You are looking at a filth monster.
A furry, mass of guck. There's fireplace guck, cat guck, and general guck. And those are just the ones I could identify.
I've had this Mongolian lamb throw covering a chair since 2010. You may remember it from this photo from my post on how to make that little stump end table.
It normally sits right beside my fireplace. And from October to March it is the home of Cleo the cat. She burrows herself into it so deep I sometimes have to check to make sure she hasn't suffocated herself. Death by coziness. You can see how bright and clean looking the throw was 5 years ago. Those were the olden days. Now the throw looks like this ...
You can see the middle of the fur is still clean and white, but the outer part has the dingy grey colour normally reserved for meth teeth in a mug shot.
So I decided the only thing I could do was throw it in the washing machine. Well, I mean that wasn't the only thing I could do, I could also have brought it to a furrier or dry cleaner to have it professionally cleaned but what kind of role model would I be if I did things the way you're supposed to do them? The world wasn't changed by people who followed the rules.
So I threw it in the washing machine, my throw fell apart, I didn't change the world and I'm thinking of taking up meth.
To be fair, the throw didn't fall apart the first time I threw it in the washing machine. It fell apart the second time.
The first time I washed it in warm water, on gentle cycle, with phosphate free laundry detergent it came out fine, it just didn't come out clean. So I put it in the washing machine again with more detergent. And THAT'S when it fell apart. And THAT'S when I realized I didn't actually have the washing machine on gentle, I had it on regular, heavy duty, rip this shit apart cycle.
Really it just developed two large holes on either side. I considered wearing it as a coat and becoming a sherpa but it's common knowledge that sherpas don't watch Downton Abbey, and I wasn't about to give that up.
So I assessed the damage and started sewing. The throw is actually made up of a TON of tiny pieces of sheepskin sewn together and two of them just came apart. Half an hour of invisible stitching later, it was back together.
You can see how much cleaner it is after the 2 washings. Even if it did fall apart and almost drive me to become a meth addicted sherpa, it was worth it.
I'm fairly certain it would have been fine if I actually had used the gentle cycle, and if I'd just used enough detergent to begin with.
So believe it or not I'd still recommend washing anything like this at home. I wouldn't do anything bigger than this throw, but pillow covers, baby mats or the Ikea sheepskin rugs are fine. Here are some basic rules to adhere to when washing any type of lambskin.
[print_this] Rules for Washing Mongolian (or other) Sheepskin
1. Do not wash anything larger than a small throw in home washing machine.
2. Only use phosphate free detergents like this Free & Clear one by Method.
3. Only wash in cold or warm (40C) water. NOT hot.
4. Do not put lambskin in the dryer.
5. Lay flat to dry so you don't stretch out the skin.
6. Fluff the hair back up by rubbing your fingers through it. You can also carefully brush it.
[/print_this]
Now get out there and change the world. One broken rule at a time.
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Just washed my 30 year old, 8 pelt sheepskin at the laundromat in the big machine. I used Kookabura soap, which is meant for sheepskin. There are a few tears that I will need to sew/patch... but so far it looks and smells great!
Amazing isn't it?! ~ karen
Sorry I haven't managed to read all the feeds, but my BIG QUESTION is: Doesn't the skin itself become hard? My cat peed on one of my skins and that area is now not soft any more. Its hard. Like an un-treated wet skin would be naturally before the 'softening' process.
They do get a bit crunchy Gerda, but all you have to do is work it with your hands after it's dry. Plus if it's something you use or sit on it continues to soften. It doesn't take long or much work to get it soft as it was to begin with. ~ karen!
you are so funny!
:) ~ karen!
Hi Karen, I have Bearpaw calf hair boots with long curly lamb hair. The boots or the hair aren't very dirty but the lamb hair has a few spots that are tangled and I would like to spot clean the lamb hair, what would you recommend?
I'm afraid I have no idea Cassandra. Other than handwashing the top of the boots where the lamb is by holding them over the sink and running warm water over them. Use a bit of mild detergent and gently rub the lamb with your fingers. The tangles are just like hair tangles. You have to work them out, they won't just disappear when you wash them though. Good luck ~ karen!
