Wool rug cleaning
Wool Rug
Cleaning,
pH-neutral.
Indian, Pakistani, Tibetan, Karastan, hand-tufted wool. Our 10-step pH-neutral hand wash lifts soil but keeps lanolin — the oil that makes wool wool. Since 1978.
Why wool needs special care
Lanolin is why wool
feels like wool.
Wool is hygroscopic — it holds moisture — and protected by natural lanolin, the waxy oil that gives fresh wool its sheen, its softness, and its stain-resistance. Generic carpet cleaning uses alkaline detergent in hot water to break up soil, and in doing so strips lanolin. The rug feels chalky, sheds more, and soils much faster afterwards.
Our wool protocol uses a pH-neutral WoolSafe-grade soap at cool water, hand-agitated, then rinsed until no residue remains. Lanolin stays in the fibre. A modern Indian or Pakistani wool rug — or a hand-tufted Tibetan — comes back supple, not squeaky.
pH-neutral chemistry
WoolSafe-grade soap
Our soap is third-party tested to WoolSafe standard — lifts soil and lanolin-like protein residues without stripping lanolin itself.
Hand-tufted friendly
Latex-safe drying
Hand-tufted rugs have a latex layer that fails if over-wet. Our low-moisture protocol and rapid flat dry keeps the latex intact.
Full immersion or damp
Matched to construction
Hand-knotted wool gets the full 12-step immersion. Hand-tufted, machine-made and Karastan get a low-moisture controlled wash.
The 10-step wool process
One wool rug. Ten lanolin-safe stages.
See the full process ›
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Intake & construction check
Hand-knotted, hand-tufted, machine-made or Karastan? Construction determines the wash protocol. We photograph and document pre-existing damage before pickup.
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Fiber and dye test
Burn-test or microscopy confirms wool grade. Vegetable-dyed and pre-1965 wool gets a swab test before any soap touches the rug.
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Compressed-air dust
Dry-soil lift before any water. A 9×12 wool rug can hold a pound of dry soil even when it looks clean. This is the single most important stage for wool.
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Wool-safe pre-spray
A pH-neutral WoolSafe-approved pre-spray is hand-applied to traffic lanes and any spots. Pets and protein-bound stains get an enzymatic treatment now, never in the wash.
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Cold immersion hand wash
Hand-knotted wool is full-immersion in cold pH-neutral WoolSafe soap. Hand-tufted and machine-made get a controlled low-moisture wash to protect any latex layer.
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Hand-rinse to clear
Multiple fresh-water rinses, hand-worked through the pile until no soap residue remains. Residue is the fastest way to dull lanolin sheen.
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Squeeze extraction
The rug is rolled and pressure-extracted to draw water from the foundation without flexing the knots or stressing a tufted backing.
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Climate-controlled flat dry
Laid flat in a climate-controlled drying room for 24–48 hours. Hand-tufted gets extra airflow to protect the latex from prolonged moisture.
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Pile groom & fringe detail
Once dry the pile is hand-brushed in the nap to restore lanolin sheen and lift. Fringes are detailed, loose wefts secured.
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Final inspection & delivery
A second craftsman signs off front and back. The rug is wrapped in breathable paper and delivered with a written certificate of cleaning.
Before & after
Receipts, not promises.
A hand-knotted Persian Tabriz, greyed by decades of traffic and dust, returned to full color with our 12-step cold-water hand wash.
Free estimate first
Every wool rug is inspected before work begins.
Construction, origin and any moth or pet damage are documented and quoted in writing first — no work starts until you approve.
What we do for wool
Ten things on every wool rug.
- Identify construction: hand-knotted (Persian protocol), hand-tufted (low-moisture), machine-made or Karastan.
- Fibre and dye test: confirm wool grade and swab-test if the rug is older than 60 years or visibly vegetable-dyed.
- Compressed-air dust both sides — the single most important cleaning step for wool.
- WoolSafe-approved pre-spray on traffic lanes and any spots; enzymatic on pet accidents.
- Cold immersion hand wash with pH-neutral WoolSafe soap (or low-moisture wash for hand-tufted).
- Hand-rinse with multiple fresh-water passes until soap residue is gone.
- Squeeze extraction without flexing knots or stressing tufted backings.
- Climate-controlled flat dry, 24–48 hours, with extra airflow for hand-tufted.
- Hand-brush the pile in the nap and detail any fringes.
- Final inspection front and back, breathable wrap, delivery with written certificate.
Service areas
Free pickup across the Bay Area.
Questions
What people usually ask about wool.
Is my hand-tufted rug safe to wash?
Yes, with the right protocol. Hand-tufted rugs have a latex adhesive layer that can fail if over-wet or slow-dried. Our low-moisture controlled wash keeps the latex intact; over 90% of our hand-tufted rugs come back like new.
Will cleaning shrink a wool rug?
Not with our cool-water pH-neutral process. Shrinkage comes from heat and agitation — neither of which happens here. Every rug is measured front and back before pickup and at delivery.
Can you remove pet urine from a wool rug?
Yes, in most cases. Enzymatic pre-treatment followed by full immersion (or controlled wash for hand-tufted) removes both visible staining and protein-bound odor. Older, penetrated urine may leave a faint shadow that we’ll flag honestly on inspection.
My Karastan is machine-made. Do you still hand-wash it?
Yes. Karastan is machine-woven but from excellent wool. It gets the same pH-neutral WoolSafe wash as any other wool rug, with gentler agitation.
How long does wool cleaning take?
Seven to ten business days for hand-knotted wool, five to seven for hand-tufted and machine-made. Heavier repairs extend the timeline, and we’ll tell you exactly when we inspect.
Should I have Scotchgard applied after cleaning?
If the rug sees pets, kids or frequent entertaining, yes. Our stain-protection treatment works with lanolin, not against it. Learn more ›
How often should wool rugs be professionally cleaned?
Every 12 to 24 months for rugs in living areas; every 18 to 36 for occasional-use rooms. Vacuuming weekly between cleanings dramatically extends the life of the wool.
Clients
Said about our wool work.
“A Tibetan hand-tufted my decorator warned me not to wash. ABC’s low-moisture wash brought the colors back without wrecking the backing. Eight years old, looks new.”
— Sarah L., Menlo Park
“Karastan my grandmother gave us, twenty years in front of the fireplace. Fully dust-extracted, hand-washed, pile lifted. Soft as new.”
— Tom & Rachel B., Berkeley
“Two large Pakistani wool rugs in our open-plan. Kids, dog, cook. ABC rotated them through in two weeks and they feel like wool again, not carpet.”
— Jasmine & Dev P., Palo Alto
More on our process
Wool is our most-requested cleaning. Explore the 12-step Persian process for hand-knotted wool, browse all rug cleaning services, see the full process, or book a free Bay Area pickup. We also handle moth 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 wool rug. We respond within 24 hours with a pickup window and a written estimate.