Washing and drying all wool socks

Through the mangle then on the horse in front of the coal fire.

All our socks are hand knitted wool. They are washed in the machine on a “wool wash” with a gentle detergent. The wool program has a slow spin so we always run the spin cycle after to remove as much water as possible. In the winter DH hangs the woollens on an airier with the dehumidifier running, in the summer they are line dried.
Some of the socks are years old and none are felted yet!

Roll in a towel to remove as much moisture as you can. Then hang to finish drying.

I double spin if necessary then peg then from the toe on my clothes dryer, as in clothes horse thingy, unheated, takes a day or so, but it works, nothing matted lovely and soft. Try it.

My husband and I both wear hand knitted (by me) socks in the winter (and he mostly wears them in the summer, too). I wash them in a wool wash in the washing machine, using a detergent suitable for woollens. I dry them by hanging over a clothes airer - definitely not over a radiator. They last for years!

I invested in a 'Dry Soon' heated dryer from Lakeland - all delicate items like wool socks, sweaters and lingerie can be gently dried. Fine for other things too, but I'm particularly pleased to have my bras and knickers washed and dried overnight. The wool cycle of the washing machine seems kinder to the items than my squeezing them - they are gently flopped about for a while, and always seem to come out well.

I dry mine in the good old-fashioned way by rolling them up in an old towel and leaving them overnight on a surface that can stand damp. The top of the washing-machine usually. Then in the morning, I unroll the towel and hang the socks up near, but not touching a radiator.

Cardies and jumpers can be dried similarly, but not hung up afterwards - hung over a flat surface such as an indoor clothes-horse.

lixy

Spin in a salad spinner?

Remember to remove salad leaves

Don’t forget to stretch them into shape while damp.

I have knitted dozens of pairs of sock and they are in use all the time. The yarn I use can be washed in machine at 40c but it’s just as easy to rinse through by hand.

I usually hang all my washing outside and when I bring it in I just hang them on a radiator rack on the landing radiator. Completely dry in no time.

Thanks WWM2 and everyone else. I always use liquid soap ( Waitrose sell it) and never detergent. I have, however been afraid of spinning, only using a low one. Sounds like it will be ok to use a faster spin. I ‘ll give it a try.

Yes - all wool, cashmere silk etc washed on wool/silk cycles with fast spin then I hang on clothes drier with de- humidifier on. Door shut, and dried in next to no time. His exmoor hand knitted socks have lasted for years and still going strong, as have my nordic wool socks.

The secret is definitely in using liquid soap, absolutely no detergent.

There is no need to roll socks in a towel. I do that with hand-knitted jumpers to squeeze out as much water as possible before drying flat or blocking, but socks are much smaller and will be fine in a spin dryer.

Spin in a salad spinner?

The oldfashioned way to dry sweaters before spin-dryers was to turn back a rug or carpet somewhere that people walk over it a lot, lay down a bath towel, lay the sweater out flat on the towel with another towel on top, and turn the carpet down again over it. Leave it there while the carpet is being walked on. When you take it up again, it it is not only dry but beautifully flat, if still a bit damp it will soon dry on clothes horse.
That should work with wool socks, too.

Dehumidifier I wouldn’t be without mine

Hehe, AuntieFlo! My mum taught me this a very long time ago.

I'm also wondering why everyone "our" age doesn't know this but then I'm a bit of a fibre and fabrics nerd.

Baggs, exactly what I was going to say re rolling them in a towel.
Great minds think alike 😊

If your machine won't spin them dry enough to hang up, then roll them in a thick towel. I usually kneel on it to get as much water into the towel as possible. Then hang them up somewhere. We have overhead airers that are great but any clothes horse would do.

Spinning doesn't felt wool, only agitation does that.

If they have to drip, use one of those clothes horses that fit over a bath.

Dehumidifier!

Cold machine wash - warm washing water and then cold rinsing water would definitely affect the texture of the wool. Spin dry, then pull to shape and dry either flat or on a clothes airer/rack. Don't apply excessive heat when drying too. Washing this way should help the socks last longer

I would spin them in the machine then as Maw says, put them on the radiator or heated rail.

On the radiator or heated towel rail.