Proper washing of a wool sweater by hand and in a washing machine

Adviсe

• General rules for washing woolen clothes
• Hand washing a wool sweater
• Washing a wool sweater in a machine
• Important nuances
• How to dry a wool sweater
• How to iron a wool sweater
• Restoring a sweater after deformation
• How to return a sweater to white

A convenient and comfortable wool sweater is definitely in every person’s wardrobe. Warm wool is the best protection against the cold, but improper washing can bring an unpleasant surprise. Having taken the item out of the machine, you may be surprised to notice that now this item of clothing will only fit on a cat, and that is not a fact, or, on the contrary, it is becoming too big. To avoid finding yourself in this situation, you need to know in advance what the rules are for washing and drying a sweater.

Wool clothing requires more attention than synthetic clothing. Clothing labels include tips for washing, ironing and drying.

General rules for washing woolen clothes

To prevent your favorite item from increasing in size or shrinking, you should follow simple rules for washing clothes:

Wool is washed as rarely as possible. These things are not fans of water, so avoid it if possible. If the sweater has absorbed an unpleasant odor, refresh it by hanging it in the air; Do not leave wool in water for a long time before washing. If you do not want to deform or reduce the size of the item, then do not keep it in water for a long time; Maintain temperature stability. If woolen clothes are washed in water at one temperature, and then rinsed in too hot or cold water, then after that they will certainly change size.

Follow the basic washing rules, then your favorite sweater will delight you for a long time.

To prevent the sweater from shrinking and stretching, you should not use extreme water temperatures. The best option would be 30 degrees.

Tips for hand washing

The best way to keep your sweater clean and fresh is to wash it by hand. In order for the product to retain its original dimensions, a number of conditions must be met:

• soaking the sweater for a long time is unacceptable;
• clothes should be washed inside out;
• before washing the sweater, the cleaning agent should be dissolved in water;
• You should wash the jacket by hand carefully, avoiding excessive mechanical stretching of the fibers;
• You cannot twist the product to squeeze water out of it, this will lead to a change in its shape.

Helpful advice! Grease stains from the surface of woolen clothes can be cleaned with mustard. The powder must be diluted with water, the mixture must be transferred to gauze and squeezed into water. During rinsing, you can add ammonia (20 ml per 10 liters of water).

Hand washing a wool sweater

It is better to wash a wool sweater by hand. This way you definitely won't harm him. Start by turning the garment over to the wrong side. Take a container and fill it with water no more than 35 degrees. If the item is made of delicate wool, then it is more advisable to use liquid wool powder. But if this is not the case, then use simple shampoo.

Do not place the item in clean water. To begin, pour the product or pour the powder and dissolve thoroughly, whipping into foam. Only then place clothes in the container.

You cannot wash or rub such things too much, otherwise the wool will mat and lose its beauty. It is enough to wrinkle the sweater a little in the foam. Then rinse it in water with a suitable wool product added. Remember that you cannot use too cold water for rinsing; use the same temperature as for washing.

Turn over periodically

Don't wait for the sweater to dry on its own. Otherwise, one side will dry faster, while the other will remain wet. Be sure to turn the product a couple of times a day to avoid uneven drying.

Having mastered these secrets, you will learn how to dry knitted items correctly and not ruin their shape. And then your favorite sweaters and cardigans will remain beautiful and last for a very long time.

• Author: iarriba
• Print

Rate this article:

1. 5
2. 4
3. 3
4. 2
5. 1

(2 votes, average: 2 out of 5)
Share with your friends!

Washing a wool sweater in a machine

If you are unable to clean a wool sweater with your hands, you can use an automatic washing machine. In addition to the powder, it is important to add rinse aid. Remember that you should not put other things in the drum, and it is also important to choose the right mode:

washing such items in a machine is risky, since you may end up with a very shrunken item of clothing; be sure to purchase a suitable powder and rinse for wool; place the sweater in the laundry bag; pour detergents into the compartments and add conditioner; set the appropriate mode. Machines often have a special function for woolen clothes. If this is not the case, then choose hand wash or delicate wash. This is the only way to ensure the safety of the product;

For wool clothing, hand washing is preferable. Machine assistance is rarely used and only when absolutely necessary.

To avoid damage, it is important to carefully select the water temperature. Too hot causes shrinkage, so check the temperature when setting the mode. Suitable 30 degrees; sometimes the mode setting has to be done manually; turn off spin. Even if you use a gentle setting, the item is damaged, since the drum speed reaches at least 500 revolutions. And you shouldn’t wring out a wool item even when washing it by hand. Wait a little after the end of the program until the water drains on its own.

