There may be nothing like snuggling up in a wool sweater on a chilly winter day, however washing it afterward generally is a nightmare – particularly when you possibly can’t merely throw it in your washer-dryer.
Don’t let the thought of studying learn how to handwash garments put you off indulging on this luxurious fiber, nevertheless.
Whether or not you’re sporting merino or cashmere, washing wool is straightforward with this three-step technique I’ve honed over latest months.
Hand washing wool
Once I first began hand washing my wool clothes, there was a variety of trial and error. From not having the ability to squeeze all of the cleaning soap out to struggling to get it dry in lower than a day – I’ve made all of the laundry errors thinkable. The vital bit is I by no means shrunk any of my items.
That is how I managed to iron out the kinks and ace my routine.
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1. All the time use specialised wool conditioner
Laundry detergent is a fickle good friend. It’s nice for cleansing and freshening up garments – and also you shouldn’t wash garments with out detergent, however it could possibly depart a dangerous residue in your clothes if not washed out totally. When hand washing garments, this may be difficult, so I’ve discovered that it’s best to spend money on a wool wash, comparable to Woolite Delicates Detergent from Amazon in order that any residue does not threat damaging the wool fibers as a lot as a daily detergent would possibly.
What’s extra, wool wash leaves my wool far softer than a conventional detergent and might even assist to make a wool sweater much less itchy, making it a win-win.
2. Soak, don’t scrub
One in all my early laundry errors was scrubbing my wool sweaters, rubbing the material both with my hand, or scrubbing the material collectively to assist work the conditioner into the fibers. This not solely made my again ache as I labored over the facet of my bathtub but additionally made the wool capsule – particularly within the case of washing cashmere mix sweaters.
As a substitute, I discovered that soaking the garment in a mixture of heat (not scorching) water and the directed quantity of detergent was sufficient to clean up the garment with out damaging it. I merely agitated it often over 10 to fifteen minutes in order that the detergent did not settle and all of the fibers had been lined.
After soaking, I rinsed the material out underneath operating lukewarm water till I could not really feel the oily remnants of detergent anymore. That is essentially the most strenuous a part of the method given how heavy wool will be when moist, however it’s arguably one of many extra vital steps.
3. Dry flat with a dehumidifier
Drying a wool sweater was one other factor I initially struggled with. The trick, I found, is to squeeze as a lot water from it as attainable earlier than laying it to dry and, until you will have an old school mangle, that is powerful work. I discovered that urgent the garment folded up in opposition to the facet of my bathtub was the perfect technique, letting the water run off to the drain (simply make sure to clear your bathtub first so you do not make your sweater soiled once more).
One other factor I found was to keep away from wringing out the garment like a fabric in any respect prices. I found the unlucky method that this can stretch the material and probably misshape it – let’s simply say it’s a superb job I first tried hand washing wool with one in every of my extra inexpensive sweaters.
As soon as squeezed inside an inch of its life, drying it flat is a should. I laid mine out on an empty garments airer and popped a dehumidifier beneath. The dehumidifier helped to attract moisture out whereas blowing dry air over the sweater, serving to it to dry extra shortly and stopping musty odors.
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Find out how to take away stains from wool by hand
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Surprisingly, given how clumsy I’m, I’ve by no means needed to pull a stain out of a wool garment. Nonetheless, Aaron Christensen, resident cleansing knowledgeable and VP of Development at Homeaglow, explains that it’s easier than you assume if you act early:
‘When coping with a spill, dab and blot the stain from the surface inwards to assist choose up as a lot extra liquid and forestall the stain from spreading,’ he begins. ‘Then, combine a cleansing resolution of half white vinegar and half wool detergent blended with cool water. Dab and blot the cleansing resolution onto the stain, working your method from the surface of the stain inwards as soon as once more.’
After treating the stain, merely wash the wool merchandise once more as above, leaving it to soak in cool water with wool wash, gently agitating the stain till it lifts away from the fibers earlier than squeezing out extra water and laying it out to dry flat.
FAQs
Are you able to unshrink wool?
If in case you have unintentionally shrunk a wool garment or throw, it may be difficult to return it to its pure measurement, however attainable. The trick is to soak the wool in chilly water and a wool conditioner for not less than 10 minutes after which stretch the merchandise out flat on a garments rack. Because the merchandise dries, proceed to stretch it out to keep away from it shrinking again in on itself. When it nears being utterly dry, you possibly can try and put the merchandise on once more to reform it to your physique.
Can I wash wool on a hand-wash washer setting?
You may often put wool on the hand wash or delicate setting in your washer, utilizing wool shampoo within the detergent drawer of your machine as regular. To guard the fibers, flip the garment inside out and place it in a washbag to stop it from pilling or stretching. When washing wool utilizing machines, make sure to keep away from utilizing your dryer to stop shrinking.
In fact, earlier than you wash something constituted of wool, you will need to test the laundry symbols on the care label first. Some wool clothes are mechanically cleanable, whereas others could also be dry clear solely. All the time make sure to wash accordingly.