Another Hose Question

**BLHS209** · 3rd June 10, 06:53 AM

As I was washing my hose, a question came back into my head (from previous cleanings):
I am washing them in cold water with Woolite, but when rinsing, it seems that they are "running" as in the rinse water is the color of the hose. Maybe it is the quality of the kilt hose (payed about $20, kinda light weight and all wool). Is there a way to not have them "bleed" so much? Also, it seems that they are stretching out. I have only worn them a total of 5-6 times. Is this normal? Maybe I have to buy a heavier hose but that is kinda tough for upstate NY in the summer.

Any help/advice is appreciated.

Chris.

**piperdbh** · 3rd June 10, 10:05 AM

Are they 100% wool or a wool-and-synthetic blend? For that price, I'd imagine they're a blend, and sometimes blended fabrics aren't completely colorfast. You might try soaking the hose in hot salt water. That's a method used to "set" dyes.
As for the stretching, when you wash them try rubbing the hose sideways instead of lengthwise. That should bring them back to the size you need.

**Tobus** · 3rd June 10, 10:39 AM

Most of my kilt hose are wool blends, and I find that they stretch out a lot when I wear them. But usually when I wash them (very gently by hand) and let them air-dry, they shrink back to their original shape.

Haven't noticed any color bleeding from them, though. Who made yours?

**Pleater** · 3rd June 10, 11:29 AM

When washing wool a slosh of white vinegar in the last rinse water will make them happy - wool likes a mildly acid pH and the detergents are usually alkaline.

Normally dyes - particularly the darker colours will bleed a little at first, but if they continue wash after wash it could mean that they are improperly mordanted - the mordant is the substance which glues the wool and dye together.

It can be difficult to find mordants in small amounts freely available as some are poisonous, and it can be dicy if it isn't the same one as used originally - but sometimes just altering the pH to acid will solve the problem as it closed the scales of the wool fibre so trapping the dye.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**wildrover** · 3rd June 10, 01:13 PM

That is excellent advice, thank you Anne!

**BLHS209** · 4th June 10, 01:44 PM

Thanks all everyone for your help. I do hand wash, and wrap in towel to get most of the water out and then air dry (my mother taught me well).

Tobus - off hand I do not know the maker, I would have to go through my receipts to see if it is named. Nope, no maker named.

I guess I will have to invest in some good hose for those very formal times.

Thank you everyone for your help.

**Ruanaidh** · 4th June 10, 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by BLHS209

Thanks all everyone for your help. I do hand wash, and wrap in towel to get most of the water out and then air dry (my mother taught me well).

Tobus - off hand I do not know the maker, I would have to go through my receipts to see if it is named. Nope, no maker named.

I guess I will have to invest in some good hose for those very formal times.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Here's my helpful tip for the day: After handwashing as usual, I wrap the hose in a dry towel, legthwise (no more than two to a towel). I then line the bottom of the drum of the washing machine with the towels and turn the machine on to its spin cycle for two minutes. More than 80% of the water is extracted from the wool without harming it. The hose are then hung up as usual and dry really fast.

**Riverkilt** · 4th June 10, 11:07 PM

I use cold water and hand wash in Woolite. Usually leave the hose to soak in the Woolite and water for a while - even an hour if I forget. Don't worry about the colored water, hose keep their color (Lewis hose, a blend). Rinse, then let them sit in in just fresh cold water to thin out any remaining Woolite. Then rinse again. Just squeeze very gently, don't want to felt them up. Let them hang and drip dry. Easy.

**okiwen** · 6th June 10, 02:13 AM

If I gather correctly from the knitting site Ravelry, Woolite is NOT good for wool. They all rave about there favor wash or another but the bottom line appears to be that Woolite is not good and should not be used.

Perhaps this could and should be clarified by those that know.

**Paul Henry** · 6th June 10, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by okiwen

If I gather correctly from the knitting site Ravelry, Woolite is NOT good for wool. They all rave about there favor wash or another but the bottom line appears to be that Woolite is not good and should not be used.

Perhaps this could and should be clarified by those that know.

People have favourites,and sometimes strong views of them, but there are lots of soap (or soap type) products designed for washing wool.
I've read equal numbers for and against Woolite so it's best to make one's own educated guess as to which one works best!

I've had no problem with woolite, or stergene or dreft or indeed baby sensitive bath wash, or even delicate shampoo.
The one thing I do though is to use only the minimum product I can,which means the interaction of whatever chemicals that are in the products is slight, and it means that rinsing out is also easier.Lots of lather looks nice , but is not always required!