Receiving Your Rug: Unrolling, Settling and the First Month
Care · 26 February 2026 · 5 min · Published by Raheem & Son for RS Living
A new handmade rug will shed, may not lie flat for a week, and may smell faintly of wool. All three are normal. Here is what is not.
Unroll it the same day
A rug travels rolled, often tightly, sometimes for weeks. The longer it stays rolled after it arrives, the longer it takes to settle. Unroll it the day it reaches you even if the room is not ready, and let it lie face up.
Do not unroll it face down to flatten the curl. It works, briefly, and it stresses the foundation in the wrong direction. Face up, weighted at the corners with something heavy and flat, is slower and correct.
Creases from folding, as opposed to rolling, take longer and occasionally need warmth. Gentle sun on the creased area for an hour or two usually does it. Do not apply an iron directly to pile.
Shedding is not a defect
A new wool rug sheds. Short fibres left in the pile from shearing and finishing work their way out as the rug is walked on, and for the first few weeks you will find them on the floor and in the vacuum. On a hand-tufted rug this is more pronounced and lasts longer than on a hand-knotted one, which is a function of construction rather than quality.
Vacuum gently and often in the first month, without a beater bar. It removes loose fibre faster than leaving it, and shortens the whole process. Shedding that is still heavy after two or three months is worth telling us about.
A faint smell of wool and, in some pieces, of natural dye is normal in a new rug and fades with air. A persistent sharp or chemical smell is not, and we want to hear about it.
What to tell us about
Colour that transfers onto a damp white cloth pressed firmly into the pile. A properly washed rug should not do this.
Edges that will not lie flat after a month, or a rug that sits visibly out of square once settled. Handmade rugs are not machine-perfect and slight irregularity is inherent to the craft, but there is a difference between character and a fault, and we would rather look at it than have you wonder.
Anything that does not match what you ordered. Size, colourway, weave. Say so early, before the rug has been lived on, and it is a straightforward conversation.
Questions
How long does a new rug take to lie flat?
Most rugs settle within one to two weeks lying face up, faster with weight on the corners. Fold creases take longer than roll curl and sometimes need gentle warmth.
Is it normal for a new wool rug to shed?
Yes. Loose fibre from shearing and finishing works out over the first weeks, and more so on hand-tufted than hand-knotted pieces. Vacuum gently without a beater bar to speed it up. Heavy shedding beyond two or three months is worth reporting.
My rug smells of wool. Is something wrong?
No. A faint wool or natural-dye smell is normal in a new handmade rug and airs out. A sharp or chemical smell is not normal, so tell us if that is what you have.
