Help! How Do I Wash Wool?

You’re now the proud owner of a woolen garment! Congratulations! 

But…how do you care for it?

A WOOLY GOOD FIBER

First off, don’t stress! It’s not as time consuming or difficult as you might think. If your item has wool, cashmere, alpaca, or other animal fibers, chances are you don’t have to wash them very often unless they are visibly dirty or stinky. Even then you might find that airing them out outside or even “washing” them in freshly fallen snow (yes, really!) will give them the refresh you’re looking for.

The reason for this? Wool has amazing properties that resist odor and even repel some dirt. Depending on how often you wear the item, you may just want to wash them once or twice per year. Clara Parkes likes to do a twice-per-year wash—one at the beginning of Spring and the other at the beginning of Autumn. This is a great suggestion because it’s an opportunity to tuck away all the seasonal woolies clean and free from pest-loving dirt and skin cells. 

WASHING & DRYING

If your item really does need a good wash, be sure to first read the tag or instructions on the yarn label. 

• If it says machine wash, you’re good to go! 
• When machine washing, we recommend always using a gentle/hand wash cycle with a gentle detergent. As an extra precaution against friction you can wash the item alone, inside out, and/or in a delicates bag like this one. 
• Dry according to the label instructions. When in doubt, lay flat and reshape to dry. We find these sweater dryers to be great for speeding up drying.

• If it says hand wash, grab your supplies!
• You’ll need wool wash, a bucket or sink, and a towel (any towel will do but we like this one). You’ll also need a place to dry your item. You can use blocking mats, a sweater dryer, or a fresh towel. If you need to pin out an item like a shawl, these blocking pins make it a breeze!
• Add detergent according to the wool wash label (a dollop will usually do it!) and fill the bucket with enough water to cover your item and allow it to fully saturate with water.
• Gently place your item in the water, pushing it down to immerse it. Do not agitate! The soap and water will do all the work!
• Set a timer for 15-30min and go get yourself a snack or start that book you’ve been wanting to read.
• After your timer goes off, carefully lift out your item from the water. It will be very heavy! Gently squeeze the water out of the item as best as you can without wringing or agitating. Be careful not to allow the item to get stretched out (a delicates bag can be helpful for this!). Dump out the rest of the water from the bucket. No need to rinse!
• Lay out your towel and put the newly cleaned item on the towel. Roll it up and gently squeeze. Then, step on your wooly roll-up from end to end to get out as much water as you can. Note: If there’s a lot of water and you’d like to speed up the drying process, you can repeat this step with a dry towel.
• Lay the item out on whatever surface you’ve chosen for drying, reshaping where necessary. (If you know the finished dimensions this can be helpful.)
• Let dry! Depending on how much water you got out, how thick the yarn, where you’re drying it, and the current humidity it could be a matter of hours or a few days. If drying on a towel, it’s good to change out the towel so it dries more quickly.

TLDR: Add cold water and a dollop of wool wash to a bucket or sink. Immerse your item for 15-30min. Squeeze out as much water as you can without wringing or agitation. Roll in towel and squish water out. Lay flat and reshape to dry.

STORING WOOLENS

Wool has the capacity to last for a very long time if well taken care of. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• If you’re not going to be using your garment for a while, it’s a good idea to store your item freshly laundered and away from moisture and pests like moths & carpet beetles. 

• People have differing opinions on storage techniques. Some of the tips we’ve used include:
• lavender sachets/oil
• cedar boxes/sachets/balls
• sealed plastic bags
• airtight totes
• periodically moving and airing out your garments

BONUS: ABOUT DE-PILLING

Over time your item may show signs of pilling. This happens due to friction and happens more with softer wools. There are many products available to help deal with this! We typically like to use wool combs like this one, this one, or an electric sweater shaver. It doesn’t take very long and can be very rewarding to have a garment looking like new again! Be sure to read the instructions and take special care with fine wools, lacework, and mohair.