Many believe that woollen clothing is difficult to wash, but it doesn’t need to be. As long as you know the most important tips for washing your wool, you can do it easily and quickly, without risking shrinking it.
Do you get nervous every time you wash wool? Do you live in fear of the day your favourite wool sweater shrinks to a miniature size? Or, do you avoid wool completely because you think it’s hard and time-consuming to wash?
There is no need to worry, because wool is not as hard to wash as people may think.
With these five pieces of advice, you can easily and safely wash your woollen clothing – without it shrinking, fading, or getting damaged.
1. HAND WASH OR MACHINE WASH ON A LOW TEMPERATURE WOOL SETTING
How to wash merino wool?
The majority of woollen clothing manufactured today can easily handle going through the washing machine, however, it is important to use a special wool setting that washes the clothes gently at a low temperature. If you buy DILLING’s woollen clothing, we recommend washing it at 30 degrees on a wool setting, but you can of course also wash it by hand. Similarly, to machine washing, it is important for the water not to be too warm. You should wash and rinse the clothing at the same temperature as wool cannot tolerate significant temperature fluctuations without shrinking.
2. USE WOOL DETERGENT
Whether hand or machine washing, you should always use detergent specifically for wool. This is because standard detergent contains enzymes that will damage wool, whereas wool detergent is gentle and extends the life of the wool. You can purchase DILLING’s own wool detergent which is free from perfumes and labelled with the Nordic Swan, and suitable for both hand and machine washing. It is kind to the colour and fibres of the wool, helping prevent it from fading or losing its shape.3. DO NOT SOAK WOOLLEN CLOTHING
If you choose to hand wash your woollen clothing, it is important not to leave it to soak as this will ruin the wool. Or if you wash your woollen items in the machine, hang them up as soon as they have finished washing so they don’t sit in the machine wet.4. DO NOR WRING YOUR WOOLLEN CLOTHING
When drying your woollen clothing, you can hang it on a washing line or drying rack. Whilst it may be tempting to wring all the water out first, don’t do this as it will wear the wool out unnecessarily and stress the seams.5. LET THE WOOL CLEAN ITSELF
Wool has the fantastic ability of being able to clean itself. It is also difficult for grease and dirt to stick to the wool fibres; therefore, you don’t need to wash woollen items very often. If your wool clothing does start to smell bad, hang it outside so it is aired thoroughly. This is often enough.
