Looking After Your Piece
A Coban rug is built to last generations. Goat hair is one of the most resilient natural fibres in existence — naturally lanolin-rich, resistant to compression and slow to show wear. With straightforward care, your piece will age beautifully, gaining character with every year on the floor.
A note on the material
Because all colour comes from the natural fibre rather than dye, there is nothing to fade, bleed or transfer. The tones may soften very gently with age — as any natural material does — but this only deepens the character of the piece.
Lay the underlay first, then lay the rug on top. Depending on the type of underlay, the rug should overhang it by 3–4cm on every side and edge. Gently stretch the rug and flatten out any bubbles or puckering as you go.
If the rug has creased during delivery, use a steam iron on the cotton/linen setting and apply plenty of steam to release the crease.
Place paddings under the legs of heavy furniture, especially pieces with pointed legs. When moving furniture across the rug, always lift it rather than drag it.
Vacuum cleaning or sweeping with a firm brush is sufficient for regular upkeep.
In the early days of use there may be some minor shedding. This will diminish over time as the rug is used and is entirely normal for natural handwoven rugs.
For everyday spills, dab — do not rub — with an absorbent cloth, or soak the area if badly stained. If necessary, use a small amount of mild detergent or diluted washing-up liquid, then rub gently with a damp cloth. The natural fibre of goat hair tends to be stain resistant.
Oil spills are best treated with diluted washing-up liquid. Absorb the excess oil with a cloth first, then soak the stained area in a bowl of washing-up liquid diluted in a small amount of cold water. Rub the area with a cloth or sponge, then rinse with cold water, preferably twice.
Red wine and similar spills can be treated with a carpet cleaning foam such as Vanish Gold, 1001, or a supermarket own-brand spray. These can remove stains even after a few months.
Under normal domestic use, washing these rugs is rarely, if ever, needed. Small rugs can be washed in a washing machine or by hand in a container such as a bath tub. For stair runners or large rugs, please call a professional carpet cleaning company.
These rugs should be washed in cold water with a non-bio detergent only. Vacuum the rug first to remove any dust before washing.
If machine washing, choose a cold wash with a low or no spin setting. Medium-sized rugs can be washed in a bath tub or large container — soak in cold water with non-bio detergent for anywhere from 15 minutes up to half a day, churning occasionally, then rinse twice with fresh cold water.
After washing, leave the rug in an empty container to allow excess water to drain. Do not let a damp rug dry in a crumpled condition, as this can cause creases that are hard to remove.
The rug will appear shorter while damp and will recover its original length as it dries. Where possible, dry it flat — on an outdoor patio, an indoor tiled surface, or similar — or hang it. If it must be folded on a drying line, folding along the length causes less creasing. Drying can take anywhere from a few hours in the sun or on a heated floor to up to two days indoors.
While still damp, gently stretch the rug from all sides to maintain its shape and straighten any creases. To flatten any remaining creases, steam iron the rug before it is completely dry, using the cotton or linen setting with plenty of steam. Ironing on a soft surface, such as another rug, gives the best results — never iron on a surface that could be damaged by heat or steam, such as varnished wood.
Clothes moths and carpet moths can damage these natural, untreated rugs, but with a little effort they're easy to keep away. It's the larvae — not the moths themselves — that eat wool, particularly over the long winter months before they emerge as moths.
Moth-repelling substances such as cedarwood chips, herbal sachets, or moth-trapping strips help, though they're only effective over short distances. We recommend a water-based cypermethrin spray as a preventative measure every 3–4 months, or whenever moths or larvae are seen. Avoid aerosol versions, which use an unpleasant pusher gas — water-based sprays are available from garden centres, some supermarkets, and online from hygienesuppliesdirect.com.
Lightly spray the solution onto the rug from half a metre to a metre away, especially on the back and corners. If you know moths are present in the house, also apply it in wardrobe corners, around wool clothes or blankets, behind curtains, and in places such as empty vases or crevices around the floorboards.
If the rug is being stored, check it every 3 to 6 months and apply the spray again before returning it to storage.
Small patches of damage may be repairable using needlework with similar yarn to the rug. Please call us or a professional rug repairer if your rug needs mending.
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