In order not to increase the size of the sweater, it is also important to set a regime that is not too long - no more than 40 minutes. Remember that frequent use of machine washing degrades the quality of wool sweaters.

Machine washable - pros and cons

If for some reason you cannot wash your clothes by hand, you will have to take a chance and put the sweater in the machine. Of course, you should be prepared for the troubles we described above. But if your machine is equipped with a wool washing function, it means that the manufacturers have taken into account all the subtleties of caring for delicate threads. Therefore, choose the mode for wool and wait for the result.

In addition to detergent, be sure to add conditioner. Do not put other things in the drum and choose the mode responsibly. To prevent the sweater from stretching, you need to pay attention not only to the washing regime, but also to the duration of washing - ideally it should not exceed 40 minutes.

Frequent use of the automatic machine noticeably deteriorates the material of the sweater, and if you want it to look neat for a long time, it is better to do this only in emergency cases.

Important nuances

If you like your sweater and don’t want it to soon become unwearable, then be sure to remember the important nuances of caring for wool products:

If stains form on woolen clothes, do not rush to wash them. Dry the area with the stain, and then remove it with a brush; other types of stains are removed by using a solution of ammonia and vinegar, salt and water. Mix these components in equal parts and soak natural fabric in the solution. Then tap it on the dirt. Now you can’t stain, it will stretch the tissue and small pellets will appear;

It is better to clean an Angora wool sweater using shampoo. This will keep the fur fluffy longer; You can get rid of yellowness by using water and lemon juice; You can wash woolen clothes like this: pour a handful of mustard powder into 3 liters of boiling water and cool to 30 degrees. The solution is foamed. This will help you wash your sweater easily; To prevent the button loops from stretching, they need to be basted a little before washing.

Choice of product

If you need to wash woolen products, the question becomes, what kind of powder can you use?

When choosing a detergent, you need to pay attention to the following series of requirements:

• the packaging of the detergent must indicate that it is intended for woolen products and does not contain alkali;
• the composition should not include various enzymes and bleaches;
• If possible, the choice should be made in favor of liquid detergent rather than powder. Powders contain many substances that impart hardness. Liquid, gel-like products are washed out well, have minimal impact on the material and remove dirt just as well as powders;
• the use of a stain remover is acceptable if it states that it is suitable for delicate fabrics;
• You can wash a mohair jumper using simple shampoo.

How to dry a wool sweater

Even if there is no surprise after washing, the item is easily damaged if it is not dried properly. To prevent this from affecting you, you should not twist the sweater after washing, just wrinkle it a little. This is done carefully, without effort. It is enough to leave the sweater on a stand or in a basin to allow the water to drain.

After a couple of hours, the sweater begins to dry. For this purpose, carefully spread it on a towel, trying not to stretch it, and then roll it into a sausage. Give the fabric time to absorb the water from the item. Then unwind the “sausage” and repeat the manipulations again, but with a dry towel.

Next step: lay out the sweater on a flat surface, first laying down a sheet. Dry your clothes in this position for several hours. Remember, to prevent the sweater from shrinking in size, do not leave it in the sun or on a heater.

Drying and ironing are no less important nuances. There are also certain rules for wool sweaters.

There is a certain trick: if you pull a wet sweater to the sides when drying, you can stretch it a little if it has shrunk a little. Along with this, the product is reduced by folding and then laid out near a heat source.

Drying Features

Drying has an important impact on the further appearance and shape of the woolen product. Drying features are as follows:

• Having taken the sweater out of the water, you can only slightly squeeze the moisture out of it, not by twisting it. The main water should drain on its own;
• After a few hours, when the water has gone, towels will help to quickly dry the jacket, on which the product should be laid out and rolled up. Once the towel gets wet, it should be changed;
• To prevent the sweater from stretching under its own weight, you need to dry it horizontally, laying it on the surface until completely dry.

How to iron a wool sweater

After drying, ironing is often not necessary. But if the folds remain, you can iron the sweater. All products have a label indicating care instructions. If it is missing or worn out, then follow the general rules for ironing wool products:

iron the wool only after it is completely dry; before manipulation, turn it inside out; to avoid the appearance of shiny stripes, pass the iron through gauze or cotton fabric; The iron cannot be “pulled” over the sweater; it must be “lowered” onto it. This will preserve the shape of the product; The appropriate temperature for wool is often written on the iron. Usually this is the 2nd division.

