How to Care for Wool?
How to care for wool is not as hard as you may think. Most importantly you do not have to clean it as often as you think. I try to wash all my wool at the end of the winter season.
If you brush your wool with a boar hair brush after every use you could spot a stain that you might need to spot clean. Brushing wool suits keep them looking fresh.
Sometimes you could skip the dry cleaners for wool and cashmere: I believe it is always safer to hand wash but for bigger items like blankets you will need to use the washing machine. For expensive new sweaters I always dry clean.
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Could You Wash Wool In The Washing Machine?
When learning how to take care of wool you should be aware that you could wash wool.
When washing wool in the machine, you will want to start by using cold water and the delicate/hand wash cycle on the machine.
Warm water or too much agitation may make the wool shrink. Use the coldest and gentlest cycles you have. Once the detergent is mixed with the water you can now add the wool item.
Items like sweaters or pants should be turned inside out. Then, place them in the machine and let the cycle run through. When the cycle finishes pull the item right away and lay it flat on a towel.
Gently roll the towel up with the wool item inside it. Press gently once you have the towel completely rolled up. This helps get any excess water out of the items without damaging the wool. Lay the item out on a towel until dry.
How to Hand Wash a Sweater?
Furthermore just because you have wool clothing doesn’t mean you always have to have it dry cleaned. By following these simple tips you can wash your wool at home.
Moreover, washing a sweater by hand is messier than dry cleaning. As a result, you will save money. The best thing is you will not have the chemicals on your sweater that come from dry cleaning.
1.Fill a sink or bathtub with cold water. Add a mild soap (less than you think you need).
2. Turn the sweater inside out, immerse in water and swirl gently, taking care to avoid stretching the fabric. Allow your sweater to soak in water for up to 10 minutes.
3. Afterwards drain the sink and refill with cold water. Gently swish your sweater back and forth in clean water to rinse out the soap. Repeat this step as many times as needed until soap is gone.
4. Gently press the sweater to remove excess water. Do not wring or twist because the fibers are very delicate when wet. If you must use the dryer set it on an air fluff/no heat setting. If you hang wool it will stretch out.
How to Dry Wool After Hand Washing?
When learning how to care for wool hand drying is important to know.
Step 1 :
First, spread the sweater on a thick dry towel. Gently roll the sweater in the towel. Pressing as you go to remove all the moisture. Try not to twist the towel.
Step 2:
Secondly unroll the sweater. Lay the sweater on a dry towel that’s been placed on a flat waterproof surface.
Step 3:
Finally reshape the sweater. After 12 to 24 hours spread the sweater on a dry towel.
Step 4:
Lastly once your sweater is completely dry if it has any wrinkles or folds remaining, use a steamer, or the steamer setting on your iron. Test with your iron first.
How to Store Wool for the Winter?
The simplest way to store is in dry cleaner plastic bags or plastic storage containers. Some use big plastic bags. Even though this will work, the fabric can not breath.
Dry cleaner plastic bags trap moisture and dry cleaning chemicals in with your clothing and absolutely refuse to let the air in or out. Put simply, your clothes cannot breathe.
That being said, I have used plastic bins and my wool was fine. No moths got inside. Wool sweaters looked good.
If you have expensive wool sweaters I would suggest a higher quality storage box. Not to be confused with garment bags, these storage bags are often rectangular in shape, zippered, and made with a breathable fabric. The breathable fabric is the key.
Hayden Hill square garment bags are made of breathable, cotton. They have large zippers to prevent clothes from snagging, and are available in two sizes. This is an expense option but if your sweaters were pricey preserving them correctly might be worth it.
Why is Brushing Wool Important?
Brushing Wool is important to keep clothes clean.
Using a soft garment brush, brush garments lengthwise after wearing to remove surface soil that might become stains later on. Dust and dirt can dull the appearance of wool fabrics.
When asking yourself how to care for wool remember to brush your wool suits after ever use. Therefore, this is the best clothes brush made in the USA.
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