Did, or does, your sheepskin rug shed? I recently bought a sleep skin chair. The cushions have sheepskin on the outside. The chair, because of the sheepskin fluff, is so pretty and luxurious looking. Unfortunately, it sheds...not a ton, but enough to bug an OCD person like me. I just can't stand hair of any kind on my clothes. I don't know if the shedding is a normal part of a new sheepskin chair and will diminish over time, or that'll always be how it is. Is there a way to stop it from shedding? I do love everything about this chair though (I.e. Look, comfort) but just not the shedding part...
Hi Joanna! I've never noticed the sheepskin to shed, but it's entirely possible that it does. It's hard to tell since I have 2 cats and there's always some kind of hair somewhere, lol. No one ever gets up from sitting on my sheepskin covered in hair though so maybe your skin will eventually stop shedding? Sorry I'm not more help on this one! ~ karen
No worries. Maybe it's like any wool carpets. They shed for the first couple months... :)
After all this, a simple question - where did you purchase said magnificent Mongolian?
I got it on sale at Homesense Patti, which is the Canadian equivelant of Homegoods. :) ~ karen!
Thanks for the advice about washing a sheepskin throw blanket. I love the feel of it, so I've been thinking about buying my self one for my favorite chair. It is good to know that I can clean it myself, as long as I am sure to use the gentle cycle! Your throw looked really nice after you stitched it back up, by the way!
Hi, looking at your blog for the first time from Atlanta area as I have a very big sheepskin that I sit on in the winter here, yes, it gets very cold here in the mountains. We have a leather couch that stays cold as we have no basement. I noticed your bookcases in the living room and I am remodeling my office so wondered if they are cubes or narrow bookcases?
Hi Pat. Those are plain old Billy bookcases from Ikea. :) There are 5 narrow bookcases side by side. Each are 10" deep so great for small areas. ~ karen!
You are too funny! I like you so much I just forwarded your url to a few of my girlfriends.
Thanks Debbie! I appreciate that. Word of mouth (or email in this day and age) is the best advertising on the planet. Well that or getting caught up in a sex scandal. So let's just go with word of mouth. ~ karen!
Years ago I washed a smallish sheepskin rug in my washing machine. After the cycle I took it out of the tub a handful at a time!
Here's the recipe for *Truly, The Best Brownies*
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cocoa (sifted)
1 cup flour (sifted)
Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper (or use vegetable spray). Place eggs in mixer bowl and beat until thickened then slowly add sugar. Continue beating on high until lemon coloured. Takes a good 10 minutes with a stand mixer. Add vanilla then the sifted cocoa. Pour in melted butter then add flour (the dry/wet/dry theory), Pour into prepared pan and bake about 32-35 mins. until springy on top when touched. Don't overcook. Cool before frosting, if desired.
Notes and tips: I have a few that really, I think, send the brownies over the top. First, add some espresso. Dissolve 1 tbsp powder in 2 tbsp water and use about 1 tbsp of that. I use this instead of vanilla as it richens the brownie. Second, try to use Dutch processed cocoa. I use Barry Callebault and it's super dark and rich. Third, and it's really important: if you want fudgey brownies, freeze overnight before slicing and eating. The texture is divine! I always store both my chocolate chip cookies and brownies in the freezer, removing them just before serving. Oh, I also use large eggs. If you like your brownies with a cakey texture, add another egg. My grandmother always frosted her brownies with this easy recipe: 1 can sweetened condensed milk, good pinch of salt and 1 square unsweetened chocolate (like Bakers). Chop chocolate and add, with salt, to pan containing S.C.milk. Heat over med/low until thickened (maybe 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Sweet stuff burns fast! Remove from heat and allow to cool some before spreading on cooled brownies. This is that fudgey, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth frosting you've been dreaming of.
Another trick: if you like the edges of your brownies to be chewy, add 1 tbsp, corn syrup to the recipe. It's what keeps food soft and chewy. Works in cookies as well to make them bendable like those Felix and Norton ones of yore.
