Washing a wool or cashmere sweater can seem like a risky task. Who has never been afraid to shrink a beautiful brand new wool or cashmere sweater? Us the first! In this article, we are going to give you some tips on how to properly wash, dry and iron your wool and cashmere sweaters without damaging them.
How to wash a wool or cashmere sweater
Most leading wool and cashmere brands, such as Repeat Cashmere, recommend washing textiles by hand. But hand-washing can be a laborious task. If you are meticulous and have a good washing machine, it is possible to machine wash cashmere and wool. Even brands like Des Petits Hauts recommend it on their site. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Make sure you have a good machine:
To wash wool or cashmere, you need a washing machine that is suitable for delicate fabrics. For example, good machines can wash delicate laundry with a cold wash program. And like that, there is no risk of damaging or shrinking your favorite sweaters and cardigans.
2. Prepare your sweater before machine washing it:
First of all, you must prevent your sweater or cardigan from pilling. To achieve this, you can do two things:
a) Turn your sweaters inside out
b) Then, slip each sweater or cardigan into a laundry net.
These two steps help to avoid friction with other clothes. This is what damages wool fibers the most and causes sweaters to pill. If you don't have a laundry net, you can use a cotton pillowcase instead and voila!
3. Use the right detergent for wool or cashmere:
You must choose the right type and quantity of detergent for a successful wash.
Finding the right detergent: what are the right detergents? There are several brands sold in supermarkets. We recommend one of the following brands that have proven their effectiveness time and time again:
- Tide Studio Delicates
- Woolite Extra Delicates
- Perwoll mild detergent
Use the right amount of detergent: Once you have chosen your brand of detergent, you need to be careful about how much to use. For fragile fibers like wool and cashmere, the less detergent, the better for the fabrics.
4. Choose the right washing program:
There are several washing programs suitable for wool and cashmere. The most common are: wool, hand and quick wash. Normally, at least one of these programs must appear on your machine if you want to machine wash your sweaters.
For a successful wash, there are two important things to keep in mind:
Select a cold wash. Wool and cashmere should be washed at 20°C or 30°C. Above 30°C, you risk shrinking your favorite wool sweater.
It is also important to choose a short wash. Select a program that lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. A longer wash may damage the natural fibres.
5. Make sure you set the right spin speed:
The ideal speed for wool or cashmere is 500 to 600 rpm. If your speed is too slow, your sweaters will be weighed down by the weight of the water, will sit in the drum, and will felt and pill. If your speed is too fast, it will damage the fiber of your jerseys. Do not forget the use of laundry nets, as it will protect the wool and cashmere during the spin cycle.
Now your sweaters are clean, let's move on to drying, then ironing.
How to dry wool and cashmere sweaters
To avoid:
Avoid drying your wool and cashmere sweaters in the dryer: it is the number one enemy of wool and cashmere. It will attack the fiber of your sweaters and shrink them.
Do not dry your wool or cashmere sweaters on hangers or a laundry rack: This risks deforming them. Your sweater has absorbed a lot of water during the wash. This makes it heavier and the weight of the water may stretch the sweater, especially at the shoulders.
Now that you know what not to do, here's what to do.
To do:
Dry your sweaters flat: You can put your sweaters on a cotton towel. This will speed up drying, as the cotton will quickly absorb the water that is in the wool and cashmere.
Keep your sweaters away from a heat source: like baseboard heaters on the wall. This will prevent the cashmere or wool from shrinking. Within a few hours, your sweaters should be dry.
How to iron your wool and cashmere sweaters
- Use a steamer rather than a regular iron. It will be more natural for wool and cashmere fiber.
- If you don't have a steamer, iron at a low temperature so you don't burn the fibers.
Take good care of your wool and cashmere sweaters to prolong their life
- Avoid the hanger: it's better to fold your cashmere and wool sweaters rather than put them on a hanger. This avoids deforming the garment at the shoulders.
- Removing lint fabric: It is completely normal for lint to appear when you are wearing your sweater. To remove it, use an anti-pilling razor.
- Ventilate your wool and cashmere sweaters well: it is not necessary to wash your wool and cashmere sweaters every time you wear them. Let them air out. The bad smells will go away and they will be impeccable to wear again. Wash your sweaters and cardigans after three to five uses.
