Wool rugs can be a lovely and durable addition to your home, but they are prone to taking on an unpleasant odor when they get wet. In this post, we’ll share some tips for how to get a bad smell out of a wool rug.

The sheep fibers in your wool rug, when exposed to moisture or high humidity, can start to smell like wet dog or barnyard animals, which is not a smell you want greeting you when you arrive home from work! It can be especially alarming since wool rugs can be quite pricey. You don’t want to have to dispose of something you invested a decent amount of money into!

But don’t panic. Removing the wet animal smell from your wool rug isn’t rocket science. Here is a simple method that works.

• Make sure the rug is completely dry. Take swift action as soon as you notice the odor. The best way is to hang the rug outside on a clothesline in direct sunlight.
• It can take more than one day for a wool rug that has gotten completely saturated to dry out completely, but be sure to bring it in at night (to prevent it from collecting dew) or when the forecast calls for rain. When you hang it back up in the morning, change the side facing out in order to give both sides a chance to dry.
• If you live in a wet or humid region: If weather prevents you from hanging the rug outside, you can try hanging it indoors in front of a fan. Allow the fan to blow in the direction of the rug until all the moisture is gone, and don’t forget to reposition the rug after a while to ensure both sides get dry.
• Sprinkle baking soda on the rug. Whether you dry the wool rug outside or in, when it feels completely dry to the touch, sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda on it. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least an hour, then vacuum it up. Repeat this process on the other side of the rug.

That should do the trick! If you follow all of these steps, your wool rug should smell as good as new. However, if the unpleasant odor persists, there is still hope! Call a professional rug cleaning service. Customers in the Asheville, NC area will find Five Step Carpet Care’s rug cleaning service affordable and effective. We offer convienient pick up and delivery, or you can drop your rug off at our facility. Give us a call at 828.237.3237 or drop us a line for more info. Your wool rug will come back to you looking (and smelling) like new!