Handwashing your kilt at home

[MacKay71 Wife]

I use a tub of cold water and woolite for colors,
fill the tub so the kilt is submerged, ( woolite already added) gently move it around and lift it out for a few mins. then drain the water( which by now will be VERY dirty) then put more cold water in it repeat but lift it out more often then "swishing" it drain, repeat till theres no more soap in the water.

hang kilt with buckles.....buckled ( you will need a really heavy duty hanger for this part)

and let it drip dry. run your fingers down the pleats to "reset" the pleats and at the same time squegee(sp) some of the water out. depending on where you live, time of year it'll be anywhere from a few hours to a full day for it to dry.KFP

If you need your kilt to dry faster and it's a clear day, after washing, take your kilt outside, lay it on a clean sheet on the grass, fix the pleats, cover with another sheet to protect from the direct sun or not. I have done this several times before. This is also how I wash and dry quilts. Works every time.

[Stratherrick]

Kett

Thanks for the link!

All good tips from everyone. It's like looking after your favourite pet, ain't it?!

Slainte

Bruce

[ForresterModern]

Kett

It's like looking after your favourite pet, ain't it?!



Bruce

Only slightly. I let my dog out in the rain regularly without hesitation, and take her on brushy walks in the woods, and let her play in the muddy streams, all things I would likely not do with my kilt, as I can hose her off upon return to the house and she would be clean enough, whereas my kilt would require much closer care after similar treatment.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

I do the tub thing too, but I use Eucalan. You don't need to rinse it out. The lanolin (found naturally in wool) repels dirt and the eucalyptus and lavender repel moths.

I also baste the pleats.

Then I lay the kilt out on some towels (usually outside on the grass) and pat all the excess water out with super-absorbent microfiber towels. Then it's light enough to hang dry and is usually done in a couple hours.

I touch up the pleats, remove the basting stitches, and hey presto--the kilt is ready to wear again.


--Chelsea McMurdo--

[Bruno]

I use the tub Method but I nick the mesh dog guard out the Land Rover and carefully lay the kilt flat and in shape. Left over night then in summer outside, or for a weekend in winter over the bath it dries fine (PS we have several bathrooms I don't stink honest)

[Stratherrick]

I take your point, Bruno.

The drying is as important as the washing.

Slainte

Bruce

[Pleater]

I wash wool in water that feels just warm, using human hair shampoo followed by conditioner, rinse a couple of times and then add a cup of vinegar to the last rinse - wool likes to have a slightly more acid pH than hair.

I let the garment drain - I have a lot of different things made from wool, then place it in an old net curtain stretched over the bath until it feels just damp, then for kilts I have a long clothes rail in the conservatory, and I put the kilt onto about 4 hangers and leave it overnight. I make sure that the pleats are hanging properly, then next morning I use the smooth pads of a hair straightener to preen any crooked pleats.

The water will drain away fairly quickly, but until it does the garment needs support. To speed up the drying process you can roll the kilt inside two towels and stand on it to press out the water. A sopping wet kilt will easily soak two bath towels

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[JRB]

wool likes to have a slightly more acid pH than hair.

Does that leave your wool smelling like vinegar?

[Tony Miles]

my jacuzzi tub and woolite - but i turn the heater on the tub off -
woolite in the tub with water - turn on the jets and bubbles.
drain tube refill with the clean water - turn on jets - rinse and repeat as necessary.

[Pleater]

Does that leave your wool smelling like vinegar?

No - I use white vinegar, about a cup full, when washing a kilt in the bath, so it is quite diluted, and most of it drains away.

I have a quite acute sense of smell and have never detected a whif of chip shop after washing.

You could use anything acidic - lemon juice for instance, if you don't fancy vinegar. The fabric should feel smoother after the treatment, as it closes the scales on the fibres.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: