Sheepskin cleaning
Sheepskin
Rug Cleaning,
by hand.
Natural lanolin is what keeps sheepskin soft. Warm water strips it. Our 6-step cold-only protocol cold-washes by hand, dries flat and brushes the fleece back to cloud-soft — since 1978.
Why sheepskin needs special care
Lanolin is the soul
of a sheepskin.
Sheepskin fleece holds natural lanolin — the oil that makes it cloud-soft, water-repellent and warm. Detergents and warm water strip lanolin on first contact, leaving the fleece stiff, yellowed and felt-like. Once stripped, it doesn’t come back.
The hide backing is leather — and like a cowhide, leather hates heat and over-wetting. Our protocol is cold water only, a lanolin-rich sheep-safe shampoo, gentle hand-agitation, then a flat air-dry followed by fleece re-brushing.
Cold water only
Below 65°F
Warm water melts lanolin and stiffens the hide. Every stage of our process is cold.
Lanolin-rich shampoo
Sheep-safe chemistry
We use a pH-balanced, lanolin-rich shampoo formulated for raw fleece — never generic rug shampoo.
Fleece brush-back
Cloud-soft finish
After the rug is dry we hand-brush the fleece in its natural lay to restore loft. The result is visibly denser and softer.
The 6-step sheepskin process
One hide. Six gentle stages.
See the full process ›
-
Inspection & brush-card pre-groom
We photograph the hide, check fleece density and any matting, then card the fleece by hand to lift loose fibres and embedded debris before any moisture.
-
Cold lanolin-safe shampoo wash
Submerged and hand-agitated in cold water (below 65°F) with a pH-neutral, lanolin-rich, sheep-safe shampoo. Yellowing lifts out, lanolin stays in.
-
Cold clear-water rinse
Rinsed repeatedly in cold fresh water until every trace of shampoo is gone. The leather backing is never agitated — only the fleece is touched.
-
Press extraction (no wringing)
The hide is pressed flat between absorbent pads to draw out water. Mechanical wringing or spin-extraction would crack the leather backing.
-
Flat air-dry, fleece-up
Laid flat in a climate-controlled room for 36 hours, fleece side up. No forced heat, no hanging — both warp the leather backing permanently.
-
Fleece fluff & delivery
Once dry the fleece is hand-brushed with a wool card to restore loft. The leather backing receives a light conditioner before the rug is wrapped in breathable paper and delivered flat.
Before & after
Receipts, not promises.
A cream Icelandic sheepskin, soiled and matted from years of foot traffic, hand-washed back to bright pile with our cold-water, lanolin-safe protocol.
Free estimate first
Every sheepskin is inspected before work begins.
Hide condition, fleece density and any backing or stitching repair needed are documented and quoted in writing first.
What we do for sheepskin
Six things we do on every sheepskin.
- Identify hide type: Icelandic longwool, Tibetan, New Zealand shorthair or quad-hide.
- Hand-card the fleece to lift loose fibres and embedded grit before any moisture.
- Hand-wash in cold, pH-balanced, lanolin-rich sheep-safe shampoo — never warm water.
- Cold clear-water rinse repeated until soap residue is gone.
- Press-extract between absorbent pads — no mechanical wringing or spin extraction.
- Flat air-dry fleece-up for 36 hours, then hand-brush with a wool card and condition the leather backing.
Service areas
Free pickup across the Bay Area.
Questions
What people usually ask about sheepskin.
My sheepskin has gone yellow. Can it really come back to ivory?
Yes. Most yellowing is oxidised body oil, not permanent dye shift. A cold-water lanolin-safe wash with a gentle brightener pre-treat lifts it cleanly in about 90% of cases. We’ll show you before and after.
Can you wash a large Icelandic longwool sheepskin?
Yes. Icelandic longwools get extra time in the soak stage because the fleece is so dense. Expect ten business days door-to-door.
Will the fleece stay soft after cleaning?
Yes — this is why our shampoo is lanolin-rich. Detergent-based cleaning strips lanolin and the fleece goes stiff; ours keeps it in the fibre. The brush-back step also restores loft.
Can you treat pet urine on a sheepskin?
Yes. Fresh accidents come out cleanly with an enzymatic pre-treat. Older urine that’s soaked the leather backing may leave a faint tidemark; we’ll flag honestly before we begin.
How often should sheepskin be professionally cleaned?
Once every 18–24 months for decorative pieces, once a year for pieces in high-traffic rooms or nurseries. Between cleanings, a fortnightly shake-out keeps the fleece fresh.
Can I machine wash a sheepskin at home?
We don’t recommend it. Home machines agitate too hard, use tap water that’s usually too warm, and over-wet the hide — which then dries curled. If you want to try, spot-clean only.
Clients
Said about our sheepskin work.
“A Tibetan curly sheepskin in our nursery that’d been through a baby. ABC returned it cloud-soft and bright. Fresh-from-the-sheep soft.”
— Priya & Michael L., San Francisco
“My quad-hide Icelandic was grey after ten years. Picked it up a week later looking like I’d just bought it. Truly impressive.”
— Harriet M., Hillsborough
“Three sheepskin rugs in our living room that’d gone slightly sour with dog use. Enzymatic pre-treat, lanolin wash, smelled-of-clean wool on delivery.”
— Elaine D., Tiburon
More on our process
Sheepskin is one of nine rug types we specialise in. Explore the 12-step Persian process, browse all rug cleaning services, see the full process, or book a free Bay Area pickup. We also handle backing repair and pet damage. Serving Palo Alto, Berkeley and San Francisco.
Book your pickup
The next step is the easy one.
Tell us about your sheepskin. We respond within 24 hours with a pickup window and a written estimate.