Wool comes w/ a natural layer of lanolin, which makes it water-repellent & stain-resistant. Due to its richness of lanolin it’s not necessary to wash very often, instead let it air ! This saves the environment from unnecessary washing and will extend the life of your woollens.
When it’s time to wash, avoid machine wash if you want to save your woolen clothes from becoming rough or misshapen, instead handwash in lukewarm water.
Squirt a bit of delicate wool detergent, such as Woolite, into a sink or basin and fill w/ tepid water.
Turn the garment inside-out, submerge it, and swish it around to allow the soap to penetrate the fibers. Do not rub the fabric together or let it soak for longer than 10 minutes.
Remove clothes from soapy water, fill your bucket w/ clean water and wash out the remaining soap. Do not wring out the garment, instead roll the garment in a dry towel to remove excess moisture. This is because wringing or squeezing your wool item can stretch the fibers and damage the fabric.
Then, lay the garment out flat to dry in its original shape. To carefully flat dry wool clothing it is recommended it is placed on a pale coloured or white towel.
Allow the garment to dry in the air naturally. Always flat dry wool sweaters or other knitwear if possible. Line drying or drying on hangers can cause knitted garments to stretch due to the weight of the moisture contained by the garment, with the result that the garment grows in length and loses its shape.
It’s best to clean your garments before storing. As moths love ‘dirty’ wool over clean garments. Keep them in an airtight container, w/ some dried herbs/odour such as lavender, rosemary, cedar chips or thyme to prevent the moths from bothering your knitwear.
Never hang your merino sweaters or cardigans on clothes hangers. It might lose its shape and leave dimples in the shoulders. Instead, fold it to store.
Enjoy your bieq knitwear !