Cleaning Old Wool Coats For Rug Making

Do not dry clean your rug.

Cleaning old wool coats for rug making. Old clothing that is too worn out to donate is the perfect material for making rag rugs. There are processes that will protect the foundation and the preserve the colors of the dyes. Make a braided rug from recycled wool. Fill another bucket with plain cold water.

Do use cool or lukewarm water and the smallest amount of shampoo cleaner recommended by the manufacturer. Never apply chlorine bleach ammonia or even oxygen bleach to a wool rug. The solvents used will dry out the natural oils in the wool fibers making them weak and brittle. This method loosens the dirt without pulling out the fibers.

The only time you should be taking any liquid cleaner to your vintage rug is to spot clean a stain. The quicker wool carpets dry the better. Always use a stain remover recommended for wool rugs like esr emergency stain rescue a gentle cleaner like woolite or simple dishwashing liquid and lukewarm water. I ve made a video showing you the best way to cut up t shirts to make rag rugs.

Use old wool blankets skirts and suits as the material for a braided rag rug and keep old wool out of landfills. If you ve rented a deep cleaning machine such as a rug doctor make an extra vacuum only pass or two without squeezing the red spray button to help recover moisture and speed up the drying process. Before starting work test a small patch of the rug. If you need a deeper more thorough cleaning of your vintage wool hooked rug you may want to hire a professional that deals in vintage rugs.

Ventilate the room well and use air movers or blowers in strategic positions to facilitate drying when possible. If you choose to clean your wool rug with a rented or purchased rug cleaning machine follow all of the rug cleaning machine manufacturer s instructions and test on a small area before making your first full pass. Cleaning wool carpets the right way. Do not vacuum your vintage wool hooked rug instead use a manual carpet sweeper or even a broom.

Add a bit of white distilled vinegar to help neutralize pet odors. Think of the havoc heat wreaks on a wool sweater. Don t steam clean your rug. Pour a capful of woolite or the recommended amount of a similar product into a bucket of cold water.

Once you cut it up into strips you don t notice any holes or staining in the fabric. Although this is the method used before vacuum cleaners were invented the method survived as homemakers quickly realized there was less and less wool on their rugs everyday after using beater bar vacuum cleaners. There was a reason they used to beat their in the old days for wool rugs cleaning.