I’m seeing a number of these rugs coming to market. I refer to them as shaggy leather rugs.
Rug made of leather strips.
Couple things to know about these rugs if you are buying one, or are cleaning one:
1) Pets LOVE these. And there is a tendency to have pet puddles on them as a result.
2) Many have SIZING on them to make the strips of leather “stiff” – and this sizing is not permanent.
3) The colorful strips (reds, blues, and blacks typically) can bleed when given a wet wash. Test for this.
So, if you do happen to have pets in the home, or the rug gets fairly dirty, you will need to get the piece washed to become clean again. This means the strips will likely become limper, and the overall rug not as “peppy” as when you first bought it.
If the rug does not have heavy soil because it is vacuumed regularly (on this type of tied-together strip construction, do not use a regular vacuum, I’d suggest a canister vacuum) – then a professional cleaner may opt to actually clean those strips of leather by hand with leather cleaning products. This hand work will take a very long time, and would have a sizeable cost because of that labor.
Another interum way to “pep” the piece up is to take the rug, flip it upside down (with helpers), and shake the heck out of it. (This also works fabulous for shaggy rugs like flokatis.)
This helps release grit, dust, and fuzzies that have lodged into the base of this rug, and will pep up the leather strips for a short time.
These rugs are kind of cool though.
I would not use them in a high traffic area. And, if I had pets, I’d probably not opt for this choice. The rugs are pricey to begin with, and having to wash it frequently because of pet accidents or dander odor, would make it an even pricier investment.
Just a few things to know before you buy one… or before you decide to clean one.
- Lisa