How to wash mohair by hand or in a washing machine

Probably, almost all of us have at least one soft and pleasant-to-touch mohair item. Warm sweaters, dresses, sweaters, suits and even coats are made from the wool of Angora goats. Mohair is also used for rugs, bedspreads, curtains, blankets and carpets.

Caring for these woolen items is not easy. Washing them requires special delicacy. Of course, it is possible to resort to dry cleaning services, but in this case you need to know that mohair products wear out faster when dry cleaned. Therefore, it is better to choose regular washing.

Preliminary preparation

Before immersing in water, the product must be prepared as follows:

Remove the pellets, which often appear in the area of the sleeves and sides during prolonged wear, using a razor or other convenient method. It is prohibited to pull them out with your hands.
Sew up the loop slits with a “forward needle” seam, baste the large collar to the main fabric, then these parts of the model will not stretch.
Remove stains by blotting them with a swab soaked in one of the cleaning products (the choice depends on the type of contamination):

in soap solution, dishwashing detergent, alcohol - to remove oil;
in warm glycerin - to clean traces of juice, wine, herbs;
lemon juice - if stains from tea or coffee are detected.

How to unravel felted wool

The process of dissolving an old knitted item begins with preparatory work.

Product preparation

Initially, you should remove all additional parts : patch pockets, belts, straps,

buttons, etc. Then you should thoroughly wash the product in warm water and dry it, but not completely.

IMPORTANT! It is necessary that the product remains slightly damp! This way the threads unravel much easier, without clinging or getting tangled with each other.

Completing of the work

The next step is to determine in which direction the item was knitted

: from bottom to top or vice versa.

ADVICE ! If you started knitting from the bottom, then first the collar is ripped off, then the sleeves, and at the end the seams on the shoulders and sides of the product are cut.

On each knitted piece you should find the end of the woolen thread, and start unraveling the clothes from there.

There is the least amount of hassle when unraveling home knitted clothes. There will be more problems with a factory-made product: it can be knitted entirely or in parts, and then sewn together. It is possible that the factory first wove knitted fabric, and only then cut out clothing parts from it and sewed them together. In this case, all the threads will be cut, and a long skein of yarn can be obtained from them only by tying their ends.

Attention! When unraveling, the threads need to be wound into loose balls. Worn threads should be immediately separated from more or less whole threads in order to use them in subsequent knitting for different areas.

Secrets and tricks

Tie the individual threads together with flat knots. At the same time, leave the ends of these threads at least a couple of centimeters long so that you can later thread them with a crochet hook.
New threads are added to the worn threads for strength, even in a variety of colors. The result is a melange yarn that is stronger and more elegant.
For items made from very tangled and very fluffy woolen threads, use the following product to make them easier to unravel . Warm water mixed with hair balm or shampoo is poured into a basin. Place the knitted product there for 15–20 minutes. Then, without removing it from the water, they carefully unravel it into threads.
When the item is too felted and this method still does not give an effect, you can try washing the woolen item in a machine with boiling water and cutting out all the fragments that cannot be unraveled.

Handwash

Mohair yarn is delicate and high maintenance. The finest Kid mohair and royal mohair with very long pile are especially capricious. Products made from these types of yarn are recommended to be washed exclusively by hand. The following requirements apply to hand washing:

Find out what water temperature the manufacturer recommends. If there is no label, water is poured into the basin according to the standard:

for gossamer scarves and thin openwork jumpers, it should not be hotter than 35° (optimally 30°);
for outerwear made of thick Goating and Adult Mohair, the temperature (if heavily soiled) can be increased to 40°.

If you raise the water temperature above the recommended one, the product will lose its shape.

An important issue is the choice of detergents. Suitable for hand washing:

shavings of baby soap, dissolved in water and whipped into foam (alkaline laundry soap makes the fabric feel matted);
liquid wool detergent (powder will be difficult to rinse out);
shampoo.

Do not use detergents containing chlorine. Do you need to return the model to white? Add 2 tsp to the water. Boers.

