Washing Wool

xbocax

xbocax

New member
anyone know any DIY ways to wash wool? I got some niice comffy wool swaters from the thrift store but i don't want to take them to a dry cleaner every time. Tried lookin on the net not too much out there.
anyone got any tricks up their sleeves?
 
my general wool-care is to wash it as infrequently as possible, and only if absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, spot-clean as crude collects, hand wash and hang dry, or wash in a regular washer, cold cycle, and then hang dry. Always stretch the wool after you wash it, or it will usually shrink big time (except for the merino wool, which seems to shrink less dramatically). Stretch it after you wash it, and stretch it while it dries.
 
coldsteelrail said:
my general wool-care is to wash it as infrequently as possible, and only if absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, spot-clean as crude collects, hand wash and hang dry, or wash in a regular washer, cold cycle, and then hang dry. Always stretch the wool after you wash it, or it will usually shrink big time (except for the merino wool, which seems to shrink less dramatically). Stretch it after you wash it, and stretch it while it dries.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
yeah Ive been realizing that although its the warmest and lightest Kashmir wool gets dirty the quickest
Merino seems to hold up
 
oh yah when you do the cold was do you use regular detergent? for some reason I feel that would be bad I was thinking of just using Dr Bronners
 
You can use regular detergent to wash wool. There are products designed to wash wool...but the dr. bronner's sounds good to me, and any soap (or perhaps none at all), is Ok.
I find merino wool less durable than thicker wools, but i don't think i've ever had anything kashmir long enough to wear out on me. Congratulations, you're warm and stylin'.
 
coldsteelrail said:
my general wool-care is to wash it as infrequently as possible, and only if absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...
Yes.
coldsteelrail said:
wash in a regular washer, cold cycle, and then hang dry.
Click to expand...
You can soak it in warm water and Dr. B's as long as there is no agitation. It's the combination of heat, wet, and motion that causes it to shrink and felt up. (Good for sex, not for wool).

What I'd do if it's really dirty is to soak it in pretty warm water and soap until it's totally cooled off. Then give it a gentle, cold rinse and line dry it till it's damp. Then put it on. Seems to work.
 
cranberrydavid said:
Yes.
You can soak it in warm water and Dr. B's as long as there is no agitation. It's the combination of heat, wet, and motion that causes it to shrink and felt up. (Good for sex, not for wool).

What I'd do if it's really dirty is to soak it in pretty warm water and soap until it's totally cooled off. Then give it a gentle, cold rinse and line dry it till it's damp. Then put it on. Seems to work.
Click to expand...

With this method do you find you need to stretch to reshape at all?
 
xbocax said:
With this method do you find you need to stretch to reshape at all?
Click to expand...

Well I actually kind of am. When you hang a wet sweater on a hanger, the water settles to the wrists and waiste and stretches the sleeves and body. Also the neck hole gets stretched around the hanger so it doesn't have a chance to shrink.

But you want to be sure to put it on while it's still damp and wear it till it's dry. That will shape it to your body while the fibers are still free to move some. When it dries the fibers lock up again and you might have gorilla sleeves for a while.
 
cranberrydavid said:
Well I actually kind of am. When you hang a wet sweater on a hanger, the water settles to the wrists and waiste and stretches the sleeves and body. Also the neck hole gets stretched around the hanger so it doesn't have a chance to shrink.

But you want to be sure to put it on while it's still damp and wear it till it's dry. That will shape it to your body while the fibers are still free to move some. When it dries the fibers lock up again and you might have gorilla sleeves for a while.
Click to expand...

this worx very well
wool retains like what 75percent of its insulation while wet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top