A step-by-step guide for cleaning and maintaining wool garments.
Special consideration is necessary whenselecting laundry detergentand determining the best washing, drying, and storage methods.
However, with proper care, your wool items will remain treasured pieces in your wardrobe for years.
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Youll also need touse the correct temperature settingson your washing machine, should you choose to go that route.
Create a Wool Wash
Add wool detergent to a sink or tub filled with cold water.
Use the ratios prescribed by the wool detergent manufacturer for best results.
Avoid rubbing or aggressively agitating the garment, as this could cause pilling.
Let the item soak for 30 minutes.
Air-Dry
Reshape the wool items, pressing away any wrinkles on the fabric.
Then, place them on adrying rackor on top of a clean towel to dry completely.
How to Spot-Treat Common Stains
Before washing your garment, its best to pretreat any stains.
Avoid harsh chemicals, ingredients, or additives, as they can damage the fabric.
Wash your garments and items inside out and avoid fabrics or textures that can pull at wool.
Its also best to avoid fabric softeners because they can leave behind a residue that causes pilling.
Even with the best effort, pilling might still happen.
To de-pill wool, use a sharp razor to shave off the pills while holding the garment taut.
Use a lint roller to grab the removed pilling.
Your best bet for preventing wool from shrinking is to avoid hot water.
Slight shrinkage of wool fabric is expected during the washing process due to the nature of the fibers.
Gently pressing on the fabric during the reshaping process will help restore both the size and shape.
The fibers will relax as the garment dries, and the original size should be restored.
Wool items, including those that are wool blends, should only be air-dried.
Even the lowest heat setting on your dryer will cause shrinking.
If you wind up with tough wrinkles, use steam to smooth them out.
