Wool is a natural material that humans have been wearing for thousands of years, yet sometimes things go wrong… your favorite sweater has shrunk in the wash. It doesn’t help that your colleagues, friends, and family members give well-intentioned but sometimes contradictory advice. In this article, we provide you with practical guidelines on maintaining and washing different types of woolen clothing:
How do I maintain a woolen suit or blazer?
To enjoy your woolen suit for as long as possible, it’s important to hang it neatly on a sturdy clothes hanger. Make sure the buttons are fastened. The suit should be cleaned by a dry cleaner who can also restore the pleat and crease in the pants. Don’t want to spend too much money on dry cleaning? Here are three practical maintenance tips:
- Buy a second pair of pants with your new suit. The reason for this is that you wear pants more often than a jacket. They get dirtier and wear out faster.
- You can also hang your suit in the bathroom after taking a shower. The steam generated during the shower is good for your suit.
- It’s wise to occasionally air out the suit in the fresh outdoor air; this way, unpleasant odors are removed from the fabric.
How do I maintain woolen sweaters?
Suitable has a wide range of woolen sweaters. Naturally, these sweaters come in various qualities, ranging from thick to slightly thinner (lambswool) to super thin (merino wool). While more and more woolen sweaters can be machine washed, this increases the risk of damage. To ensure your sweater stays beautiful for as long as possible, we recommend hanging it in the fresh air.
Unpleasant odors are not absorbed by the wool fibers but rest on the fabric. By hanging the sweaters on a hanger, these odors will disappear on their own. Alternatively, the woolen sweater can be hung in the steam from the bathroom. Also, make sure you never wash the woolen sweater in cold water. Wool can shrink in cold water.
How do I wash a woolen sweater?
If you still choose to wash your sweater, it’s important to select a special wool wash program and set the correct temperature. Ideally, you should place the sweater in a laundry bag designed for wool washing. Fill the drum with woolen clothing, but not more than 2 kg. It’s not advisable to wash it warmer than 30 degrees Celsius because it may shrink. Set the spin speed to a maximum of 600 revolutions and do not spin for longer than a minute.
It’s best to dry a woolen sweater lying flat, preferably on top of a towel. Hanging a wet woolen sweater is likely to cause it to lose its shape. You can also choose to gently hand wash the woolen sweater. Gently massage the soap through the garment. Do not rub or wring, as this will cause the wool to felt and shrink. Rinse the sweater at the same temperature to prevent it from shrinking due to a sudden temperature difference.
What should I do for stains?
One of the natural properties of wool is its water repellency. When you spill something, it will take a long time for it to penetrate the wool. So be quick when you spill something on your woolen clothing! Blot the stain dry with kitchen paper (do not rub!) and rinse the stain with lukewarm water. If this is not sufficient, you can gently wash the garment. For stubborn stains, consider visiting a professional dry cleaner.
Attention!
Woolen garments are often targeted by moths that can cause irreparable damage. Therefore, we recommend placing a scented soap (such as lavender) in the closet during the winter and storing the woolen sweaters in a clothing bag or sealed container with a few mothballs/papers during the summer.
