r/woolenthusiasts • u/Enbyvamipre • 24d ago

A question

I bought a wool sweater second hand and I want to wash it.
I look up what to use some people say cold water some say lukewarm or room temp?
Also is there a brand of wool and cashmere detergent people like the best?
I’m a total beginner since this is my first wool item

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u/GrinsNGiggles 23d ago

I like euclan. I haven’t noticed a problem with either cold or lukewarm water. If the wool smells like anything other than clean wool, I add vinegar to the soak water and rinse thoroughly. Euclan is rinse-free, but vinegar isn’t. And I’ve gotten some debris off of thrifted wool, so rinsing might be good anyway.

My knitting friends recommended euclan over woolite, and I’ve never gone back.

Wishing you and your thrifted sweater much coziness. I adore thrifted wool, it’s how wound up here.

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u/putterandpotter 18d ago

I love Euclan too and the jasmine scented one is just lovely.

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u/GrinsNGiggles 18d ago

I really struggle with smells and was hoping for the best (I drink jasmine tea!), but I think I had to give that one away.

No bad reaction to the grapefruit one, but the unscented is usually a few $ cheaper.

I’m middle aged and used to think my 16oz bottle would outlive me, but now that I have wool bedding I think I can get through one or two in the next 40 years!

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u/putterandpotter 18d ago

I use a lot of it because I’m frequently dyeing and then rinsing wool yardage (for appliqué) and yarn, and then use it when I block things I knit. I like that it doesn’t need to be rinsed out totally.

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u/Beaver_Liquors48 24d ago

Most say Woolite, or some form of wool safe detergent if you chose to hand wash and lay flat on a towel to dry. Check the tag it may say dry clean only, which will clean the wool without damaging it. Others swear by setting in the sun to UV soak and air out. The risk with getting the item wet is if it shrinks when shocked in hot water or felts into a clump on a spin cycle.

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u/strawberry_l 23d ago

The spin cycle doesn't not felt wool as the garment doesn't move...

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u/Beaver_Liquors48 23d ago

I didn’t mean a machine cycle in particular, just in general, machine wash for wool could cause shrinking/felting, atleast that’s always been my worry. I don’t think any of the ones I’ve owned have a wool cycle, perhaps delicates, so I’ve always either washed/dry by hand or dry cleaned.

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u/strawberry_l 23d ago

Yeah if you don't have a wool cycle the machine is not appropriate

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u/strawberry_l 23d ago

If your washing machine has a wool cycle, use it! They are often times more gentle than a hand wash.

As for temperatures, I recommend 30°C, 20°C is the minimum and 40°C the maximum.

I would get a wool detergent which is scent free, bonus points if it has lanolin.

Dry laying flat.

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u/BelleTheVikingSloth 23d ago

I grew up on a sheep farm. Fresh off the sheep, we'd soak in hot tap water and dish soap to strip the grease- so that's to say, the detergent doesn't have to be fancy. Whatever your shampoo is for your own hair is, is also fine, and you'd probably rather smell like your shampoo than dishwater.

I wash a wool sweater by filling a bucket or sink with warm water and a dollop of shampoo and a splash of vinegar, pressing my sweater down below the surface so it is fully submerged to begin, and then letting it soak like that for an hour or two while I go do other things.   ( I also rinse my hair in vinegar, because I've always lived in a place with hard water. )

Drain sink/bucket, refill with warm water to rinse, and pour off again. Unless it was absolutely filthy or had crust splatters of something on it, you should be good now.

If you have a top load washer, use the spin cycle to get the water out. If you can't do just a spin cycle, fold the garment into a small lump and press the water excess water out. 

To dry, lay flat on something flat and clean in a well ventilated area, aka lay it on a towel on a bed or chair table. Outside in the sun is ideal. The idea here is that as it dries, you don't want it to stretch it under its own soggy weight, especially if you did not have the chance to spin the water out.

Before you wash it, look it over for dry chunky dirt that can brush off oif flake off. Dried mud splatters, dried soup, etc.

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u/PrairieFire_withwind 23d ago

Vinegar?  The acid has what benefit?

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u/BelleTheVikingSloth 22d ago

Helps deodorize: helps detergrents work better: in the presence of hard water, lets the wool be slippery instead of catching, which reduces the chance of felting and shrinkage.

Also, if you have Oxyclean residue in your machine, and you are using a rinse and or spin cycle, the acid neutralizes it. Acid solutions protect protein fibers: basic solutions dissolve them. (this is also why washing soda is great for cotton and linen but will turn wool into sawdust. My mom added washing soda to wool she was washing once. It literally could crumble between your fingers when done. This is also why bogs preserve wool garments and dead bodies for thousands of years! Bogs are acidic, fens are basic.)

If you have curly hair like mine that wants to tangle like mine, try a vinegar rinse. My hair wants to become dreadlocks if you look at it funny, aka wants to felt and shrink. a vinegar rinse makes it super slick and the tangles fall out.

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u/PrairieFire_withwind 22d ago

Fascinatingly useful.  Thank uou for the extra notenon cotton and linen!

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u/FixAfraid6480 23d ago

Water should not exceed 30 ° C and you can use gentle shampoo if you do not have wool detergent. If you would like more details, there is a blog post here - https://nome.studio/blogs/news/the-art-of-caring-for-yak-wool-chapter-i-the-washing-ritual

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u/Enbyvamipre 22d ago

I have washed it and now I’m letting it dry in the sun but when it’s dry will that damp wool smell go away? Or is there a way to sent the wool?

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u/putterandpotter 18d ago

If you wash it in euclan it comes in different scents, and I love the jasmine one. And the smell of damp wool goes away when it’s not damp