At my age you’d think I’d know how best to wash wool!

merlotgran

I handwash woollen jumpers then put them in the rinse and spin cycle along with some fabric conditioner.

I handwashed a jumper I’d knitted myself, with pure new wool that cost over £70, and then put it in the WM on a rinse and spin cycle - new WM didn’t have an obvious ‘just spin’* cycle.

It came out the right size for a 2 year old. So please beware!

*I hunted through the instruction book afterwards to find out how to get just spin - nothing. I did eventually find a way, but you have to faff with the ‘rinse and spin’.
And this was a Bosch.
Never again will I buy a WM without a ‘just spin’.

Aldom

Notspaghetti I didn't know washing machines with the delicates drawer
existed. Which company makes them please?

Oh my goodness. USA. LG have had it on the market for the last 10 years and I have never seen one. Not that I need one.

I have a 15 minute cold cycle so that's where they would go. Years ago I hand washed all my woolies- I'm not sure how I had the time!

Hand wash and thank the Good Lord for Dreft.

Just given my student granddaughter a cashmere jumper of mine with very strict instructions not to put in a machine unless it is a Miele.
I do fear for the life of this sweater and asked her to let me have it back for washing if she can't face the cold wash/rinse/ dry flat routine!
By the way. I hate with a passion the mistreatment of clothing; on a par with animal cruelty in my book.

Aldom

Notspaghetti I didn't know washing machines with the delicates drawer
existed. Which company makes them please?

I'm not sure to be honest but they are an American thing.
Huge machines.
Very impressive!
😍

I just googled American washing machines with hand wash drawer" in order to find a picture.

I always hand wash my cashmere, good woollen jumpers and my precious silk blouse. Washed at a lukewarm temperature gently and rinsed usually 3 time. Then they are line dried. I still have a couple of very old cashmere jumpers - one is my sunday jumper as it is hol(e)y! Have had it over 10 years, and they all do well by a little effort. Cant beat cashmere for lightness and warmth so worth the effort , cheaper to put old holey jumper to keep warm , rather than putting the heating on!

Notspaghetti thank you.

Thanks everyone for your sage advice. I’ve just washed the items.
By hand
In tepid water.
Squeezed gently.
And drying flat now in the sunshine on our balcony.
😁

P.s. I think it was my laziness that prompted me to ask!
I was unsure about using a washing machine.
I wanted a way out of hand washing I suppose.
Anyway in the end I did just that.

that is the sensible course of action I'd have put them on the wool option in the machine because I'm incredibly lazy

x posts

Mind you I do have some very delicate silk, fine cashmere and angora clothes and these get dry cleaned.

I love fine fabrics and I love clothes care and laundering.
With the price of clothes, is it worth taking the risk of the wool wash in the average machine? Surely, we have the time these days?

Just to add, I can understand 'too lazy', so just stick to synthetic fleece. Warm and washable.

I’ve just brought them all in. Still very damp.
Probably dry mid week hehe! 😂

Boz

I love fine fabrics and I love clothes care and laundering.
With the price of clothes, is it worth taking the risk of the wool wash in the average machine? Surely, we have the time these days?

Well, the labels in my Woolovers woollen knitwear said 'Machine washing on a wool wash recommended'.
So that's what I did.
They shrank.

Woolover will shrink as they are poor quality (sorry if I sound rude). My OH was always seduced by the catalogue but became disappointed with the poor durability. Buy them if you want a quick turnaround with your jumpers but expect a long life.

only if you want to spend.

Boz

Woolover will shrink as they are poor quality (sorry if I sound rude). My OH was always seduced by the catalogue but became disappointed with the poor durability. Buy them if you want a quick turnaround with your jumpers but expect a long life.

I bought three at the same time but learnt my lesson 🙂

I wear a lot of wool....both bought and hand knits, and all do perfectly well on the wash cycle.

One problem I have is finding the correct washing liquid to use. There seems to be a shortage of powder for delicates and wool.

There is Woolite liquid, I don’t know what happened to Sturgene or Dreft anyone remember them?

Granmarderby10

There is Woolite liquid, I don’t know what happened to Sturgene or Dreft anyone remember them?

I miss Lux flakes!
A BiL who spends a lot of time in France once bought some huge blocks of olive oil soap from a factory in Marseille that was closing down. I grated some of what he gave us, for hand washing woolies! It works very well.

I have a delicates program on my machine and also a 20 degree refresh program. Depending on how soiled they are if lightly soiled I'd use refresh. I wouldn't wash them above 30C