October 24, 2020, 1:27 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Sheepskins provide comforting warmth. Draped over floors, sofas, chairs, or beds, they make homes much cozier during the cold season. However, cleaning them raises several questions for many people. Do sheepskins even need to be cleaned—and if so, how? Can you simply put them in the washing machine?
Sheep and lambskins are natural products that require surprisingly little maintenance. However, there are some care tips to keep in mind to enjoy these cozy accessories for a long time. While washing them in a machine is convenient, it’s not always recommended for sheepskins. Even a single machine wash can sometimes ruin the skin forever, as Fabian Birke from Gerberei Birke points out in a conversation with myHOMEBOOK.
1. Shake, Vacuum, and Rub Out
Not every dirty sheepskin requires intensive cleaning. Generally, sheepskins are considered antibacterial and self-cleaning. The wool fat produced in the sheep’s sebaceous glands, known as lanolin, provides a natural dirt barrier. Therefore, it is often sufficient to occasionally shake the sheepskin in fresh air to remove dirt, dust, and other small particles. This also helps the hair to stand up again naturally.
Afterward, the skin can be gently vacuumed if needed. If there are small stains on the skin, they can be carefully treated and removed with a damp cloth.
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2. Brush and Comb Sheepskins
Regularly brushing your sheepskin not only removes dirt but also maintains the hair, keeping it soft and fluffy for a long time. The expert recommends combing the sheepskin with a wire brush. There are also special lambskin or grooming brushes available in stores that work well for this purpose. Dried stains can also be effectively removed by brushing. “Sheep and lambskins should also be regularly maintained at a tannery. Special machines comb the wool, and the dust and adhering dirt are brushed out and vacuumed,” advises the expert.
3. Hand Wash
Larger stains can sometimes be removed by hand washing. With a mild wool detergent and cold to lukewarm water, stains can be rubbed out. But be careful! “Not every skin is inherently washable. The washability of skins depends on the tanning agent used during tanning.” Skins with chrome and Relugan tanning are washable because the tanning agents form a strong bond with the leather and do not wash out. Sheep and lambskins that are vegetable-tanned are only partially washable. Skins with white tanning should not be washed, as the leather would become hard and brittle upon contact with water.
Important for non-washable skins: Quickly blot up spilled liquids. If you must clean these skins, use as little water as possible. The skin should not soak through, and the leather should avoid contact with water.
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4. Clean Sheepskin in the Washing Machine
For skins with Relugan tanning, known as baby skins or medically tanned skins, machine washing is possible. These skins are recognizable by their characteristic yellowish fur and leather color. Expert Birke recommends washing the skin alone at 30 degrees Celsius on a gentle cycle without fabric softener. Wool and delicate detergents, as well as special re-greasing skin detergents, are suitable.
Afterward, the skin should not be dried in a dryer, in direct sunlight, or with direct heat. Instead, it’s better to:
- Let the skin drip dry instead of spinning it.
- Avoid drying it too quickly (not on a heater or with a hairdryer).
- Keep stretching it into shape while drying. “In a slightly damp state, the leather will regain its softness, shape, and size by stretching the fibers (e.g., over a chair edge or similar). Combing the wool afterward will restore its original wool softness and a more attractive appearance.”
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5. Dry Cleaning
Dry cleaning is another option for cleaning sheepskin. It’s important to explicitly ask in advance whether the skin will be treated with chemical defatting. Cleaning sheepskins requires special solvents that do not attack the tanning agent. Not every local cleaner offers this. Additionally, a high cleaning effort is involved, as many hairs come loose during the cleaning of the skins. You are on the safe side if you take your sheepskin to a tannery. There, it is cleaned and combed with special machines. With annual professional cleaning, sheepskins can remain wonderfully soft and fluffy for 25 to 30 years.