How to Clean a Berber Rug: Caring for Your Moroccan Rug
How do I clean my Berber rug? This is probably the question my customers ask most often, before or after their purchase. The good news: a hand-knotted rug from Morocco is surprisingly easy to care for – as long as you keep a few things in mind. Here is everything you need to know about everyday care, stains and deep cleaning.
Why Berber rugs are so easy to care for
Our rugs are made from pure virgin wool. Wool naturally contains wool grease (lanolin), which makes the fibres dirt-repellent: dust and dirt tend to stay on the surface and are easy to remove. That is why you hardly ever need chemicals – in fact, they would rather harm this natural product.
Daily and weekly care
- Vacuum once a week: A strong setting is fine, but move slowly and avoid rubbing back and forth.
- Set your robot vacuum correctly: Don’t let it go over the rug every day. Daily rubbing has the same effect as constantly rubbing a wool sweater and encourages fluff and pilling.
- Protect the fringes: Don’t suck the fringes into the brush – guide the vacuum across them instead.
New rugs in particular may shed some loose fibres at first. This is normal and stops after a few weeks.
Deep cleaning: beating the rug
For a real deep clean after longer use, beating the rug is the most effective method. You can hang small rugs over a balcony railing and beat them from the back with a rug beater – by the way, you can also get rug beaters from me. For large rugs, a good old carpet rack would be perfect, but hardly anyone has one in their garden anymore.
Insider tip: cleaning your rug in the snow
If you get snow in winter, try snow cleaning: lay the rug face down on fresh, dry snow, beat the back, turn it over and sweep the snow off again. It is very efficient, removes dust from deep within and freshens up the whole rug. I show you exactly how it works in my video on our care instructions page.
First aid for stains: red wine, coffee, juice
Accidents happen – what matters is acting quickly and correctly:
- Don’t rub! Otherwise you spread the stain and the wool may felt.
- Soak up the liquid: Dab up anything still on the surface with kitchen paper or an absorbent cloth.
- Rinse: Pour mineral water or distilled water through the stain. A bucket or towel underneath protects your floor. Keep rinsing until no more coffee or red wine comes out, dabbing dry in between.
- Leave overnight: Place a damp cloth on the stain. The natural lanolin helps the dirt to release.
- If necessary: Carefully wash the stain with a little shampoo or wool detergent – again, without rubbing.
- Let it dry: Ventilate well, ideally with the rug lying flat.
Professional cleaning
Depending on use – dogs, outdoor shoes, ground floor – your rug will need a thorough wash after two to three years. I recommend a rug cleaner with experience in hand-knotted wool rugs. You can also clean your rug yourself with a spray extraction vacuum, but wait for a spell of good weather, as the rug needs to dry completely within a reasonable time. Note: some very colourful rugs should only be dry-cleaned.
Storing your rug
If you want to store your rug over the summer or for any other reason, clean it thoroughly first and roll it up loosely – don’t fold it. Store it in a dry, well-ventilated place. In dark, undisturbed places, moths could otherwise move in – after all, our rugs are chemical-free. A rug that is in use, on the other hand, is safe.
In a nutshell
- Vacuum slowly once a week, don’t let the robot vacuum run over it daily
- Beat it every now and then – in winter, in the snow
- Dab stains, never rub, rinse with mineral water
- No chemicals, professional wash every few years
Do you have a question about caring for your rug? Just get in touch – I’m happy to help. And if you’re still looking: browse our handmade Berber rugs.
