Caring for your Cowhide Rug

Caring for and cleaning your cowhide rug:

Natural hides bear unique markings and no two are the same. This is part of their character and rare beauty.

Natural cowhide rugs are fade resistant, and we recommend that dyed or printed hides are kept out of direct sunlight to avoid possible fading. Similarly avoid condensate and damp environments to avoid mould or mildew.

Regular maintenance of your hide will help preserve its texture and lustre.

1. Most hides can be vacuumed, and spot cleaned.
2. Shaking out your hide will air it and remove dust.
3. Brush the hair gently in the direction it naturally lies to revive its natural gloss and lustre
4. Rotate regularly to encourage even wear by foot traffic.
5. Cleaning spills instantly will prevent them settling into the hide and becoming hard to remove.

When addressing a spill or stain it is important to work in small areas, so you do not spread the stain, or saturate the hide.

• Start by absorbing liquid gently with a paper towel.
• Scrape solids/pastes onto a paper with a butter knife. Go in the direction of hair. Work carefully and avoid pushing the spill deeper into the hair.
• If spot cleaning, use a clean sponge and work on a small area at a time, being careful not to saturate the leather.
• Work with the direction of the hair in small sections.
• Set the hair in its natural direction with a hard bristle brush. Allow to dry, and brush again in the direction of the hair to fluff it up.

LAPCO encourages owners to obtain professional advice prior to cleaning your hide. Some cleaning products can be contraindicated for certain stains, and in fact make them worse.

Removing creases from your cowhide:

Hides folded for storage or transport for short time frames may develop creases, which should smooth out naturally over time. However hides that are stored folded for longer periods of time may develop more stubborn creasing, as the leather dries and contracts within the fold.

We recommend allowing the hide to uncrease naturally lying flat. You can mist water along the crease being careful not to saturate the hide. If the creasing does not resolve in a couple of weeks, you may try the following treatment.

1. Lay hide on a smooth heat proof surface.*
2. Heat an iron to the cotton setting.
3. Place a damp tea towel on the crease.
4. Iron over the tea towel working in the direction of the hair.**

_{*You may use a towel underneath the hide to protect the floor from the temperature of the iron.
**Be careful to keep the iron moving at all times to avoid leaving an imprint from the iron. Only use for the minimum amount of time to remove the crease.}

Fixing a curling cowhide rug:

A cowhide rug will typically curl at the edges due to two main factors. Heat exposure or a lower grade hide.

The cause of curling is due to the cowhide drying out and the skin contracting. In a lower grade hide the edges are thinner, and dry out faster than the thicker centre of the hide. This can create uneven surface tension resulting in the edges of the hide curling up.

How To Fix It:

Lightly mist the top and bottom surfaces of the curling portion with warm water and squeeze massage the leather to help rehydrate it and even out the surface tension. Alternatively to the massage place a towel underneath, and on top of the curling piece of hide. Pile up some heavy books and leave overnight. This method works well with early intervention.

If this method fails, you can try using a warm steam iron over a clean, cotton cloth to press both sides of the hide, using plenty of steam to keep the leather moist. Ensure this is done on a flat heat proof surface.

If the curling continues to be a problem you can trim off the curling edges. Using a sharp craft knife, and following the curve of the hide, carefully cut the dried edges from the underside of your cowhide. Cutting from the underside cuts the leather but not the hair, leaving you a nice fringe of hair falling over the edge.

Correctly storing your hide:

Store your hide in a well ventilated, cool, dry place out of the light. Do not place inside plastic wrapping or any other airtight bag, as this can cause condensation which will result in mildew or mould – your hide needs to breathe!

Some hides may be folded for short periods of time, and this may be practical when moving the very large cowhides. However remember that folding can result in creasing so it is best not to leave them folded for very long. Reindeer hides should never be folded due to the hollow nature of the hair, as this can cause breakage and shedding.

For best results roll your hide around a cardboard tube, and wrap with a cotton sheet. This will help keep your hide free from dust and debris while in storage. The storage location needs to be:

1. Well ventilated
2. Dry
3. Cool
4. Out of direct sunlight

When bringing your hide out of storage, give it a good shake, and gently brush through the fibres to restore the soft lustre of the hide.