A hand-tufted tapestry is not a fragile thing. It is built from yarn, glue, and a lot of physical labour. But like anything handmade, it lasts longest when you know how to look after it. This guide covers everything I tell my collectors when a piece leaves my Amsterdam studio: where to hang it, how to clean it, what to do when something spills, and how to store it properly. No complicated routines. Just practical advice from someone who makes these things by hand.
Understanding What Your Tapestry Is Made Of
Before you can care for a tapestry properly, it helps to know what you are working with. A hand-tufted tapestry has two sides with very different needs.
The front surface is made of yarn loops or cut pile. At Studio Juuls, I use wool, acrylic, or a blend of both. Wool has a natural lanolin content that gives it some resistance to dirt and moisture. Acrylic holds colour well under UV light and stays vibrant over time. The blend gives you the best of both.
The back is a woven fabric (usually monk's cloth) sealed with adhesive to lock the yarn in place. This backing holds the entire work together. It is sturdy, but it is more vulnerable to moisture than the front. That distinction matters for almost every care decision you will make.
If you want to understand the tufting process itself in more detail, my article on what tufting is and how it works covers the craft from start to finish.
Where to Hang a Tapestry
Most damage to wall tapestries does not happen during cleaning. It happens slowly, through poor placement. Getting the location right is the single most important thing you can do.
Keep It Away from Direct Sunlight
UV radiation breaks down dye molecules over time. The process is slow, invisible, and irreversible. Bright reds and purples tend to fade first. Wool can lose its warmth and shift towards grey.
Direct sunlight is the obvious problem, but even indirect light through large south-facing windows causes gradual damage. UV-filtering window film is a cheap and effective solution. It is barely visible and protects everything in the room. Museums use the same principle on their skylights.
The practical rule: hang your tapestry on a wall that does not face the window directly. Side walls perpendicular to windows are usually the safest spot.
Avoid Heat Sources and Damp Rooms
Hanging a tapestry directly above a radiator is a common mistake. The concentrated dry heat stresses fibres and can warp the backing over time. The same goes for walls above fireplaces or wood-burning stoves.
Bathrooms and kitchens with lots of steam are not suitable for textile art. A little humidity in the air is fine. Sustained moisture is not.
Leave a Small Gap Behind the Tapestry
The back of a tapestry needs a bit of air circulation. If it sits flat against the wall, moisture can get trapped between the backing and the surface. This is especially true on exterior walls during colder months. Most hanging systems create a natural gap of a centimetre or two. If yours does not, a small spacer at each corner of the backing does the job.
How to Hang a Tapestry Properly
All tapestries from Studio Juuls come with a hanging system already attached.
This is intentional. A heavy tapestry hung from two hooks at the top corners will eventually pull the backing out of shape. The weight needs to be distributed across the full width to prevent distortion.
If you use your own system, the guiding principle is: spread the load. A French cleat cut to the width of the piece works well. A curtain rod through a channel at the top works well. Two hooks at opposite ends does not work well for anything wider than about 40cm.
For large pieces over a metre wide, fix into wall studs or use anchors rated for the weight. A tapestry of three or four kilograms falling off a wall can pull loops loose from the backing in ways that are hard to repair.
Unsure about the best approach? Contact the studio and I will walk you through it.
Routine Tapestry Maintenance
Maintaining a wall tapestry takes very little effort. Hung in a normal room, it needs nothing more than occasional dusting and an annual check.
How to Dust a Tapestry
Textured surfaces collect dust faster than flat ones. The simplest method is a low-power vacuum with an upholstery attachment, held a centimetre or two from the surface rather than pressed against it. Run it gently in the direction of the pile. Do this every few months, or whenever the surface starts looking dull.
What not to do: never beat a tapestry, shake it hard, or blast it with compressed air. All of these can loosen loops from the backing.
Airing Out a Tapestry
Once or twice a year, it is worth taking the tapestry down and hanging it somewhere with good airflow for a day. Outside is fine on a dry, overcast day. Never in direct sun. Never when there is a chance of rain. This freshens the fibres and prevents the subtle mustiness that natural fibres can develop over time.
Brushing the Pile
If the pile looks a bit flattened after a long time on the wall, a very soft clothes brush can coax it back. The kind used for wool garments. Work gently in short strokes. This is rarely needed, but good to know about.
