Sheepskin hard after washing? How to make it soft again

You have washed your sheepskin and now the leather is as stiff as cardboard? This happens often, and it can usually be saved. Here you will find out why it happens and what you can do.

Why does the fleece become hard?

Sheepskin contains lanolin, a natural wool grease. It keeps the leather supple. Water that is too hot, ordinary detergent or the tumble dryer dissolve the lanolin. The leather dries out, contracts and becomes hard.

How to make the leather soft again

1. Work it: knead and stretch the dry leather with your hands in all directions, section by section. This breaks up the hardened fibres again. With large sheepskins it helps to pull the skin over the edge of a table.
2. Dampen slightly: spray the leather side with a little water until it is slightly damp, and work it again. Then let it dry slowly while continuing to stretch it.
3. Re-oil: rub a thin layer of leather grease or a lanolin-based care product into the leather side and let it soak in.
4. Brush up: finally, brush up the wool with a fleece brush.

If the leather is very badly hardened, it is worth taking it to a specialist fleece cleaner or a furrier.

How to stop it happening again

• Water: lukewarm, no more than 30 degrees.
• Detergent: only fleece detergent with lanolin or a mild wool detergent.
• Drying: lying flat in the air, never on a radiator, never in the tumble dryer.
• Fabric softener: never.

Summary

A sheepskin that has gone hard is not a write-off. With working, a little moisture and leather grease you can usually make it soft again. Next time you wash it, follow the rules in our article Washing sheepskin.

Tip: Every sheep stool comes with a care brush. If you brush the sheepskin regularly, you will rarely need to wash it. Find the right stool in all sheep stools, or see one-of-a-kind pieces available now.