Make your next wool wash a breeze.
With the weather showing the first signs of spring I have started to store away my heavier woollen jumpers for the summer season.
I’ve taken it upon myself to master the art of the wool wash and break it down into a fail-safe formula, which I’d now like to share with you. From the top, here we go…
- Does it actually need a wash? Strange question you may think but wool is a quite a smart fabric in more ways than one. It naturally repels dirt, dust and liquids so typically doesn’t need a wash after every wear, especially if you’ve had a shirt or t-shirt underneath.
- Read the label: obvious, I know, but so often overlooked. Take a little time to study the care instructions, as sometimes you may even have a dry clean only garment on your hands. If you’re not sure about what the symbols mean – and they can be anything but clear – you’ll find a quick and easy guide here
Wash or steam? Even a gentle wash can take it out of fabric, so you might want to consider investing in a hand-held garment steamer. It takes care of any germs or odours and with a little spritz of Wool & Cashmere Spray, you’re good to go and smelling fresh as daisy. Infused with cedar wood to keep every woolly’s worst enemy at bay. Yes, I’m looking at you moths! But we digress, back to the washing…- Kill those pills: you might call them bobbles, bits or balls – but they are little bumps of wool on the surface of your jumper that result from friction. You can usually find them under the arms, near pockets or on your cuffs. Being honest, it’s not a great look. Good news is, you can get rid of them with a fabric shaver, good sharp razor or even by gentle rubbing with a pumice stone (being careful to only go in one direction)
- Let’s wash and roll: Okay now comes the washing part. Let’s take a deep breath and go in together. We can do this. First decide if you are going to hand wash or machine wash, there are guides for both here:
How to wash wool by hand
How to wash wool in a washing machine - Any old iron? “Most certainly not!” comes the anguished reply. When it comes to ironing, look for the wool setting on your iron’s dial. If it doesn’t have one, go for the lowest setting. Make sure there’s enough water to let the steam work its magic and turn your jumper inside out. Then placing a handkerchief or clean tea towel between jumper and iron, dash away in simple straight movements.
Use the drawer to store: to prevent your woollies stretching and becoming misshapen, it’s best to try and avoid hangers. Instead
follow this simple folding technique and store your jumper in a drawer or on a shelf. Storing away stuff for summer? Use a
breathable storage bag and pop in a laundry ball with a splash of Lavender Laundry Fragrance to keep things fresh and any moths at bay.
So now you can wash your lovely jumpers, cardigans, socks and more in a way you know will keep them looking lovely and feeling fresh ready for next winter.
Until next time! 