If the water is hard, it should be softened, as due to excess salts, mohair loses its silkiness. To do this, add a purchased water softener or baking soda (10 g per 10 l) to the detergent. Before lowering the product into the basin, mix the solution thoroughly.

Mohair fabric does not tolerate prolonged contact with water, so soaking time should not exceed a quarter of an hour. In this case, only one item is washed at a time.

Intense friction and twisting are the enemies of any wool. During washing, the product is only slightly squeezed with your palms.

For rinsing, use water at the same temperature as for the main wash. Woolen models should be rinsed several times, changing the water. During the last rinse, add to the container:

for light-colored products - fabric or hair conditioner or 1 tsp. glycerin;
for colored people – 9% table vinegar (5 ml per 10 l) or pre-dissolved citric acid;
a mixture of ammonia (45 ml), turpentine (15 ml) and vodka (30 ml), if the surface is matted.

The clean item is immediately removed from the water and placed in a dry container for 30-40 minutes. The canvas is periodically slightly compressed, draining the liquid from the basin.

Application in products

Various things are knitted from mohair: tunics, cardigans, jumpers, hats, scarves, mittens and much more. In your home interior you can find exquisite handmade mohair throws.
Winter clothes made from mohair reliably protect against the cold. Various natural and artificial fibers are added to the yarn composition: angora, sheep wool, acrylic, polyester, silk. The more mohair threads in the composition, the warmer things turn out. At the same time, they are quite light.
Shawls, stoles, scarves made from Angora goat wool are knitted with openwork fabric on knitting needles No. 3 – 5.

Things knitted with different types of elastic look stylish. This knitwear is considered a classic and has been popular for many years. Warm, soft, light mohair does not lose its relevance, which is why it is in demand in the market for handicrafts.
Kidmocher yarn is used to knit warm wardrobe items for babies: from socks to suits.
Bulky hand-knitted items have been a hit for several seasons. The oversized style will emphasize the fragility of the female silhouette and emphasize individuality.

Angora goat wool is also used on an industrial scale. Knitted fabrics are used to make clothes for children and adults. The assortment of fabric stores includes woolen fabrics with the addition of mohair fiber with an interesting structure. They are used for sewing clothes: dresses, skirts, suits, coats, cardigans.

Fabrics with the addition of mohair demonstrate properties similar to fiber: they do not stretch when worn, retain their shape well, provide warmth, comfort, and aesthetics. Unlike knitted fabrics, they are less demanding to care for.

Machine washable

In an automatic washing machine, mohair items are washed only in two cases:

if permitted by the manufacturer;
if the fabric is knitted from dense threads.

It is not advisable to keep mohair in liquid for a long time and exert active mechanical influence on it. And with machine washing, both are inevitable. If you still decide to wash the item in the machine, you should listen to these recommendations:

As with the manual cleaning option, each product is cleaned separately.
If powder rather than liquid detergent is placed in the cuvette, it is best to turn on the “baby comfort” mode, which involves double rinsing.
Before putting it into the drum, the coat or jumper is turned inside out, then carefully folded with the sleeves inward and placed in a mesh laundry bag. This will preserve not only the product, but also the mechanism of the machine, since it can become clogged with lint.
The panel sets the “delicate wash” or “wool” mode. The spin should be minimal (no more than 500 revolutions). If the item is small, it is better to turn it off. The same needs to be done with drying.

Cleaning methods

If the wool is not very dirty, you can clean it using the dry cleaning method. But here you need to know that not all chemicals are suitable for cleaning it. Sometimes it is enough to treat a separate stain with a cotton swab and a soap solution warm to 30°C. Then rinse with clean water and blot the area on both sides with a terry towel. After cleaning, the product must be laid out on a cloth for subsequent drying.

IMPORTANT! Do not try to dry the treated wet area with a hair dryer.

If the item requires special cleaning, you can contact a dry cleaner, but know that they will not give you a guarantee that the wool will not lose its appearance.
If you decide to wash your mohair yourself, you can use either the hand washing method or the washing machine. But to do this, you need to know a few rules that will prevent you from ruining an expensive item.

