How to look after your throw or picnic rug

Sometimes muddy feet, grubby fingers and biscuit crumbs can find their way on to our favourite things. 

If you need to freshen up your throw choose the method that suits your particular product: ​​

• If your throw has a leather label, please hand wash in cool water with a wool detergent. We've given more information about hand washing further down the page. If you'd prefer to dry clean your product rather than hand wash, please choose your dry cleaner with care. The leather label may dry out while being dry cleaned, so check with your dry cleaner first.

 

• If your throw doesn’t have a leather label, you can either hand wash it or take it to the dry cleaner.

​You can spot clean marks on your throw by using cool water with a dash of wool detergent diluted in cool water. Use a clean cloth to dab the diluted solution on the mark. Use a fresh clean damp cloth to remove the solution. Just dab the cloth and don't scrub as this avoids raising the wool around the area being cleaned. 

To hand wash a throw, use your laundry tub/bath or a large, clean plastic container. Fill it with cool water to a level that won't overflow once you add the throw (this will depend on the size of your container plus the size of your throw). Add a little wool detergent and stir gently until mixed through. Submerge the throw in the water and squeeze gently with your hands. Don't rub or wring the throw as this will cause the wool to get fluffy and/or stretch. Rinse carefully in cool water by changing the bath or tub water to clean water, preferably twice. Lay flat to dry, for instance on towels on the deck or lawn.

Please don't put your throw in the washing machine, use hot water, or tumble drying. These should all be avoided as no good will come from them. Any of these will make your throw shrink, felt (i.e., matt together) and/or lose its shape. (Fun fact: the wool in your store-bought merino tops has been specially treated to allow machine washing. Our wool is different and less processed, so our throws won't handle a tumble in a washing machine.)

Your picnic mats are designed to handle a bit of dirt and will last for years as long as you follow the care instructions: 

• Do not wash or dry-clean.
• Brush dirt from canvas before storage.
• Allow to dry completely before storage. 

 
Please get in touch with us if you have a specific query about the care of your Rātā Creek throw or picnic rug. We’d love to help keep them looking fabulous through the years.