With some light washing, a dog brush, and a lot of intuition, I gave an 11 year old thick af genuine Alpaca rug a deep clean right at home. Please be warned this is a tutorial within a very long story. If you are looking for the straight-up instructions for washing a genuine alpaca rug (because my SEO is fantastic), here are the legit bullets:
Shake it out
Brush it with a dog brush
Gently wash it with Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap, agitating with hands
Hang dry outside
Spot clean with vacuum hand tool
Brush again as needed
Shake again as needed
Cleanse with natural odor spray or sage
You did it.
Bryan (the love of my life at the time) and I were deep cleaning and reorganizing his closet to make more room for my things. I was moving in! We finally got to the last large box in the back of the walk-in closet. He unpacked it and showed me a gorgeous genuine black Alpaca fur rug. He told me he got in in Peru at the San Pedro market 11 years ago, and that we should get it cleaned and sell it. Or just sell it "as is," which was obviously very dirty. I said,
"Hold up. No way. This genuine Alpaca rug is amazing— plus, it's from your formative-year travels! We shall clean it ourselves and keep it forever."
He tried to argue that it was more worthwhile to have someone else clean it so we could do other things with our time. I argued back that "I love a good restoration project," and he "could count on me to do it all by myself," so he could do something else with his time and I could do this with mine. I won.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 1: Inspection
The first phase of cleaning an Alpaca rug at home is a necessary scrutinization.
I unfolded the rug. I sneezed. Dust mites galore. Or maybe skin flakes? That's the skin, right? "Hide?" Seeds and stem and dog hair and tortilla chips and legos and double EE bonds and a story about his evil ex-girlfriend all came shaking out. There was so much crap matted into this Alpaca rug and it smelled like it too. It had never been cleaned! Not in the first 10 years in which he hopped amongst multiple apartments, always proudly displaying it in a living room where it could collect all those seeds, stems, and stories. And then shoved into a box and into the back of a closet for this last year. It was in rough shape. After I completed Phase One: Inspection, it was time for Phase 2.
I don't have a "before" photo, which is VERY classic Me. This is what happens when I get way too stoked about the project ahead of me, and that onset inertia takes me forward without pausing for photos. I promise I'll get better about this for blog purposes.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 2: The Shakedown
After inspection, it was clear the next step to clean the Alpaca hide from Peru was to more aggressively shake out all of the giblets. (This is a term my dad always uses, meaning crumbs, morsels, etc.) I did steal a few minutes of Bryan's time I'd promised he'd have all to himself to have him help me with this part. The rug is about 5 feet by 6 feet and it's genuine Alpaca. It's heavy and furry and cumbersome and boys are strong. Plus, I knew if this thing touched any amount of grass as I shook it in the yard, it would pick up every god forsaken blade and hold onto it for dear life.
We went outside and shook it upside down for a while. What poofed out of this thing for at least ten minutes of shaking and gentle hand-brushing looked like sand, dandruff, cocaine, baby powder, almond flour? Whatever you wanna call it. It just kept coming. And we were holding our breath and squinting and wafting it away from us all the while. Unfortunately, we realized that many of the larger giblets that we could see with our naked eye would not budge. The Phase 2 shakedown only loosened the PCP. The lint and food and weed nugs were still very lodged.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 3: Brush
We returned back inside post-shakedown and Bryan was dismissed. I hung the rug on the balcony and began brushing it in sections with so much vigor. I was fully working out at this point. Luckily, we have two dog brushes for our one dog. These were great for pre-loosening some of the matting and setting some of the medium-sized debris free. Down to the neighbor's patio I watched things fall and accumulate. I did the brushing "two" times through. Or maybe a more accurate unit of measurement is to say I did the brushing for 30 mins.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 4: Bath Time
DO NOT COME AT ME. I know almost every other Alpaca-rug washing resource on the Internet will say not to wash your Alpaca hide. And by every other, I'm talking at least three YouTube videos with over 273 views cleaning this exact rug warning you to absolutely NOT use water. But hear me out— I did anyway. I deliberately went against what the people said and washed it in the shower flying on pure intuition. When I was contemplating the best way to save this absolutely trashed piece of Peruvian treasure, I thought "how would I wash a living Alpaca?" I'd grab some Dr. Bronner's castille soap and lather that baby up! Just like how I wash my dog. So considering this was a real Alpaca rug, I listened to the spirit of the animal, and it said "wash us one in the same, living or dead." Plus, this thing NEEDED a rinse. It stunk, and it energetically deserved it. 11 years is too long without a bath my guy.
