A large assortment and undeniable advantages of woolen products have a positive effect on their popularity among modern consumers. Wool clothes occupy a special place in the wardrobe. Made from natural material, it perfectly warms in cool weather, which makes it indispensable in the autumn-winter period.
Owners of six items do not always know how to wash a woolen sweater or, for example, a sheepskin hat, blanket, trousers or Pavloposad scarf. The difficulty is choosing a detergent.
Proper washing of woolen items: 4 steps
Cleaning wool occurs in several stages. They have their own characteristics that should be taken into account. All details are important, because... Any disregard of the rules may cause deformation of the product.
Step 1. Preparation
Before washing, you need to sort light and dark clothes, and also study the manufacturer’s care recommendations, which are indicated on the label.
If there are significant traces of dirt, you must first clean them with a soft bristle brush. Then unplug or remove any hardware that may cause snags or leave rust stains during the cleaning process.
The last preparatory stage is checking for color fastness. You need to dip one thread from the product into a hot soapy solution, and then wring it out in cotton fabric. If it is colored, you should add vinegar when washing.
Step 2. Washing
Washing woolen items is carried out manually or in an automatic machine. This material does not need pre-soaking if there is no persistent contamination. The duration of the entire procedure should not exceed 45 minutes, because... prolonged contact with moisture increases the likelihood of product deformation.
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Algorithm of actions for manual cleaning.
- Fill a basin with water at a temperature of 30 degrees.
- Dilute the washing gel or powder until completely dissolved.
- Turn the clothes inside out and soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Wrinkle it slightly, because... strong impact causes deformation.
Washing in an automatic machine is recommended on a delicate cycle. This means that the water temperature is no higher than 30 degrees and the spin speed is 500. At the end of the process, you need to install an additional rinse.
Step 3: Rinse
This stage plays an important role, because Detergent residue negatively affects the appearance of clothes and significantly reduces their service life.
Basic rules for rinsing.
- Carry out the procedure several times, first in warm water, and then in cool water.
- When rinsing, use special softening agents to prevent the hair from itching or matting.
- To prevent the material from fading, it is recommended to add vinegar when rinsing in a proportion of 1 tablespoon per 1.5 liters of liquid.
Step 4. Spin
It is not recommended to twist the wool, and excess moisture should be removed with a terry towel.
The procedure is carried out as follows.
- Spread the towel on a flat surface.
- Lay the sweater on top, having previously leveled it.
- Wrap it in a roll.
- Squeeze lightly.
What's prohibited
We will tell you what is strictly forbidden to do when washing a woolen product. This will help avoid mistakes.
- Do not change the temperature of the washing water - a sudden change will damage the fabric.
- Do not wash items at temperatures above 40 degrees, otherwise the sweater will stretch, lose its shape and look awkward when worn.
- Under no circumstances rub the item, even if it has a deeply ingrained stain. No rinsing or squeezing. When machine washing, do not set the spin cycle.
- The use of washing powders and detergents is prohibited. You can use them only if this is provided for in the instructions.
- Wool sweaters or dresses should not be hung to dry - forget about hangers and clotheslines.
- Do not dry clothes using a hair dryer - they should dry naturally.
- Ironing such material is strictly prohibited.
If you neglect these rules, then after a few washing cycles the woolen jacket will lose its shape, become covered in pellets, become wrinkled and fade.
Products for hand and machine washing of wool
Choosing the right product in the store is not difficult. For wool, you should choose a powder or washing gel that does not contain alkali.
The most suitable means:
- "Weasel";
- "Stork";
- "Villus";
- "Lip."
If you don't have a suitable product, you can use hair shampoo.
Fabric softener is used to add softness, but ignoring the dosage norms can lead to stretching of the fibers, so you should strictly follow the instructions.
Effective folk methods for cleaning wool.
- Boil 5 liters of water and add 1 kg of white beans. Boil it for 5-10 minutes, and then strain the resulting solution through a colander. Cool the liquid to a temperature of 30 degrees, immerse the sweater and leave for 1 hour.
- Heat 3 liters of water, add 100 g of mustard powder, mix thoroughly. Soak woolen clothes of dark shades in the solution for 20 minutes. When finished, rinse with vinegar or ammonia.
- Dissolve chalk in powder form in warm water at the rate of 1 kg per 3 liters. Soak the item for 30 minutes and then wash as usual. This method is used to bleach light-colored clothing.
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A few tricks
Before washing woolen items in a washing machine or by hand, learn some tricks that will help make the process easier and preserve the properties of these clothes:
- Better than washing delicate woolen items (angora, alpaca, etc.)? For them, you should not use powder that contains a lot of alkali. After drying, the product may become harsh, and you can even feel the residue of the cleaning product on your skin. Regular hair shampoo is perfect. Soak the item in it, then rinse at least 4 times.
- Even the most unpretentious product made from natural fiber will shrink if you overdo it with the water temperature. We have already mentioned how to wash woolen items by hand or in a machine to prevent them from shrinking. If the clothes are dirty, it is better to pre-treat them with peroxide, lemon powder, mustard water or vinegar, but do not clean them with high temperature.
- All types of woolen clothing can be soaked in warm water. Add a little soda (2 tablespoons) or vinegar. Ammonia also works well as a softener.
- How to remove streaks from clothes
- How to wash a jacket in a washing machine
How to wash and dry woolen items correctly?
There are several rules that should be followed when cleaning and drying wool. The service life of the clothing depends on how accurately they are observed.
