Tips against shedding rugs

"Fuzzball" - not just the nickname once given to footballing legend Diego Maradona, but unfortunately, sometimes also a fitting one for your new rug. Shedding is nothing unusual for wool rugs and pieces from our Dreams collection. So in this blog, we're giving you 5 tips to tackle the shedding!

A shedding rug

It's a common problem: rugs that shed excess fibres in the spring of their life. This happens because during production, fibres and small pieces of pile are trimmed off. This leaves loose bits of fibre behind, which work their way up and turn into those annoying loose fibres. They just need to work their way out, and after that everything's fine.

Just like an ugly duckling grows into a swan, or a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly, your wool rug is on its way to becoming an even more beautiful version of itself. This shedding process is necessary for the rug to reach its finest form. How long it takes depends on the amount of wool, the number of half-cut fibres, and the height of the pile (as a rule, the higher the pile, the longer it takes). On average, it takes 2 to 3 weeks. To make things a little easier in the meantime, here are a few tips to limit the shedding of rugs.

Tip #1: let the rug do its work

Don't pull the loose fibres out of the rug yourself. You risk pulling out fibres that are still firmly attached. Wait until the loose fibres rise to the surface, then remove them.

Tip #2: sprinkle the rug with a little water

Moisture keeps the leftover wool from drying out, which makes the loose fibres less troublesome.

Tip #3: keep the humidity high by placing a bowl of water on the radiator

Besides sprinkling your rug with a little water, it also helps to place a bowl of water on the radiator. This adds more moisture to the air in the room where your rug lies. Just like sprinkling, this helps keep the shedding under control.

Tip #4: vacuum with the brush attachment

Remove the loose fibres with a special brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner, or use the narrow nozzle (not the standard head, as this can sometimes make the shedding worse). It only takes a moment, but the results are well worth it. Not only are those loose fibres gone (for the time being), it also makes the rug look better, as the fibres all get blown in the right direction.

Tip #5: get to work with a squeegee (the kind you use for windows or in the bathroom) and a cloth

To draw loose fibres to the surface more quickly, run a squeegee over the rug. Use a dry cloth to wipe the loose fibres off the squeegee, then continue over the rest of the rug.

Remember: every loose fibre you remove never comes back!

Note: shedding can start up again after a professional clean. Here too: patience is a virtue - and, in this case, quite literally a clean one.

So can you already feel those little wool-shaped thorns pricking at your eye again? Keep calm and work through these 5 tips. Keep the following motto in mind: "East, west, a new rug sheds best at home" and your rug will be shed-free before you know it!