At this stage, Bryan was again asked to donate time. He assisted enthusiastically seeing the progress I had made and the love I was giving this dead llama. I asked him to lower the shower curtain rod so I could wash the Alpaca rug more easily by draping it over it at about my waist height. He needed to do it for me, because by this point I was four steps ahead of myself, already in my hot pink swimsuit standing under the running water with the sopping wet, heavy as hell rug. This is also Classic Me, moving with so much inertia I skip proper preparation.
With the shower curtain rod lowered and the rug hung over it, I assessed the situation and collected the proper tools from around the house. I was soaking wet but I was also unstoppable. Makes no sense but that's how I do things I guess. Bryan is a smart man and lets me operate as I must. In his presence I notice my own weirdness (and inefficiencies) much more glaringly and I think he knows that. No need for words. And I do things my way nonetheless. I call this intuitive process "how the sausage is made," and witnessing this chaotic process is not for the creatively weak or faint of heart. Bryan is very creatively sound. He also loved me a lot.
I realized what a monster I must have looked like in my hot pink bikini, mascara streaming down my face, all wet, brimming with way more excitement than anyone would ever really necessarily need for a task such as this, and obvious speed. I do most everything as if there's a timer on me. So does my mom I've realized in observing her from my adult Self. So I learned it by nurture. Oh well. I'm fast as fuck! Sorry not sorry! You'd expect I was being timed for the Alpaca Rug Cleaning world record. At this point I bet we're on hour 3, but on track for the record even still.
Here's what I gathered from around the house whilst soaking wet:
Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap
A big bowl
My large wide tooth comb
A flashlight
A handful of blueberries (acquiring the big bowl meant I went to the kitchen, how could I not grab a handful of fuel? Again, with the aforementioned speed, I undoubtedly SHOVED this handful of blueberries into my mouth mid grabbing-the-bowl-and-running-back-to-the-bathroom-and-leaving-dark-wet-footprints-in-our-sand-colored-carpet stage)
With the Alpaca rug draped properly over the lowered shower curtain rod, I filled the bowl and began pouring it onto the fur. I was careful not to saturate it so much that it went through to the back side of the hide as I know that hides have natural oils that maintain texture and softness. Once the fur side was dampened, I only used a wee bit of dilute! dilute! ok!! Dr. Bronner's, worked up a lather in my hands, and began gently applying it to the fur. It was already smelling like heaven. And then, unsuspectingly, giblets. So many more giblets. Large chunks of sand? Small rocks? Wax? More seeds and stems? Was that gum? I don't even know. But a whole new layer of gunk was coming out and I was thrilled the wash was already proving worthwhile. I made small claws out of my hands and agitated the Alpaca rug but making small circular motions. Again, how would I wash a live Alpaca or my dog? Just like this. Then, I took my wide tooth comb (the one I use on my own head) and agitated the rug more. New layer achieved. More crap falling into the tub where I'm standing with a flashlight in my mouth like how you'd.... hold something flashlight shaped in your mouth so as to have free hands....(a MONSTER) to gaze into the black fur more closely and make sure I'm getting EVERYTHING. Finally, the sh!t stopped coming out and I again rinsed gently via bowl method. Lukewarm water this whole time, not cold, not too hot. Mostly because, again, what temp would I make it for my dog or this Alpaca pre-rug? Lukewarm. And also because I was now fully bathing with it too. The soap seemed rinsed. I let the hide sit on the rod for a few minutes while I dried off and cleaned up the fibers from the tub.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 5: Hang Dry
Bryan was summoned once again (lol SORRY) to carry the now damp and extremely heavy yet somewhat-more-clean Alpaca rug to the balcony to hang dry in the desert sun. The hair looked much better already and seemed softened nicely by the rinse. As it hung I went out every so often to pat it dry and watch more giblets fall to the patio below. How were there more? How thicc was this rug? How many secrets were really stored in there? As it dried more and more, more stuff loosened and could be knocked away. I utilized both the dog brush and my personal wide tooth comb during this stage, as it was easy to brush while it hung over the balcony wall. I could tell which type of brush I needed to use based on the level of potential matting from the wash and the type of giblet I encountered. Use your discretion in the same way. You'll have a dialogue with the alpaca rug and its animal spirit by this point and can feel free to consult it. This is probably now hours 4 and 5.
