7 Tips to Care for Wool Clothing ...

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Authentic wool garments – especially finer knits like cashmere – don’t come cheap. Keen to make sure their knitted purchase is a good investment and lasts a long time, many people take their wools to the dry cleaners after every wearing: the logic here is simply that the professionals will give your garments better treatment than you could at home. However, the opposite is true: excessive dry cleaning shortens the life of your woollen item.

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Finely knitted woollen garments tend to develop unsightly ‘pills’ – the little, fuzzy balls of fibre which cover the surface of the item. In a man-made textile, these are almost impossible to remove, however they can be easily eliminated from an authentic woollen piece. Using a small course-bristled brush and short, firm brush strokes, work over the garment thoroughly: it’ll be as good as new in no time.

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If your woollen item has become stained, it is very important that you take steps to eliminate the spot as quickly as you can. If left to set, the mark will simply become immovable. Try to ‘spot clean’ immediately after the spillage has occurred; this will prevent you from having to take your garment to the dry cleaners.

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Another great tip to care for wool clothing It is a fundamental rule of clothing care: you should never hang your garments up using thin, wire hangers and this is especially true of natural, knitted textiles. Stored in the way, the jersey will simply become stretched and misshapen; instead, use heavier, well shaped and padded hangers.

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Heavy gauge knits weigh a ton when they’re wet. Because of this, you should avoid pegging them up on a clothes line after washing: the weight of the garment will cause it to stretch and elongate. Instead, hang your woollen item over several rungs of a drying rack.

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Wools and knits are winter gear, and as a result the chances are good that at some point yours will be soaked in an unexpected down pour. Remember to take special care to dry your woollen items thoroughly before you store it: damp, folded wools will simply rot in your wardrobe.

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And finally, the last but not least tip to care for wool clothing, before you put your wools away for the summer, it is always a good idea to takes steps to guard against moths and silver fish that would ruin your garments. Conventional moth balls should do the trick, but if you’re not keen on the chemicals (or the terrible smell), opt for cedar wood hangers or herbal sachets which will achieve the same results. Pure wool doesn’t come cheap and if you’ve forked out for a gorgeous knitted garment, you’ll want to make sure it lasts as long as possible and stays looking great for the duration of its life.

This list of 7 Tips to Care for Wool Clothing should help you to keep your knits fresh; do you have any tips or suggestions of your own to add to it to make your wool clothing last?

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