The instructions are long at first, but these really do whip up quickly making them great for pot-lucks. Enjoy!
Only 1 cup flour?
Yes, just 1 cup. This is, in part, why they are so delicious. Notice, too that there is no leavening. The long beating of the eggs/sugar creates the volume. They really are a fudgey (but not soggy) brownie. Hope you like them!
I had a ridiculous hat I found at Goodwill - I think someone just sewed some rabbit fur trim on a nylon aviator helmet (it had ear flaps and a chin strap). I hate hats and think I look dumb in all of them but for some reason this one totally suited me. Anyhow, white rabbit fur doesn't stay white for long so one day I got the brilliant idea to wash it, in the kitchen sink. I don't recall what I used as soap, might have been laundry detergent, or shampoo, or quite possibly dish soap. Whatever it was it failed miserably, the trim completely disintegrated and I was left with a bare hat and a wad of mush that looked like something the cat hacked up. I still miss that hat but without the trim it was just not the same.
Awesome!! I was anything an everything in the washer or dishwasher! You should have done this much sooner...cat barf...yuck! (Or should I say yack?)
Wool. Not hair, not fur. If it came from a sheep or lamb, it's wool.
To keep the wool soft after washing, put half a cup of vinegar in the rinse to balance the PH. Shake the fleece well and finger comb to remove tangles. Vinegar is good for your hair also, as it balances the PH after shampooing, and is a good substitute for fabric softener in the laundary.
Soo much info - thanks IRS et al. Now if only I had a sheepskin anything.
Marti- I do have the best brownie recipe. It's very simple and makes 1+1/2" thick brownies in a 9x13 pan. They are chewy, fudgey and richly chocolatey.
I can write it out here if anyone else would like it, too.
If "She who owns this abode" doesn't mind, that is :)
I'd go for that, definitely. Or you can bug K to give you my email addy. I would LOVE a great brownie recipe.
I don't eat many sweets but as long as they are wonderful without frosting, I'm oohososososo there!
That's fine, brownie exchange away! ~ karen
Can you put "like" or "yup" or "me too" or "wtf?" buttons by everyone's answers so we can tell them we feel their pain too? :)
Wool and leather in the washing machine. Hey, what could possibly happen? You did a fantastic job though, looks brand new(ish). I also heard that using some of that Oxy stuff, and letting the item just soak for a bit in the tub helps a lot too. Heavy duty beat the snot out of it cycle notwithstanding of course. It looks lovely! Wish I could do this with my entire carpet. Bleah. Just...bleah.
I bet your kitty feels the need to rub her butt and spread other kitty smells all over it STAT. ("P-U, smells like a hooman") /\ _ /\
-but the outer part has the dingy grey colour normally reserved for meth teeth in a mug shot- *snort*
Can I have the 2 statues on the top right corner of your book shelf? They look awesome, and I'll pay for shipping!
This reminds me of carpet/hardwood floor dilemma. Hardwood floors that will cost $10,000-12,000 v. $5,000 for carpet. Then you cover up the hardwood with RUGS. A rug in every room. Rugs that cling to the same dirt/germs as the carpet does. I don't understand this logic. I think it applies here also.
Wool has the nature of microscopic hooks on each strand that will hook together when agitated. It is better to put a wool item in a pillow case to wash, if the item is small enough, to prevent it from flailing about in the washer. Making felted items like a felted bag is a good demonstration of this characteristic of wool. Knit a large bag with 100% pure wool and wash it aggressively and put it in the dryer. The nature of the wool will shrink extremely until you have a tight knit small bag. It looks great, like a felt bag. If you feel like doing stuff this project is fun.
Why would a pillowcase help?
I do use 'wash' bags for all my delicates, but never thought they'd be needed to help wool from matting?
Wash bags are usually mesh and that may just catch on the wool and irritate it. The pillow case stops it from rubbing against itself.
Forgot to mention... WOW, your hair looks great in this post.