The longer the moisture lingers the more likely it is to develop into mildew causing the foul odor.
How to freshen up a wool rug.
When a wool rug gets wet it can smell like a wet animal.
They also hold up well in high traffic areas whether it s a wall to wall rug in your living room or a long welcoming runner rug in your hallways.
Although all of the odor removal methods above are safe for wool carpets rugs and if you rug is expensive or fragile you may want to consider having a professional take a look at it.
Take the rug outside and hang it over a sturdy clothesline porch railing or a couple of solid chairs use a broom tennis racket or rug beater to hit the rug all over to loosen deeply embedded dirt.
If you re trying to get the musty smell out of a wool oriental rug there are a few tactics you can try.
Rugs can be made of silk wool cotton or synthetic material and each requires a certain degree of finesse when cleaning.
Wool rugs are arguably the most durable types of rugs because wool fibers are strong and tend to repel stains and water.
Typically avoid dry powder cleaners alkaline cleaners that contain soda ash oxy cleaners hydrogen peroxide and bleach to treat stains or clean wool rugs.
How to freshen and deodorize your rugs naturally if you have pets in your house or an older carpet such as in a dorm or apartment your flooring may need freshening and deodorizing.
Wool comes from sheep.
Clean a wool rug.
Spot treat a small area of the wool rug to test whether or not the rug will have an adverse reaction to the cleaning agent.
Restoring the rug to its optimum condition thanks to their years of experience the video below explains a process professional cleaners use on old 100 wool rugs.
Repeat as often as necessary to keep your wool rug free from odors.
Alternatively take the rug outside and hang it back on the clothesline to dry in the sun.
When it s clean it s time to roll it up carefully and take the rug outside to your cleaning station.
Open the windows and run a fan in the room to speed up the process.
Buying a wool rug is one part of the journey maintaining it in pristine condition is another.
Again let the rug set for a day or two then shake out the rug outside and vacuum the powder up.
If your rug is still dusty at this stage you can take a page out of the old frontier book and beat it with a broom handle or similar tool to knock even more dust out.
Shake out the dirt.
Although there are many natural carpet fresheners available in health food stores it is much simpler and cheaper to make your own.
Usually on the label it will have instructions on the safest way to clean your oriental rug.
Lift the corners of your rug to reveal the rug s label.
To deep clean a smaller wool area rug choose a sunny moderate day.
Cotton and wool rugs are generally more durable and easier to clean.