Washing Wool Kilts

[RockyR]

Hey Guys,

ONLY if you are brave enough to do this should you attempt it... DO NOT THROW YOUR WOOL KILT IN A REGULAR WASHING MACHINE. IF YOU ARE HESITANT, JUST DRY CLEAN A WOOL KILT.

Now that the 'disclaimer' is out of the way, I want to make a suggestion... Please note that I DO NOT work for Miele and get NO money / 'perks' for this testament...


IF you are in the market for a new Washing Machine (and/or dryer), AND IF you have a lot of nice wool kilts, PLEASE do yourself a favor andf check out the Miele 4800 (or 4840).

Now be prepared... these are NOT CHEAP. With a little help from some gift cards from friends from Xmas and Kelly saving up for a couple months, we got the 4800 model. It cost about $1500 or so, BUT, the money we will save on dry cleaning (not to mention water... it's a front loader) is huge. Take into consideration it's a 5 year ('bumper to bumper') warranty with an expected life of 20+ years and it's not too bad of a price.

The BEST part... they claim 'you can wash an Italian wool suit' in one of these things. Well, I put it to the test. I washed 7 of my wool kilts in it (St. Andrews, Lamont, Law Enforcement, German Heritage, Buchannan, Cameron of Erracht, Firefighters) - 2 loads of 3 and 4 kilts respectively. It does a VERY GENTLE 'hand wash' cycle where the drum rotates about 2 or 3 times per minute (VERY slow). just enough to replicate you hand washing a garment. The reason you CAN'T wash a kilt in a normal washing machine is b/c of the 'agitation' cycle, which rubs the wool together and 'felts' the wool, making your kilt look more like a wool blanket.

I took the kilts out of the machine and 'snapped' them out. I laid them across the couch and straightened the pleats out while still damp. I let them dry over a 24 hour period and brought them into the shop and ironed them this morning.

I am VERY pleased to report that they look 'good as new'. Also, dry cleaning doesn't necessarily get all of the body oils and dirt out of a kilt like wet washing would. This machine did.

Here's the link to the manufacturer's site and the 4800 model:

http://www.miele.com/usa/laundry/was...nav=185&oT=173

I hope this review was helpful.

[Kerr the Walker]

Sounds like something else I simply "must" have once I own my own house.

Thanks for the heads up!

[KFCarter]

Thanks for that review!! Timely, too... we're looking at re-doing our laundry room sometime in the next year.

[RockyR]

Thanks for that review!! Timely, too... we're looking at re-doing our laundry room sometime in the next year.

I will say that Kelly did a LOT of research on the washer and dryer. Since we have a second floor laundry in the new home, front loaders were 'discouraged' since they tend to vibrate more, ESPECIALLY when on the stands. The Miele and the Electrolux were the 2 that were built the sturdiest and vibrated the LEAST, so she narrowed it down to those 2 (and they BOTH had the same potential ability to wash my kilts).

It came down to cost... when she got ready to pull the proverbial trigger, the Electroluxe went UP in price by $300 for the pair. The Miele came DOWN $300 for the pair. That was what made the difference (and some other small bits, but mostly the price).

Bottom line... she's very happy with it. That makes ME happy with it. ;)


BTW... while NOT used for kilts, the Dryer is really cool too (and it's only $1100 compared to $1500 for the washer).

[wvpiper]

I wonder if any front loaded with 'delicate' cycle will be as gentle?

Not only do these washers use less water, it will also lower sewer bills that are based on water used,. They also spin more water out so you should save on dryer bills as well.
So, they cost more to buy but cost less to operate. Incidentally, you don't have to buy a new dryer with the washer, if you don't need/want to.

Good information, thanks

[The Barry]

Awesome! Just the appliance I need to get rid of pants once and for all!

Now all I need is a $1500 washer and a bunch of new kilts!

[ForresterModern]

My wife is ready to pull the trigger on the Electrolux, and this is one of the reasons. Miele is not a nationally known name brand around here or anywhere else I have lived or visited recently. Electrolux has the largest capacities in the industry in both washer and dryer, and their top of the line has the steam clean features not often found on other brands, along with these super gentle cycles. They are not cheap though, and due to price contracting agreements with the US resellers you will NOT get any better prices by shopping around as all vendors have to sell at the specified price from Electrolux. They did have a 10% rebate going for a month or so back in March but that is dead now.

We will take another look around for local distributor of the Miele and give the once over if we can find it. But probably saving our pennies for the Electrolux.

[The Wizard of BC]

Rocky, I too bought a front loader set for our house a couple of years ago. Having spent time in Europe I fell in love with front loaders.

Our models, although different brands from yours also have the ultra-gentle hand-wash cycle. On ours the washer drum does not rotate all the way around but slowly rocks back and forth.

I have only attempted to wash a Wool Kilt in this washer once. I used a Kilt I had in the shop that was never picked up by a customer so if it had been damaged it was no big deal.

To my great surprise the job done by the washer was perfect. The water temp was controlled to within 2 degrees of optimum, the gentle rocking of the drum was just enough to do a great job, and there was no damage or wear evident on the Kilt.

I then went one step further. Our Dryer has one of those racks that you can insert into the drum. It is meant to dry sneakers and keep them from banging around inside the drum. I laid the Kilt out on the rack and turned on the dryer with my fingers crossed.

Every few minutes I would check the Kilt so perhaps I fouled up the cycle but the Kilt was dry in 90 min. When the Kilt went into the dryer it was dripping water. 90 min later it was only very slightly moist. Perfect for hanging to allow any small wrinkles from folding to fall out of the pleats.

I then very carefully measured the Kilt and compared them to the ones I took before washing. There was no shrinkage. None at all. In fact the Hip measurement was 1/4" larger after washing as the gentle rocking loosened the Kilt fabric up a bit. I expected this as the Kilt was brand new and had never been worn or washed before.

I second your recommendation of purchasing a really good front loader set if you are in the market for a new washer & dryer.
In fact if you can afford it I would suggest looking at the sets that have the steam wrinkle release feature. This feature was introduced here the year after we bought ours. Otherwise I would be reviewing that too.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

We used Miele appliances in Ireland for two decades (and here in the USA for the last two years) without a single problem. Highly recommended.

[Nerts]

Lots of great informaion here guys! Thanks for all your hard word and time spent researching these appliances. The wife and I will definAtley be looking at these when it comes time for us to but our place.

E.