Do you have a woollen jumper you’ve been giving a precautionary whiff before throwing back on again?
It’s often tempting, and even advised, to outsource cleaning to the local dry cleaner.
It can help you dodge the risk of shrinking your jumper, but it can also be expensive.
Senior textile conservator at Artlab Australia, Kristin Phillips, says woollen jumpers will “last indefinitely” if you look after them.
“You just have to be careful,” she says.
How to wash your wool
Use wool-specific detergent
Most garments have a care label that you can refer to for specific instructions, as well as information about the fabric’s composition.
When it comes to wool, Ms Phillips says “anything that’s valuable or you care about significantly, hand-wash”.
She recommends a good quality wool wash and lukewarm water.
“Other detergents that we use are highly alkaline, and that will cause a lot of damage to your wool,” she says, while wool wash has a “neutral PH”.
Nga Wun (Doris) Li, a fashion and textiles researcher at the University of Technology Sydney, also recommends handwashing woollen jumpers before turning to the washing machine.
“I soak [the item] for around 10 to 15 minutes [in water that’s about 30 degrees] and then gently swish the jumper around in the water for two to three minutes.”
Machine wash
Dr Li says some wool can be washed in the machine, but it will need to be placed in a delicates laundry bag to protect it.
“Select the wool cycle, and always use cold water,” she says.
Dr Li says she’s heard of people washing their jumpers while showering.
While it’s a novel way to wash wool, she advises caution because “the water temperature in the shower can be too hot for wool, which can damage the wool fibre or cause shrinkage”.
How to dry your wool
Dr Li says you should “never hang” a woollen jumper on the line to dry, because it can change its shape.
“Always lay the jumper flat on the towel or the drying rack.”
“Don’t put [it] in the tumble dryer because the hot air and rubbing effect in the tumble dryer will make the fibre entangle and then shrink,” she says.
Ms Phillips agrees and says to “pat [your jumper] dry with a towel and then dry it out flat on a dry, clean towel … so it doesn’t get stretched.”
How often should you wash wool?
Dr Li says how often you need to wash woollen jumpers “depends how much you sweat or expose it to the dirt”.
“Normally, I would recommend washing the woollen jumper after wearing it three to five times.”
She says you can air out your jumper for a day after wearing it “to help it refresh and reduce the need for frequent washing”.
What about wool blend?
Dr Li says wool blend jumpers are “normally mixed with other fibre, like cotton, polyester or acrylic”, which makes them “more durable”.
Ms Phillips says while more synthetic fibres usually means “more robust” it’s “always best to be cautious”.
How to store your wool
Dr Li also warns against hanging woollen clothing in the wardrobe.
“The weight of the garment will drag [it] down because of the gravity and make it longer.”
Ms Phillips says the biggest risk when storing wool is protecting garments from insect attacks.
“Over summer when you’re not wearing [knits], make sure you put them away clean because in my experience, if they’re going to come and eat something, they’ll eat the spot where you dribbled dinner down the front.”
Ms Phillips says she packs her woollen knits away in zip lock bags for the summer.
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