How to dry mohair and can it be ironed?

An item hung on a rope, hanger or the back of a chair will stretch out, but the mark of the fold will remain on it.

Mohair should only be dried in a horizontal position.

When the canvas swells in the basin, the model is wrapped in a towel and gently squeezed so that water is absorbed into the fabric.
The product is unrolled and laid out on the table, with a cloth that absorbs water well placed under it. The mohair is turned over during the drying process.
Do not expose mohair items to bright sunlight, hang them on a radiator, or use hot air.

Ironing fabric, especially openwork knitted fabric, is highly discouraged. If there is an urgent need for this, the model is turned inside out and processed with an iron set to minimum power through a thin fabric. But there are many ways to iron things without an iron; for example, a steam bath is suitable for sweaters and other mohair items.

To make the pile fluff up again, comb it with a soft brush, put the item in the freezer for 2 hours or hold it over steam (hang it over a container of boiling water or turn on very hot water).

Useful tips

Remember that even new products need to be washed after knitting or purchasing. After all, when knitting, especially from light wool, the item gets dirty, and washing refreshes its appearance, cleans the new yarn of its protective coating, fluffs it up and makes it less prickly. If you don’t want to do laundry, then at least steam it and dry it flat.

It is recommended to hang new clothes or after the first wear in the bathroom so that they can straighten out in high humidity.

To give a matted item its original appearance, you need to soak it in water with 2-3 tbsp. spoons of ammonia, 2 tbsp. l. vodka and 1 tbsp. l. turpentine. Small stains on woolen items can be easily removed with a soft brush and soapy water.

Mohair clothes should be hung on soft hangers for storage.

Proper care of woolen items will allow you to preserve the original beauty of your items for a long time and increase their wear life.

Care

In order for mohair products to delight you with beauty and warmth for a long time, you must follow the recommendations:

When purchasing clothing or knitting yarn, check the manufacturer's care instructions.
If the item gets wet, you need to dry it flat out, in a well-ventilated area away from heating appliances.
Stains and dirt are carefully removed with a damp sponge.
Dry cleaning by a specialized service is recommended.
In some cases, it is possible to wash items in a delicate cycle using special shampoos for washing woolen fabrics without twisting and spinning in the machine. Drying is done at room temperature. Hand-knitted terry cloth is not washable and requires dry cleaning. Important! Mohair items should not be dried on radiators.
Mohair clothes do not need to be ironed. They rarely wrinkle, and in this case steaming is used.
Items that have previously been dry-cleaned or washed and dried are put away for storage. They are carefully folded and packaged in special cases or bags. Regular ventilation and the use of moth repellents are required.

Caring for mohair items

To get rid of wrinkles, new mohair clothes are hung in the bathroom, where under the influence of steam, all wrinkles are smoothed out.

Store mohair clothes on hangers in the closet or in special “breathable” covers. Mohair can be protected from moths both with the help of folk remedies (lavender) and with the help of purchased plates. It is important that mohair clothes are periodically ventilated.

If the mohair gets wet, there is no need to hang it on the radiator or dry it with a hairdryer. It is best to hang it on hangers and dry it at room temperature. Dirt from mohair clothing is best removed with a damp brush or sponge.

Mohair items can be dry cleaned. In this case, the best option for them is dry cleaning. However, it should be remembered that the passion for dry cleaning can ruin any item, including those made of mohair.

How to wash a pompom hat

The wool pom pom may not match the main color of the hat. Because of this, the product risks staining during machine washing, so it is best to wash the pom pom hat by hand.

Test the color of the hat for durability by soaking it briefly in water.
To prevent the hat from fading, wash it in two stages: first the headdress itself, and then the pompom.
To prevent the hat from staining, undo the pompom before washing, and after drying, sew it on again.
If tearing off the pompom is very problematic, you can wrap it in cellophane or cling film. This method is also suitable for hats with fur pom-poms.