If the wool is not washed neatly, it can easily lose its shape or, even worse, shrink and become several sizes smaller. You can actually get a kid's sweater out of the car by putting an adult product in it. If you do not need such a magical transformation, you should follow the instructions below.
Steps
Step 1. Make sure the wool item really needs to be washed
Unlike cotton and man-made materials, wool does not need to be washed frequently - even wool socks can be worn many times between washes by exposing them to the air between the socks. Don't feel like your wool sweater needs to be washed just because you are used to doing it with other things by wearing them once! Gently clean stains and air out woolen items and you'll be surprised how long they last with a minimum of washes and little maintenance.
Step 2. Soak woollens in cold water for several hours before washing
Do this so that all the wool fibers are soaked in water. This method will help prevent shrinkage of the woolen garment.
Step 3. Clean up stains if necessary
Heavily soiled items, such as diapers, must first be cleaned with a brush and then rinsed with cold clean water. If the diapers are only slightly soaked in urine, you can simply rinse them, not wash them, or even just air them - wool is a wonderful natural product that cleans itself very well!
Step 4. Use the right products
There are products specially formulated for washing wool. You can also wash with very little soap, hand or Castile soap, water, and possibly a little essential oil (like lavender). Dissolve the detergent first in water to avoid over-soaking the damp coat. To dissolve the soap better, dissolve it in a little hot water and then mix with cold water. You can also try using baby shampoo or a mild cleanser. Do not assume that you can machine wash your wool using Woolite or any other detergent designed for washing wool. Regardless of which product you choose, use a very small amount, as soap tends to lag.
Step 5. Wash in the sink by hand, but do not rub the wool, otherwise it will matted
Heat, friction and soap are the main enemies of wool, so try to gently soak the garment and wash away the dirt. The good news is that wool is very easy to clean with just water.
Step 6. Use your washing machine with extreme caution
You can wash in the washing machine as long as the garment will not be rubbed. Fill the machine with cold water, add soap if you use it, and turn on the machine to mix the soap with the water. Place the woollens and submerge them under water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. Turn the machine to the part of the mode where the water is drained and then rinsed. Do not start the normal wash cycle. If you have a top loading machine, do not close the cover. Rinse the woollens and run the dry portion of the cycle twice.
Step 7. Dry horizontally to maintain shape
A collapsible dryer can be used. Remove excess water with a towel by placing the garment on top of it and rolling it into a roll while pressing lightly. Unroll and air dry.
Advice
- Woolen diapers need periodic treatment with lanolin, a natural oil that makes them waterproof.
- If the woolen garment has shrunk, dampen it thoroughly with cold water and stretch it to its original size, laying horizontally. You can search for more information on stretching woolen items at wikihow.com.
Warnings
- Do not wash woolen pants that can only be dry cleaned, even with your hands. They dump.
- In addition to spoiled woolen clothing, washing in the machine can cause the fluff from the wool to clog the pump and break the machine. If you want to dump something, do it by placing the garment in a bag if using the washing machine, or by hand in the sink, tub, or bucket.
- Hot water or a hot hair dryer will shrink the coat. Even a warm setting is too hot.
- Friction will cause the wool to fall off. Heat and soap will only make matters worse.