How to Clean a Tapestry
Let me be direct about this: never wash a hand-tufted tapestry at home. Not in a machine, not in a bath, not by hand. The backing adhesive is water-resistant but not waterproof. If it gets fully saturated, the adhesive can soften, and the loops may shift or pull through before the piece dries. Even if the sealant holds, a large wet textile dries so slowly that mildew becomes a real risk.
For anything beyond routine dusting, professional cleaning is the right answer. A textile conservator has the tools and training to clean without causing damage. In the Netherlands, the TextielMuseum in Tilburg has a conservation laboratory and can recommend specialist conservators for private collectors.
How to Handle Spills on a Tapestry
Act immediately, and resist your instincts. Do not rub. Rubbing pushes liquid deeper and spreads the stain.
Instead, blot. Press a clean, dry, absorbent cloth firmly against the spot and lift. Repeat with a fresh part of the cloth until you have absorbed as much as possible. Then let the piece dry naturally with some airflow.
If a stain remains after drying, do not reach for cleaning products. Most household stain removers can affect dye stability in hand-dyed yarn, and the results are unpredictable. A faint stain is better than a bleached patch. For anything involving oil, wine, or coloured liquids, contact a professional textile conservator.
Protecting a Tapestry from Moths
This is the issue wool collectors worry about most, and rightly so. But it is the larvae that do the damage, not the moths themselves. They feed on natural fibres, especially in dark, undisturbed spaces.
The good news: a tapestry hanging on a well-lit, regularly aired wall is at very low risk. Moths prefer dark wardrobes and storage boxes. The risk goes up significantly when a piece is stored away for a long period.
Signs to watch for: small irregular patches where the pile looks thin or missing, or tiny loose fibres gathered at the base of the pile. If you spot either, isolate the piece from other textiles immediately and contact either the studio or a conservator.
How to Store a Tapestry
Ideally, a tapestry stays on the wall. That is where it gets light, airflow, and attention. But if you are moving or redecorating, here is the right way to do it.
What Not to Do
Never fold a tapestry. Folding creates creases in the backing that can become permanent, and the pile in the fold line gets matted in ways that are difficult to fix. Never store in plastic. Plastic traps moisture and creates exactly the conditions that moths and mildew love.
The Right Way to Roll and Store a Tapestry
Roll the tapestry around an acid-free tube. These are available from archival suppliers or good art supply shops. Use the widest tube you can find. Roll with the pile facing outward, so it sits on the outside of the roll rather than being compressed against itself.
Wrap the roll in acid-free tissue, then in clean cotton cloth. Store horizontally in a dry room with stable temperature, away from light.
For storage lasting more than a month or two, tuck a natural moth deterrent inside the wrapping. Cedar blocks or lavender sachets work well, but keep them from touching the textile directly. Replace every few months as they lose potency.
Label the roll clearly. Future you will thank present you.
Dealing with Damage: Loose Loops and Repairs
Occasionally a loop or small section of pile will come loose from the backing. This can happen from a snag, impact, or simply a seam in the sealant giving way over time.
The important thing: do not pull it. Do not cut it. Keep the loose piece in place. A conservator can re-secure it, often invisibly. A loop that has been pulled out of its anchor is much harder to fix than one still attached but needing re-gluing.
For any damage beyond a single loose loop, get in touch with me. I can assess the situation from a photo and advise on whether it is something you can handle at home or whether it needs professional attention.
Quick Reference: Tapestry Care Checklist
For those who want the short version:
Do
Hang away from direct sunlight and radiators. Vacuum gently every few months. Blot spills immediately. Air out once or twice a year. Roll around an acid-free tube for storage. Include moth deterrents in storage.
Don't
Hang above a radiator or in a bathroom. Rub stains. Wash at home. Fold for storage. Store in plastic. Pull at loose loops.
A hand-tufted tapestry made from quality materials and cared for with basic attention will last for decades. The Flemish tapestries that still hang in European palaces are five hundred years old. Yours will not need that level of devotion, but the principle holds. These things are built to last. Your job is mostly to not intervene too aggressively.
Have Questions About Your Tapestry?
Whether you own a piece from our collection or are considering your first textile artwork, I am always happy to advise. Contact the studio and I will get back to you personally.
If you are new to collecting, my guide to starting your fine art collection is a good place to begin. And if you are curious about why textile art works so well in modern interiors, take a look at why texture is the new colour in 2026 interiors.
