This applies to cowhide rugs with hair, sheepskins and other rugs on a leather backing. Most leathers are damaged by direct contact with water, and heat dries and deforms the leather.
What is different about leather compared with textiles
The backing of a textile rug is fabric. The backing of a hide rug is the hide itself, and it is the most sensitive part. Care advice for leather is consistent: the Canadian Conservation Institute and the US National Park Service museum handbook say the same. Both sources are about museum objects, but the principle also applies to a hide rug at home.
In practice this means that the leather side must not be soaked, and damp leather must not be dried on a radiator or with a hairdryer.
Canadian Conservation Institute, “Caring for leather, skin and fur”, and US National Park Service, “Museum Handbook”, Appendix S. Checked 07.11.2026.
Cowhide rug and sheepskin
A cowhide rug has short hair, and the main risk is the leather side. A sheepskin has long wool on the leather, so it has two risks at once: the leather does not tolerate water and heat, while the wool felts in hot water combined with rubbing or the movement of a washing machine. Felting usually cannot be undone.
Faux sheepskin is not leather: it is a synthetic rug with a long pile, and shaggy rug cleaning applies to it. If you do not know which you have, turn the rug over: a photo is enough to tell a leather side from a fabric backing.
What not to do with a hide rug at home
- Do not wash it in the bath or a washing machine unless the maker’s label clearly allows it.
- Do not dry it on a radiator, by a stove or with a hairdryer: heat dries and deforms the leather.
- Do not rub the sheepskin wool with a damp cloth.
- Do not use shop-bought carpet shampoos: the Canadian Conservation Institute advises against them for important rugs.
If something has been spilled, blot the liquid with a clean, dry cloth, do not rub, and let the spot dry at room temperature. If the leather stays hard or turns darker, send a photo.
What to send in the request
- Photos of the hair side and the leather side.
- The size: the greatest length and width in metres, because the shape of a hide is irregular.
- Close-up photos of stains, hard or cracked areas and bald patches.
- Whether the rug has already been washed or has been wet.
- Photograph any damage before cleaning.
How much hide rug cleaning costs
Silk, viscose, hide, hand-made and Persian rugs (with pick-up): from €15/m², the final price is given from a photo. Pick-up and return in Riga costs €10 (both ways together); in the Riga region up to about 15 km from the Riga boundary it is also €10, and further out another €10 is added.
For a small sheepskin the total may be below the minimum. The minimum order is €45: if the total is lower, you pay €45. The minimum applies only to cleaning; the pick-up charge is added. If you have several sheepskins, write them in one request. All prices.
What usually comes out and what may stay
Usually comes out
- dust and dirt in the hair;
- greyness in sheepskin wool;
- recent dry dirt.
May stay
- hard, cracked or shrunken areas of leather after earlier washing;
- felted sheepskin wool;
- places where the hair has already fallen out;
- an old stain on the leather side.
Before the job, a specialist tells you what to expect.
Sources
- Most leathers are damaged by direct contact with water; heat dries and deforms leather checked 7 November 2026
- Leather and fur in museum collections: water and heat risks checked 7 November 2026
- Hot water and movement felt wool checked 10 November 2026
- Do not use shop-bought carpet shampoos on important rugs; blot without rubbing checked 10 November 2026
