For some of us the winter is in its last leg, for some the shiver is still catching up, but we all have our winter clothes that need more care than our usual. They are delicate and need different wash and dry cleaning care. Most of us don’t pay too much attention to this which in turn results in the spoiling of your woollens. And woollen are such that if taken care of right, they will last you years and years together.
So in this article, I have for you simple straightforward methods that will help you maintain and preserve those woollen clothes of yours. Just some right techniques, products and time will get you better fresh and happy looking woollen clothes.
- WASH CARE LABEL: Start by carefully reading the wash care label attached to your woollen clothes. Most garments that you buy from a store come with their care labels that are an absolute blessing. You won’t have to analyse the fabric and go about its washing since the label will do most of your work. The labels come with correct instruction of whether to use warm or cold water or tumble dry or hand wash, giving you pointers for everything that would help in maintaining that piece of clothing.
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- WASHING: A regular detergent will definitely spoil the wool, hence you ve got to use those special products available in the market. Wool has oils naturally in them and too strong soap will remove all of that causing damage to the fibre.
There are 2 ways to wash the woollens, one by hand and the other using a washing machine. While the hand wash method is definitely the more correct way to wash these but we can’t afford to wash all of them by hands. So a machine would be a good idea but keeping in mind a few things before hand.
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Never leave the woollen clothes in water for too long. It’s not a good idea since it will affect the quality of the fabric. Also a good method to dry your woollens is by placing a towel beneath them during flat drying. This will soak up the excess water and also not affect the garments. A simple hack to keep these clothes healthy for longer.
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- PRODUCTS: There are especially available products exclusively for your woollens. They are created to wash the woollens gently and not harm the delicate fibres that tend to fray and spoil. These cleaners cater to the fabric requirements just right. In case you run out or your plan to not buy those, you could make one of your own. You will require some hand washing liquid soap and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Make sure you dissolve the mix into water before you out in those woollens. Do not go overboard with the cleaning mix since the wool can be harmed which will cause felting.
- DRYING: Airing them on a clothesline is wrong; it will spoil the shape of the clothes. Flat drying is the right method to dry out the woollen clothes. Never hang those clothes, they will stretch out and for sure loose the shape. Sunlight drying is also not requires and is not correct either because the colour would fade and they will start to look old…hence , air them at room temperature preferably. Some clothes need ironing, but not flat ironing for sure, you’ll have to use steam heat to press plus the desired settings for wool.
- REMOVING STAINS: If you get a little gravy stain, take a tissue or something to blotch it and remove the excess. You need to be careful to not spread the stain. And then wash with the wool soap.
- STORING: Wool, being a natural fibre is prone to insects, moths and other beings, so storing them with naphthalene or moth balls helps. A good and simple hack is to dry them in some sunlight before packing ad storing them for next winters. Woollens need space, they are bulky and voluminous. Again. Do not hang them, fold them and store them where there is enough space. Cramping is never a good idea. A box or a bag is a good way to store the, since direct contact with the wood or the wall will increase chances of insects harming the clothes. Lots of wool eating insects are in season that season.
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Hope this articles really helps you in preserving all those beautiful sweaters, woollen shawls, mufflers and so on.
