Machine washing -- my experience

[Raibeart MacKee]

Bought my 4 yard box pleated kilt used in 2009. Guessing it could have been 2 to 3 years old (at least) at that point so maybe it's 8 to 10 years old and definitely looking like it could use a general cleaning. Contemplated dry cleaning it before reading elsewhere here that some had tried machine washing with good results. Add me to that list -- absolutely great results. Machine was a front loader on Gentle cycle. Kilt was placed in a nylon laundry bag. Detergent used was Woolite "gentle cycle" which I used too much of and hand to repeat a Rinse + Spin cycle 3 times to get all the soap out. (A little goes a long way with that stuff!) It looks and smells so much nicer now, but does need to be pressed. I had reservations about dry cleaning and glad I went with machine washing instead.

[Tarheel]

Well met new member. Good to have input on techniques I haven't tried (I'm a hand wash fellow). Let us know if you need to press the pleats back into shape, and if so, how that goes for you. Welcome to the boards.

[Pleater]

A good call on the Nylon bag - when washed without protection the edges of the pleats are subjected to excessive wear in a washing machine and it shortens the life of a kilt considerably. I have used pillow cases with the end tied with tape.

Anne the Pleater

[room2ndfloor]

Was the machine one of the new HE models? I hate mine because there is no practical way to control the spin. They really beat up the clothes.

With the older machines, I could remove a woven wool item while it was still quite wet, then put it on a hanger and straighten the grain and pleats by hand, then let the garment air-dry. Knitted wool items, of course I block those.

[ibrew4u]

With the older machines, I could remove a woven wool item while it was still quite wet, then put it on a hanger and straighten the grain and pleats by hand, then let the garment air-dry. Knitted wool items, of course I block those.

Forgive my male ignorance, "block" them?

[room2ndfloor]

Blocking is what is meant when a label says "air-dry, flat." To block a knitted item, you blot it gently with a towel, without twisting. You then spread the damp knitted garment onto a horizontal screen, patting the knit and stretching it into its original shape. The knitting is then left on the screen to air-dry at room temperature.

The reason that wool knits are never to be hung to dry is that their own weight will distort their shape, sometimes permanently.

Since I knit a lot, I also have a lot of experience with blocking.