Clothing without harmful chemicals

There are actually major differences between the types of wool – not only in terms of quality, but also – and perhaps more importantly – how the fibres are treated during production.

At our dyehouse, we do not use a Superwash treatment, nor do we use heavy metals in our production.

Instead of using a Superwash treatment to soften the untreated merino wool fibres, we use an 10-hour long dye and enzyme treatment. The enzyme treatment works by attacking peptide bonds to break down proteins. This gently removes the itchy hairs and softens the wool fibres, while leaving all the natural benefits of the merino wool completely intact – so you get an extraordinarily soft, clean, and light product.

This enzyme treatment makes our wool unique – because it is produced without chlorine and plastic (Superwash). It does, however, make our merino wool products more sensitive to sudden temperature changes and rough handling.

EXP treatment

Our merino wool/silk products have received an EXP treatment. During the EXP treatment, the wool is oxidised using natural salts to soften the outer layer of scales. The fibre is then encapsulated with micro patches of a naturally occurring polymer. As the polymer treatment is minimal, with only small, localised patches applied to the wool fibre, the EXP treatment ensures that the wool retains its natural properties. At DILLING, we consider the EXP treatment a good alternative to Superwash. With Superwash treatment, the entire wool fibre is encapsulated in a plastic polymer, and chlorine is used in the process. We do not use chlorine in any of our treatments.

Naturetexx® Plasma treatment

All our single wool products, 4x2 products, and wool terry products have received a Naturetexx® Plasma treatment – a shock treatment using only electricity and air to process the wool fibres. Essentially, this leaves you with a durable and incredibly soft product.