Does Wool Fade in The Sun? (How to Fade a Wool Rug)
The sun feels good on your back and shoulders as it warms you up. Yet, the same sunlight that helps you face the day and feel good can also fade your favorite items. Making sure that you place your wool-covered items in the right spot helps them last and look great longer.
Does wool fade in the sun? Wool can fade if not protected by the manufacturer. Sometimes they are given a chemical wash to help the rug have a softer look which often removes any protective coating or natural protection the wool may have against the sun and stains.
To learn more about if wool rugs fade in the sun just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to put your wool rugs and other wool items in their correct spot. A little room rearranging may be in order.
Does Wool Fade in The Sun?
It can although it may take a lot longer to happen than with other fabrics. Most clothing is not out in the bright sunlight long enough for the UV rays to have any real effect on the wool material so you may not see this so much on your wool clothing.
Also, the winter and Autumn sun is not as strong as it is in the Spring and Summer so you may not even realize that wool can fade. Wool drapes will definitely fade after long exposure to the sun and you should use shears to help protect those curtains from any damage.
Also, if you wash your wool curtains, let them dry somewhere out of the sun before hanging them up again. The sun drying technique will help fade the color of those drapes. Prevention goes a long way toward preserving your expensive household items.
Does Wool Carpet Fade in Sunlight
Yes, a wool carpet will fade and if you steam clean that carpet, and let the sun into dry, expect to see some fading take place. The luster wash many rug makers give their product to highlight certain colors, etc., are one source for the fading.
The strength of the cuticle is removed during this wash and makes the wool rug vulnerable to fading even if you only spot clean the stains off of that rug. If you place those shiny rugs in the direct sunlight, that loss of strength enables the sun to go to work on the color and fade it a lot quicker than normal.
This wash is called a luster wash because the end result has the wool fibers looking shiny and with more sheen. These washed rugs are typically produced in places like China, Pakistan, India, and Iran. The makers want their rugs to look attractive so they get purchased more quickly.
Unfortunately, that process makes the wool rug more vulnerable to just about everything.
Does Merino Wool Fade?
The word is that this style of wool is impervious to fading. Even when washed correctly, merino wool is supposed to resist fading, color bleeding, shrinking, and should not lose their shape.
This wool may have other negatives associated with it but fading is not one of them. You may feel that merino wool is not as soft as advertised and your merino wool sweater or shirt may be that way. It does happen.
Along with not fading, merino wool has anti-bacterial properties that help destroy odors as they happen. Including defeating the odor that comes from athlete’s foot. Merino wool socks cut that odor down and no one should know you have a foot odor problem.
These positive properties help overshadow any negatives you may find with merino wool. That is why it is so popular. The positives just make merino wool seem like a perfect fabric.
How To Fade a Wool Rug
One of the cheapest and best ways to fade wool is to gently wash it in your washing machine and then put it in a sunny spot to dry. The sunlight will handle the fading for you and depending on how much color you want gone the length of time in the sun will vary.
If you don't want to wait for the sun to do the work, you can do it yourself by using the wrong chemical cleaners. Spot cleaners are notorious for making wool look worse than the actual stain did.
Sometimes Woolite will do the same thing as spot cleaners do and make the rug look a lot worse than it should. This cleaner sometimes needs to be diluted before using it as a spot cleaner.
Gentle washing and the proper cleaning solutions will not fade your wool rug. It is when you panic that you may end up helping the rug lose its color.
How To Fade a Wool
This may be hard to do as regular bleach can dissolve the wool fabric and color-safe bleach keeps the color in place. However, you can try 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 10 parts of water solution to do the trick.
Keep in mind that when you do this there is no off switch and the wool may fade more than you would like. Once you have mixed that solution, let the wool item soak in it for about 30 to 45 minutes. Only do occasional stirring to make the fade even.
After that time has expired, wring the wool out to get rid of the excess moisture and lay the item out flat to dry.
Some Final Words
Like we say with those other fabrics you want to lighten or fade, if you want a lighter color, buy the item in a lighter color. It is the safest way to fade wool or any fabric. The best way to keep your wool from fading is to keep the material out of the sun.
Sometimes it is hard to tell if the rug has lost its anti-fade properties so avoiding the sun is the best way to protect those rugs.
