Prior to the 1920’s, Navajo rugs contained large amounts of lanolin that protected the wool fibers from wear. However, most modern Navajo rugs are made from commercial yarn which only contain small amounts of lanolin, therefore special care must be taken to protect and care for these rugs. A well woven Navajo rug with a traditional pattern always increases in value when you maintain it properly.

Display your rug out of direct sunlight. Not only does sunlight cause the colors to fade, it will break down the wool fibers causing the rug to age quickly. If moving your rug isn’t an option, keep the drapes pulled during the hours when sunlight falls directly on the rug. Another option to slow the damaging effects of sunlight is to invest in a UV window film coating. These can be applied by the homeowner or by any window installation company.

Always use a padded mat under your rug. Furniture legs and walking on the rug crushes the wool fibers causing them to break down. Eventually this leads to traffic pattern wear, furniture leg holes and fraying. The waffle type of matting is the best as it allows the rug to breath while protecting the fibers. Turning your rug every 6 months helps to maintain the wool fibers and also decreases the risk of damage from moths.

Regular cleaning is a must. It’s best to use a vacuum cleaner without a rotating brush about once a week depending on the amount of traffic your rug gets. Many of the rotating brushes rotate vigorously to move the nap around on commercial carpeting. Hand woven wool rugs don’t have a nap and the rotating brushes just add more wear to your rug. If you can’t turn off the brush on your vacuum cleaner then use the hand attachment with a soft non-rotating brush. Never shake out your rug, as the snapping action will break the wool fibers.

A spill on your rug doesn’t mean that it’s ruined. The trick is to get the spill up as quickly as possible using the wicking action of paper towels to grab most of the liquid. Don’t rub! Just let the paper towel gently touch the liquid and it’ll absorb the liquid on the surface of your rug. Modern wool rugs lack the heavy lanolin coated yarn that their predecessors had and that mean the wool is porous and wicks up liquids fairly fast so you must do this immediately after a spill. If you catch the spill fast enough this is all that is needed.

Keep in mind that many aniline (synthetic) dyes run when wet, so if you know or suspect that your rug is made from aniline dyed wool, don’t use water as the colors will bleed into each other. Use a damp but not wet sponge and use cool water. Never use soap, detergent, or carpet cleaners, as they remove the protective coating of lanolin. Use a gentle circular or dabbing motion with the moist sponge then dry gently by blotting with a soft cotton cloth or paper towels. Repeat several times.

If the entire rug needs cleaning your best bet is to take to a professional rug cleaner who is familiar with Navajo rugs. Only wash your rug yourself if you don’t mind taking the risk of ruining it. Water on wool causes shrinkage and dyes to run, all which devalues your rug and takes away from its beauty. If you do wash it yourself remember that wool fibers are brittle when wet so handle your wet rug carefully and gently. All soaps and detergents will break down the lanolin and protective oils so only use plain cold water. You run the risk of damaging or ruining your rug if you take this approach, but if you're absolutely sure that the dyes won't run, then you may place your rug on a flat surface and use a slightly pressurized source of filtered cool water to wash the rug. Although I've personally never attempted this since it causes so much wear and tear on the rugs, I've heard from several people who do this type of washing on their vegetable dyed Navajo rugs.

The basics in protecting your woven treasure is to frequently vacuum your rugs without the rotary brush attachment, use a padded rug mat underneath and always keep it out of direct sunlight. When a spill occurs, get to it immediately. Use a sponge dampened with cool water on stains. And when it needs a thou rough cleaning take it to a professional to get the job done right.