Woolen sweaters clearly have a privileged position in our wardrobe. Whether it is merino or lamb’s wool, they are a brand of quality, warmth and timeless elegance. Unfortunately, such pieces often literally become victims of unprofessional care. But it is completely unnecessary.
Wool is a natural, essentially self-cleaning and, above all, very durable material. It might seem that we can’t actually do any harm to such clothes – unfortunately, the reality is different. A large part of the owners of such quality pieces of clothing will make one cardinal mistake that can never be corrected.
How does it actually work?
The basis for adopting the principles of proper care for wool products is an understanding of the processes that occur with wool during washing. Just like human hair, wool has microscopic scales on its surface that rub against each other and can start to “stick” to each other. This mainly happens during unsparing washing with a combination of hot water, alkaline detergents and mechanical friction. Nothing less can happen than the felting of the knitted fabric, loss of elasticity of the wool and thus the definitive destruction of the sweater. Therefore, the biggest sin when caring for wool is washing in hot water, unsparing scrubbing and vigorous wringing.
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Wool can deal with many problems by itself
What is the best care for woolen garments? With a bit of exaggeration, we could state that the best maintenance is no maintenance. Of course, this is not quite true, even though wool itself has the ability to repel dirt, odors and . So it is often much better to simply let such a sweater air out in the fresh air than to try to wash it again and again after each wear. But when a water bath is really needed once in a while, we have to follow a few basic rules.
It needs cold water
Wool feels best in cold water around 20°C, but it can also be colder. Forget about ordinary detergents that contain enzymes and alkaline additives. These could disrupt the structure of the wool fiber, which we certainly don’t want. There are special washing preparations for wool available on the market, but we can also use gentle baby shampoos. After all, we said that wool and hair have a lot in common. So it’s a matter of closing the thread and not allowing the mentioned scales to connect with each other. At the same time, such gentle detergents will leave their natural fat, i.e. the well-known lanolin, in the wool fibers.
Hand wash the sweater
What should we forget about quality woolen sweaters once and for all? It is, as we know, hot water, washer and dryer. It’s the best – and very sparingly at that. Immerse the sweater in cold water and add a little mild detergent. After about half an hour of soaking, rub it gently and rinse. This water must also have a similar temperature to the previous bath to avoid thermal shock. Carefully remove all possible chemical residues.
Do not dry, do not hang!
We must also never wring the sweater with a classic twist. We would only achieve its deformation. Therefore, we first gently press the knitted fabric with our fingers against the mat and then spread it on a thick towel. Together, we roll everything into a roller and carefully wring it out so that the towel absorbs as much water as possible. A sweater treated in this way must be dried in a horizontal position away from heat sources. Throwing it over the radiator, as many do, is therefore surprisingly not a crime.
Machine wash only very carefully
Can we make the job easier by washing in the washing machine? Under clearly defined rules and with a great deal of caution, yes, but only if the machine offers a special program specifically for washing wool. Furthermore, it is necessary to see that they are set really low spin speed and the best option is also to use a special laundry bag that will protect the fibers from contact with the drum. However, the safest method will always be careful hand washing, where we can regulate everything ourselves.
