washing wool jumpers

[rtc872]

Hope this is a good spot for this thread.

I have come to be the proud owner of only wool sweaters. I have not been particularly careful with the ones I own and my navy blue one shrunk some after buying it but didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until I just bought a new crew neck grey sweater that shrinkage made me unhappy. This sweater when I bought it was a small. My partner told me to get medium as it will most likely shink.

She was right but that isn't what upset me. The arms and body shrunk but the width was huge and the neck was far too loose. What I loved about it when I bought it was that the neck was so small.

This led to me reading on the internet about washing wool and all I get back is how delicate wool is and that even looking at it wrong will cause it to be ruined.

Honestly, wool cannot be that delicate! The other sweaters have survived multiple ventures with the rest of the great unwashed (no pardoning here).

I have decided to follow their instructions to see if the shape becomes nicer but I was just wondering if all you more experienced peoples here had advice or knowledge about washing wool.

Cheers.

[BoldHighlander]

What temperature water & how did you wash yours?

I've only ever hand washed mine in cold water in the sink, gave it a thorough rinsing in cold water, rolled it in a couple towels to get the excess water out, and then laid it out flat on my dining room table (on another towel).
I also keep it folded in a dresser drawer, when I'm not wearing it (which is frequently lately ).

I haven't had any issues with shrinkage, etc.

[Paul Henry]

Washing a woollen jumper needs care, but a few simple rules will help to keep them in good shape.
It is possible to wash jumpers by machine, but for a good hand knit jumper I choose to do it by hand, it doesn't really too long, and I think of all the time it takes to knit a jumper it is worth a little extra care.

Use cool water, not hot, and avoid sudden changes in temperature.
Use a gentle wool washing liquid something like woolite/euclan/ even a baby shampoo will work
Dont wring or stretch the jumper too much, be gentle whilst washing.
Rinse with lots of clean water
Dry flat on towels away from strong heat, but with lot of airflow changing the towel and rearranging the jumper, shaping it if necessary.

Good luck

[rtc872]

This is where I am naughty. I have always washed my jumpers with the rest. A cold wash with a light spin dry. The light spin dry isn't because I am worried about the jumpers but because the wetter the washing comes out the less ironing I have to do.

Maybe I will have to do it by hand from now on.

[Downunder Kilt]

Can't add any more than the other guys have said, always hand wash your good wool stuff. I do mine in the bath with a eucalyptus wool wash, let it drain in the bath after its rinse then lay it on a board on a clothes horse

[rtc872]

well I am glad to say that the price of my 4 jumpers combined comes to $60 so I am glad that I haven't found out the hard way with a good one.

I don't know if anyone has found this but I used to have mostly synthetic/wool blended jumpers but found that after I sweated a little the stench was impossible to get rid of. The 100% wool ones don't even seem to smell after a couple of wears!

Thanks for your advice

[Jordan]

I have a few wool jumpers and they just get chucked in the wash with everything else and have come out fine for years

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Wool shrinks with a combination of heat and agitation. Avoid those two things and you should be fine.

If a wool garment is one I consider "less delicate," such as a wool blend or a superwash wool, I will machine wash it in cold water on the gentle/delicate cycle and let it air dry. If the garment is 100% wool or one that I care especially for, I will hand wash it in the sink, again in cool water, and allow to air dry.

Just avoid hot water, and never ever ever put it in the dryer!

[Jack Daw]

Lots of good advice above. The only thing I want to emphasize is DON'T wring out the water. Instead, roll it up in a towel before air drying it.

[tulloch]

I would just add that the wrapping in a towel is a great idea. I hug the bugger to get the towel wet and the excess water out of the sweater. I have a fabric screen in the basement and I lay my sweaters flat on that and 'block' them to dry. Air over and under and no danger of messing up a nice wooden table with even a little moisture.