<p>H gave me a lovely wool wrap a few years back. It is starting to smell a bit musty, so H wants it laundered. It says dry clean only, but have read/heard that it’s OK to hand wash carefully with baby shampoo and/or ivory flakes and use white vinegar to rinse as needed. Anyone with experience? I really like it & it is nice and lightweight. Has loose edges (per design) rather than a long fringe or rolled hemmed edges.</p>
<p>Yes, if it is wool or a wool blend, you can wash it in cool water. Use Dawn dish washing liquid, which is pH neutral. Let the garment soak for about 20 minutes without agitating.
Then rinse briefly by soaking in the same temperature water. Soak again for 10 minutes in water with a few Tablespoons of white vinegar added. Rinse/soak a final time in plain water to eliminate the vinegar smell. For added softness, you can add a few drops of baby oil to the final rinse water.</p>
<p>Spin dry on the final spin cycle in the washing machine if you have a top loader.</p>
<p>Dry flat. If it seems necessary, you can use a steamer or wet pressing cloth to block/smooth it out.</p>
<p>The variables that cause shrinkage are agitation, changes in water temperature, and highly alkaline pH. So avoid those.</p>
<p>I am a feltmaker and fiber artist, so I have lots of experience with wooly things.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks very much! The fabric is 100% wool. What is the purpose of the white vinegar? Does it help keep the color in? Remove odors? Something else?</p>
<p>Do not let your wool knits sit soaking for long periods of time! The item needs to be gently swirled in cool, soapy water (use neutral soap). Do not wring it, just gently squeeze out the excess water and rinse by gently swirling in a clean water. Lay flat on a towel and use another towel on the top to soak water. Transfer to a dry towel and lay flat to dry. Wool can be touch- ironed or steamed. This is from the webpage of a specialty cleaner (note: many items can be successfully washed even if the label says dry clean only): </p>
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<p>[Margaret’s</a> Guide to Knit Care](<a href=“http://www.margarets.com/Guide-to-Knit-Care.html]Margaret’s”>http://www.margarets.com/Guide-to-Knit-Care.html)</p>
<p>Sorry I got busy and lost track of this thread.</p>
<p>The purpose of the vinegar, which is acidic, is to neutralize the alkaline soap.</p>
<p>Bunsen’s recommendations are good, I definitely agree about not twisting or wringing. I used to use towels to roll an item to absorb water after the final rinse. This works very well and is safe.</p>
<p>But as a person who works frequently with different types of wool, mohair and alpaca, I have learned a few tricks to be more efficient. I might add that as I learned my way around the world of dying, spinning, felt making, etc, I had a few unintended encounters with felted fibers. None were the result of using the final spin in the washer.
Most unfortunate events occurred when I agitated fibers with my hands or moved them from warm to cold water.</p>
<p>Hope your wool wrap is in good shape.</p>
<p>My wool wrap is still awaiting a wash. I am hoping not to felt it, but have decided to wait until after I have finished purchasing & wrapping my presents before I attempt to wash it–too many distractions.</p>
<p>Have read some who recommend a few drops of Dawn, others recommend a few flakes of Ivory Snow while still others recommend a few drops of baby shampoo. Any thoughts of pros / cons of these various different cleaners? As you can tell, I’m a bit nervous. Would need to purchase one of these – maybe trial/travel size. Thanks!</p>
<p>I wash all my cashmere sweaters in Ivory Snow and use just a little dye and fragrance free softener in the rinse cycle. They come out very soft, not stiff and clean. Since you live in Hi your H2O may be soft enough to dispense with the softener.</p>
<p>mpm, what softener do you use? I’m mad at Downy folks for reformulating their softener! I used to be able to add just a drop or too, and the clothes would come out smell free. The reformulated Downy has too much of some disgusting scent; it smells like Febreeze now which I cannot stand. Thanks!</p>
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<p>My most “epic fail” was an accident of sorts. D dropped my favorite wool scarf into a pile of bed sheets that I threw in the washer and washed with hot water. I was really puzzled when I pulled a Barbie-sized scarf from the washer, then I recognized the pattern… I did not know whether I had to laugh or cry. :)</p>
<p>“what softener do you use?”
Downy Free and Sensitive</p>
<p>Thank you, menloparkmom! I have never seen this type of Downy in our stores. I went ahead and ordered it. I used to use the original April Fresh Downy and liked the faint scent, but the reformulated product is unbearably stinky. I’m going to write to the company and tell them what I think. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!</p>
<p>YIPPEE!! Used a drop or two of Dawn in dishpan of cold water. Swirled. Rinsed. Rinsed with splash of white vinegar in water. Rinsed again. Dried between towels & rolled. It came out PERFECTLY! Smells clean & the smell of mold/mildew is all gone! Am laying it flat on towels to completely dry!</p>
<p>Excellent, HIMom. Keep an eye on it and smooth out any wrinkly spots. You will not have to steam or iron it. I just washed a bunch of cashmere, too. :)</p>
<p>You all make me feel like a complete slacker. I wash wool stuff in cold water in the delicate cycle in the front-loading washer. Even cashmere. </p>
<p>I knit. When you make something out of wool, the last step is to block it. You wash it, gently, in cold water, then shape it into what you want and let it dry. As long as you haven’t felted it, wool will take a lot of shaping. </p>
<p>(One of my favorite hats is felted cashmere… Very warm. It came out too big when I knitted it, so I just felted it until the size was perfect.)</p>
<p>I haven’t washed anything by hand in years - also use the gentle cycle on the washer, with the same detergent I do all my wash.</p>
<p>In the old days when I hand washed, I used Woolite.</p>
<p>“You all make me feel like a complete slacker. I wash wool stuff in cold water in the delicate cycle in the front-loading washer. Even cashmere.”</p>
<p>Trust me, I’m as “lazy” as you are. When I say handwashing, I mean the handwash cycle on my Miele. My washer totally spoiled me. Since I do not know what kind of washer HIMom has, and she only needed to wash one item, the recommendation was to do it by hand. I would not trust my delicate knits to any washer, but Miele does a fantastic job. I used to knit a lot when I was in college for stress relief and during long flights home, and I’ve done a lot of blocking, too. A large glass jug works well to shape knit hats. :)</p>
<p>I was nervous about the handwash but now feel I could wash other wool & delicate items safely. Have NEVER used the handwash cycle on our Maytag.</p>
<p>As one of my favorite bloggers says, talk to me like I’m stupid. I know what felt is, but what does it mean when used as a verb?</p>
<p>That is a crafting term for a craft that is popular now, felting. You take old wool sweaters, wash and dry them in particular ways, and then you have wool felt (as a thick fabric) that you can use for crafts such as slippers, scarves, hats, cut-out flowers. It’s hard to buy all-wool felt, so this is how you make it yourself.</p>
<p>Ah, thanks. I am craft-impaired, so all this is news to me. :)</p>