Hand washing wool garments may sound daunting, but with the right knowledge it is easy. Hand washing hand made items is the best way to ensure they last a long time and keep the colors vibrant.
Supplies you will need:
- A basin your wool garment will fit in.
- Wool wash. We recommend Eucalan, but there are a variety of wool washes people use. Some people use Orvus Paste, Dawn dish soap or shampoo, but these soaps will require additional rinsing while a wool wash will not. If you do use a shampoo, we suggest using a gentle silicone, sulphate, and phthalate free one as these ingredients will have negative affects on your garment with use over time.
- Your garment in need of washing.
- Room temperature water.
- A bath towel/towels depending on how big your wool garment is.
- A blocking mat and pins (if you want to block your garment).
Directions:
- Fill a basin large enough to fit the garment/garments you want to wash with room temperature water.
- Add your gentle wool wash.
- Place your wool garment in the basin of soapy room temp water. Gently press on it to submerge it in the water.
- Let soak for at least 20 minutes. You want to make sure the water has enough time to soak all the way into your yarn. (If you notice that your garment is starting to bleed, add a little vinegar or citric acid to your water. If you think your garment will likely bleed, you can add this with the wool wash before adding the garment.)
- If you used a wool wash like Eucalan, skip this step. If you used a soap like Orvus Paste or Dawn dish soap, you will need to rinse your soap out of your garment. To gently rinse your garment, set it in clean room temperature water and let the soap disperse. Remove your garment from the water and repeat with fresh clean water until the soap bubbles are no longer floating out into the water.
- When your garment is fully soaked(and rinsed if applicable), it is time to remove it from the basin. First you will want to lay out a bath towel flat somewhere you don't mind getting a little damp. Gently lift your garment out of the basin and very gently squeeze to remove some excess water. Lay your garment our flat on the bath towel and roll the whole thing up. Gently press or step on your towel. This will draw the water out of your garment and into the towel.
- You will want to air dry your garment the rest of the way. Unroll your towel, and either lay your garment out flat to dry in the shape you want it in, or pin it out on a mat to block it.
You have now hand washed your garment! When it is fully dry, it is ready to wear and enjoy until it is time for it's next bath.