Basic recommendations.
- Maintain moderate temperature conditions (30 degrees).
- The detergent must not contain alkali.
- It is not recommended to use chlorine bleaches.
- Before immersing the product in the cleaning solution, the powder must be completely dissolved.
- Do not squeeze the fibers during the procedure, but only rub lightly.
- Rinse in warm water several times, thoroughly rinsing out the detergent.
- To remove excess moisture, wrap the washed sweater in a terry towel.
- Drying is carried out on the absorbent layer in a horizontal position until completely dry.
Caring for acrylic items
Acrylic is a man-made fiber similar to wool. A comparison of the main properties is shown in the table below:
| Wool | Acrylic |
| Warms in the cold thanks to low thermal conductivity. | Not warm. |
| Resistant to stains. | It gets dirty. |
| Wrinkles slightly and holds its shape. | Wrinkles. |
| It costs expensive. | Budget yarn option. |
The main disadvantage of acrylic is that the product can stretch in hot water. You can wash things from it manually or in a machine, setting the temperature to no higher than 30°C. It is advisable to put the sweater in a bag and turn on the “delicate” wash program. Spin at low speed. You can use regular powders. Remove slightly damp items. To dry, you will need a clean towel and a flat surface. A hot iron is contraindicated for acrylic items.
Washing in a washing machine
Having prepared the item, you can finally proceed directly to washing.
Many modern washing machines have a “Wool” mode. But if it is not provided, then “Delicate Wash” or “Hand Wash” are also perfect. All these modes provide for a very careful treatment of the fabric. This effect is achieved by several components:
- A large amount of water is used for washing, which reduces the mechanical impact of the tank.
- Heating temperature does not exceed 40°C
- The drum movements occur more smoothly and slowly.
- The spin function is either turned off completely or performed at the lowest speed.
How to choose a clothes dryer for your home
For even more gentle washing, it is recommended to use a special bag. It is needed so that the item does not lose its shape, and it also extends the life of the machine.
What can harm a wool product?
- Frequent washing. Wool is not prone to easy soiling, absorbed odors are easily dissipated in the fresh air, and stains can be quickly removed with a brush.
REFERENCE! You can wash such things no more than twice a year, otherwise they will become deformed, lose their softness and fall off.
- Staying in water for a long time. Soaking in water for a long time causes the product to shrink or stretch. You need to quickly wash woolen items so that it takes no more than 45 minutes.
- When washing woolen items, sudden temperature changes should not be allowed.
- Drying not according to the rules, for example, in direct sunlight, on hot radiators, near heaters. Such actions may cause wool products to lose shape and color.
- Excessive loading of the washing machine. Wool absorbs water strongly, the products become heavy and can stretch and deform. Therefore, you can load no more than 2 kg of dry laundry into the machine at a time.
Drying, ironing and storage
Woolen items should be dried on flat surfaces covered with thick paper or a towel. The process will speed up if the structure is also covered, and a fan helps the process.
With oversized products, proceed as follows: stools are installed at the bottom of the bathtub, blankets, coats, etc. are laid out on them. Water will collect at the edges of things, so in these places it will need to be squeezed out periodically.
Fold dry, clean items and store them in a closet. At the end of the cold season, you will need vacuum bags for clothes. They will protect wool from moths, eliminate accidental snags, and save closet space.
To iron knitted and woven items, you will need gauze or a damp thin cloth. Items made of mohair and angora should not be ironed at all. Cashmere and vigoni can be treated with steam. Keep the iron at a distance. Between the iron and a cashmere sweater, for example, there should be matter.
If the item has shrunk and become deformed, then it should be slightly moistened and, in this form, carefully ironed through the fabric.
Basic recommendations
There are general rules on how to wash wool without harming it.
- We do not recommend wetting knitted items too often. Even an accidentally placed stain, do not rush to clean it immediately; it is better to dry it and try to remove it with a brush.
- Pull the item that has shrunk after washing in different directions to return it to its original size.
- Wet stretched clothing items and dry them near a heat source, such as a heater.
- Sometimes replace washing with dry cleaning. Wash knitted and woolen items no more than once every six months.
- Natural fabric easily absorbs odors. For this reason, it is not recommended to dry wool products in the kitchen.
- If soaking is required, it should last no longer than 15 minutes.
Brush any fluffy material before washing.
Firstly, you will remove some of the dirt, and secondly, pellets will not appear on the product for longer. Before starting the “water procedures,” turn things inside out and sort them by color. Wool fabric fibers can stick to other things, you will have to clean them with a brush. For the same reason, do not put woolen and other items into the drum at the same time.
Use warm water for washing and rinsing. Neither cold nor hot will do.
Preparing for washing
Preliminary steps that will protect clothes from damage:
- If possible, remove all accessories so that they do not get caught on the threads;
- the fittings may also oxidize and leave stains;
- sort things: colored and white are cleaned separately;
- To prevent the loops on the clothes from stretching, sew them up;
- turn the product inside out;
- Determine whether the fabric is fading or not by dipping a piece in hot soapy water, then blotting it with a clean, dry cloth. If the blotter is stained, additional measures will be needed to fix the color of the product;
- Before washing fluffy items, they are “combed”: this removes surface dirt and pellets.
Before washing, you need to examine the item for stains. They are removed before the product is sent to the machine or basin. The detergent will coat the wool fibers with a protective layer, making stains difficult to remove.
Advice! How do you remove stains from wool? The canvas will not deteriorate under the influence of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.
