Natural cowhide rugs are a unique item to decorate your home. Each rug has an exclusive look because every cow has different natural colour markings. Different types of fur is available from blocks of one colour to two colour variations. The hide is natural and is mostly derived from dairy and meat industry cows to decrease waste. A typical cowhide rug is 20 to 50 square feet. Larger rugs are made available by stitching hides together. Cowhide rugs are fabricated in many parts of the world including Canada, Indian, the US, China and Brazil.
Cowhide rugs are very durable and they can be placed just about anywhere. These rugs are essentially like using a cow pelt – in fact it is the complete skin and hair of a cow. There is a 2 stage process from making a cowhide rug. In the first stage the hide must be cured. This prevents the fur from shedding (moulting) and it prevents unpleasant odors. The process takes around 2 weeks. The second stage is tanning and the hide gets tanned with either chrome tanning or vegetable tanning.
When it comes to cleaning cowhide it has to be treated carefully. Vacuuming is require as part of regular maintenance. Spot cleaning is also recommended but be careful if the rug had been redyed to enhance the hide pattern. Since the cowhide is leather it will stretch if exposed to water and will need occasional conditioning so the leather won’t dry out. If you do not want to vacuum your rug, giving it a good shake outside or using a rug beating method can get rid of dirt that has accumulated. Synthetic varieties of cowhide rugs are easier to clean and maintain with regular rug cleaning methods.