We hope that such information will help you in caring for your favorite sweaters, which will delight the eye with pleasant cleanliness and impeccable quality. But it’s also worth considering the nuances of correcting errors if they have already happened.

Ironing Features

Typically, woolen products are not ironed, and ironing is recommended in very extreme cases. If the manufacturer provides ironing, it should be done this way:

• iron the item only when it is completely dry;
• Turn the product inside out before ironing;
• you can use slightly damp gauze, this will help avoid shine;
• the iron should slide without pressure, gently and without pulling the material;
• The ironing temperature should be observed; modern models of irons are equipped with functions such as “woolen items”, which sets the device to a certain suitable temperature. If the iron does not have such modes, you should look at the hint on the label of the item you need to iron.

If you lay out your sweater correctly while still drying, you will most likely not have to iron it.

Restoring a sweater after deformation

What to do if an unpleasant situation has already occurred after washing a sweater? How is a sweater restored when it shrinks or stretches?

In order to increase the size of shrunken clothes, you need to wet them again, in addition to the neck and shoulders. Do not twist it, but wrap it in a towel. When the excess liquid is absorbed, stretch the sweater in different directions and hang it on a trempel, wrapping it with fabric. Another option for increasing the size: wet the item and lay it out to dry. From time to time you need to stretch it with your hands, remembering the sleeves. After almost complete drying, the sweater is hung on the trempel.

If trouble has already happened, then you can try to fix it. But all methods help only with minor changes.

Treat the item with a vinegar solution for steaming. Pour more vinegar into the water into the container and, without touching the product with the iron, steam it. While the wool is heated, stretch it with your hands, not letting go until it cools. You can also steam a piece of clothing through gauze. But they do this at low temperatures so as not to experience large shrinkage in size. There is another, unpleasant, but effective method - put the wet thing on yourself and wait for it to dry.

It happens that the sweater increases in size, then you need to tighten it. Soak the item for 15 minutes in hot water and wash by hand. But remember that trying to shrink a sweater by using a machine wash will result in complete destruction of the garment, because it will not be possible to achieve an even reduction.

Grooming rules

1. To avoid pilling and keep the item fluffy and beautiful after drying, comb it a little with a special brush.
2. If the wool needs to shrink a little, wet it a little and then lay it to dry near a heat source.
3. Vinegar and baking soda are the best natural anti-shedding products.
4. To prevent the material from stretching, do not wash or rub it.
5. The peculiarity of removing stains from knitted items is that they must be cleaned before washing. Dirt can be dried and brushed off, grease and other stains using special products applied with a soft cloth.

With careful care, woolen items can last a very long time, delighting and warming their owner.

• DIY LG washing machine repair
• The reason why the drum in the washing machine does not spin is:

How to return a sweater to white

It happens that over time, things made of wool lose their whiteness and a yellow tint appears. How to return the white color to a product? Is there a way to get rid of yellowness?

Due to exposure to the sun and hard water, a white sweater can easily change color to yellowish. The situation can be corrected without dry cleaning. For this, there are special stain removers that are designed for natural materials, including wool.

But before using them, use gentle methods. As an example, soaking in powder with bleach. In this situation, the sweater should be allowed to rest in the middle of the process. And after a couple of washes it will almost restore the color.

If whitening powder does not help, then use peroxide. It should be added to the water during the washing process, in the amount of 3 spoons per 1 liter of water. In such a situation, the item should be left in water overnight. Often, only 2-3 similar manipulations are needed to refresh the color.

Bleaching often fails due to contamination not of the threads, but of the spools. In such a situation, use emollients with bleach. They will help untangle threads and remove dirt.

If all efforts do not produce results, then you should turn to professionals for help, that is, dry cleaning. If nothing helps here, then it’s time to say goodbye to the thing and look for a replacement.

How to prevent something from shrinking?

Natural wool has a delicate texture and quickly responds to mistakes made during washing. High temperatures will cause shrinkage in almost all cases.

If at the same time the product was also subjected to intense mechanical stress (for example, friction), then the material may not just shrink, but become matted. It will be impossible to restore such a thing.

If the goal is to slightly reduce the size of a pullover that has stretched while being worn, then this can be done during washing . Contrary to the manufacturer’s recommendations, the water is heated to +50ºС.

The temperature is not raised higher. The sweater is dipped, kept for 5 minutes, and removed from the water. After spinning, the item is dried flat.

When exposing a product to high temperatures, you cannot be 100% sure that the item will shrink exactly as needed . There is a possibility that the experiment will fail.

If the sweater does shrink, read here about ways to restore the product. If the item is stretched, this is the place for you.