I then sat in the rocking chair on the balcony and thought how everyone who would have told me not to wash it with water could suck it. I did it. And it was already looking fabulous. I rocked and smiled to myself.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 6: Vacuum Bryan was now fast asleep in his meditative afternoon siesta. Good. No more eyes on my magic and revolutionary (terrifying and unsettling) real Alpaca rug-cleaning process.
The sun was no longer hitting the balcony, and the Alpaca rug was 99.99% dry and felt soft and fluffy. Plus, when I whacked it, less baking soda-cornmeal-cociane-coconut flour was billowing out so I figured it was time enough I dragged it inside. I laid the 5x6 ft Alpaca rug out on the floor and grabbed the vacuum. First I went through one last time with the wide tooth comb to pull any last things I could see with my naked eye to the surface. Then I used only the hand tool from the vacuum with no attachment and put it straight to the spots where I could see debris. I worked really well. After spot-cuuming, I lightly vacuumed the whole Alpaca rug with the hand tool, using the head of it to somewhat agitate the hide to once again loosen MORE stuff hidden in the thick fur. I did this two times through. I was SO SWEATY. And probably hungry, but I would never notice that. Upon taking a step back, I clicked off the vacuum and stood very pleased with my work. It looked fantastic.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Step 7: Shake, Spritz & Sage
I snapped out of my prideful admiration and took it out to the balcony to shake it out once more. My arms were tired but that fine-tuning muscle work is just one of the many perks of your "how to clean an Alpaca rug at home," workout. On this shake, barely any coke or giblets fell out!!! I was giddy. Then I brought the rug inside, laid it out again and grabbed my Palo Santo yoga mat sanitizing spray. I can already hear the Karen's of the Alpaca-rug world revving their engines— but once again, my intuitive approach to cleaning the Alpaca rug proved to be the yellow brick road. Spritzing the rug lightly, with such a lovely scent, was precisely what the Alpaca rug needed for the second to last step.
Finally, I grabbed my sage and decided with this new rinsed, invigorated life emerging from a box in the closet, the Alpaca rug needed one last true cleanse. I lit up the sage an encircled the rug a few times, blessing it for being so freaking beautiful and real and genuine and authentic and inspiring and worthy of all the labor it took to clean it. I also blessed its spirit, and thanked the animal for providing such a special piece for our home. For real though. That's important- especially with genuine hide. This animal lived and grazed and roamed and had friends. I smudged and prayed.
How to Clean an Alpaca Rug | Final Step: Show it Off
Bryan awoke from his siesta and came out into the living room where I had propped the Alpaca rug at home for its reveal. He was very impressed with my work and thrilled that all he had to do was nap and the rug would magically be cleaned after 11 dirty years!
I hope this How to Clean an Alpaca Rug story inspires you to follow your gut, heart, and intuition when it comes to doing stuff with things in your own home. If anyone thinks this post is a joke, you're half right. If others think it's serious, you're also half right. Take from this post what you will— even if that is simply the understanding that sometimes a little elbow grease can deepen your relationship with your immediate environment.. ie.) your home and the things (and lovers) in it... and the greater environment... ie.) the plants, animals, people, sunlight, waterways, and more natural systems that make something as gorgeous as an Alpaca rug existent at all! That's what it did for me.
K
My how-to blogs are an experiment in storytelling and SEO. When Bryan and I decided to wash the rug, I googled "How to Clean an Alpaca Rug," and hardly any resources came up. I also had an honest to God blast washing it. All 7 hours. So I thought "hmmmm those recipe ladies tell you a whole damn story for 'how to make oatmeal raisin cookies,"' so I can certainly do that for 'How to Clean Alpaca Rugs.'
😉
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