Dried out sheepskin pad - reviving recommendations???

[twohuntergirls]

Alright Forum Team, I need your experienced wisdom and recommendations…

I have a Thinline sheepskin pad and have washed it - with MELP - per instructions - twice (however, I then rinsed it - read on…).

Not only did it molt/ shed in the second washing - but the skin didn’t seem as supple.

I thought maybe I didn’t get all of the MELP out so I rewashed it in cold without MELP or other detergent then laid it out flat to dry.

It is completely crispy now! :eek::mad:

Sidebar, this isn’t my first sheepskin and I haven’t had this problem with others in the past…

Recommendations???

[Hippolyta]

I guess they shrink if you dry them?

I have a sheepskin throw rug that I wash & it only looks good if I tumble dry. I put it in the dryer with those spiny dryer balls & it comes out super fluffed up & awesome. It has longer fur than a pad.

maybe try tumble dry with no heat.

[alto]

[QUOTE=twohuntergirls;7063336]

I have a Thinline sheepskin pad and have washed it - with MELP - per instructions

It is completely crispy now! :eek::mad:

Recommendations???[/QUOTE]

Talk to Thinline - this is what happens when you have a sheepskin that is “dry clean” only (yup, completely trashed that beautiful rug - it was a gift & came with no label/instructions, so I treated it like my other “washable” sheepskin rug washability is apparently in the tanning process …).

Thinline is a bit cagey with their Sheepskin products (now), while they provide washing instructions they also recommend that you never wash any sheepskin product …

[Hippolyta]

If it is crispy, you could try carding it with a slicker cat/dog brush.

[MIKES_MCS]

Try taking a small paint brush and painting some fabric softner to a test spot , It may hydrate it .

[twohuntergirls]

Thanks!
Good idea… I will call them…

[baypaintlover]

@twohuntergirls;7063336

I have a Thinline sheepskin pad and have washed it - with MELP - per instructions

Just a heads up twohuntergirls, MELP is not on the recommended list of Sheepskin Cleaners on the ThinLine Sheepskin Care Instructions. I was looking into cleaning my ThinLine sheepskin pad the other day, and I found these instructions on their website “Sheepskin saddle pads are best washed by hand in cold water using one of the following 3 approved products: Eucalan, Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, or Ivory Snow Flakes”

(here’s where I found the care instructions: http://www.thinlineglobal.com/horse-tack-care-instructions-and-warranty/)

I would call ThinLine, they should be able to help you our with your pad.

[Appsolute]

No idea if it would work for a thinline pad - but I have a Mattes pad that I picked up used, and was a bit stiff.

I just recently hand washed it (mild detergent) and then rinsed it with Leather Therapy conditioning rinse (thick stuff, almost like Lexol Conditioner. I added a small amount to slightly warm water and swished the pad around in it. The leather was much more supple and soft when it dried.

http://www.doversaddlery.com/leather-therapy-laundry-rinse/p/X1-31107/

[laughATTACK]

Wash it with an approved product and then dry it with a vaccuum that you can blow air out of. Seriously. That’s how I wash all out sheepskin products at the barn. I find it to be the most important step on keeping them fluffy. I use the horse vacuum and just switch the hose to the exhaust part. Then I just blow dry the sheepskin. The horse vaccuum works well because you can put the tool actually on the sheepskin and fluff it.

[KateKat]

I’m thinking you’re talking about the actual skin part, not the fur, correct? Because if its the fur you just have to brush it out.

When I was using my sheepskin regularly (and with no saddle pad, so it did need to be washed about once a month) I would just keep it a) brushed out and make sure it dried after each use and b) would wash with a soap free, conditioning sheepskin wash called Kookaburra. Its from NZ and uses tea tree oil and lanolin. Its a little pricey, but always kept my Thinline sheepskin in great condition (and a little went a long way). So if you can, maybe get ahold of some of that and see if it makes a difference.

Oh, and I would also only wash in cool to slightly warm water. Nothing hot. And no drying in the sun. Only in the shade, or inside with a fan pointed at it so the sheepskin wasn’t overly wet for hours. Typing this all out makes it seem like a really really involved process, lol!

[alto]

@KateKat;7080911

I’m thinking you’re talking about the actual skin part, not the fur, correct?

That was my assumption as well, & there’s no going back from that

[Appsolute]

I am telling you the Leather Therapy Laundry RINSE and dressing really helped the leather part of the sheepskin become supple again.

The rinse is designed to be either used in the wash with chaps etc, or painted on dry leather. Smell and feel is very similar to Lexol conditioner.

“The Laundry Rinse and Dressing adds rich emollients which soften and enhance leather”