Wool sweaters are all the rage. This is because a wool sweater is stylish, yet it’s also great to keep you warm and comfortable-especially during the colder, winter months. A good wool sweater is an investment; providing you look after it, it will last a long time and will look good for years to come. But, you do need to look after it. Regardless of what style, what material, you need to know how to clean a hundred percent wool sweater and you need to know how to clean a vintage wool sweater for when your garment is older. This article will help you with these problems.
How to clean a merino wool sweater
Cleaning a merino wool sweater is both essential, and fortunately, relatively straightforward. Firstly, you need to fill a washbasin with warm water or cold water. You can either use a mild soap or specific liquid soap for washing wool – which we recommend. If you are using the mild soap, use warm water. If you are using the wool liquid, then cold water. Submerge your merino wool sweater and leave to soak for three to five minutes, and then thoroughly rinse with clean water of the same temperature as you washed your sweater in.
How to clean a shetland wool sweater
Shetland wool sweaters are luxury garments, and so they need to be treated with care. Something that is a bit more tricky than the process above which has to be paid attention to with Shetland wool is the fact that it has a tendency to shrink. After washing it in a similar fashion to the above – if it is hand washable – make sure you flat dry the garment, otherwise it will shrink. Conversely, if you want to shrink it, then use a guide garment and pin it to make it dry to the right size.
How to clean alpaca wool sweater
To clean an alpaca wool sweater, again, you have to be very careful to make sure it dries in shape and to the right size. You must never hang an alpaca wool sweater to dry. It will simply lose its shape and size. You need to leave it to dry on a rack or flat with a guide garment so that it’ll retrain its shape.
To wash alpaca wool, thoroughly rinse it twice in order to ensure cleanliness.
How to clean wool sweater by steam
You might want to consider steam cleaning your wool sweater. This is a great way to wash your garments, because it doesn’t allow water to accumulate and damage your clothing. Gently use steam to iron out wrinkles – some irons even have a steam function which is gentle enough for you to use. The steam will allow you to flatten your sweater out and get rid of stubborn wrinkles. This is also good for freshening up a sweater which you have not had a chance to wash via the methods discussed above. Again, remember that you must not hang your sweater – instead, after steaming, fold it up and place it in a drawer or cupboard.