck out all the dusts and dirt in the air from the rugs. This will not be difficult as these rugs are dirt resistant and will not attract as much dust as rugs made of other materials.  If there is a spillage, what you need to do is to use a dry tissue or cloth to first absorb the liquid. Once that is done, use a wet cloth to rub the spillage out of the rugs. Make sure that you use a gentle rubbing action to avoid rubbing the dirt into the rug rather than out. These rugs tend not to absorb the spillage so you just need to make sure to get off the surface.

If you want to wash your rugs, here is what you need to do. Put them in the washing machine and use a non-enzyme shampoo made specifically for washable sheepskin items. If you have a tough stain, then you need to pre-soak the rug in the shampoo for 20-30 minutes.  When washing the rugs, make sure to use only lukewarm water and use the gentle cycle option for the washing machine.  At the final rinse, remember to add in high-quality wool conditioner to soften the wool.

Once the washing is done, you can dry in either using the machine or lay them out in the sun. You can massage the rugs while they are drying so that they become softer when dried.

Tags: Sheepskin rugs

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 13th, 2009 at 5:41 am and is filed under Sheepskin rugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.