Why Wool Shrinks - Explained By A Dry Cleaner #laundry #wool #diy

Wool shrinks when washed improperly due to the scales / barbs of the fibers latching onto one another, AND NEVER LETTING GO. This process is known as felting and it is not correctable.

This does not occur when washed in dry cleaning solvent as the fibers do not swell up. "

Cashmere has less barbs / scales so it can be washed at home in water much more reliably than wool.

Not all wool is the same, but its always wise to err on the side of caution!

[justusukomah]

Stop seducing me with laundry learned more about laundry than I ever thought I would in part due to thirst and in part due to your engaging demeanor lol

[MPS]

Wool doesn't felt immediately just from getting wet. You need agitation to felt. That's why craft felters use their special needles; the mechanical process is what's doing the felting.

You can wash wool at home with cold water, inside out, on a gentle cycle in garment bag or hand washed. The Gentleman's Gazette has a great video about machine washing suits this way.

[BDP]

I'll say being married to a crocheter/knitter. She cleans her nice homemade wool clothes at home with no issues. It also seems to be quite common in that community to not have any issues if done right at home.

[tabbycat]

Hi! I always wash my 100% wool knits at home with no problem. I put them in the hand wash cycle, use the coldest setting, cancel spin drying and always use detergent made for wool. After washing, I gently squeeze out the excess water and lay them on flat surface over dry, clean towel. I don't wash them too often, though. I wash them after wearing 3-4 times and air them out after every wear. Wool interestingly doesn't stink easily.

[kaitlynthurman]

You should do a follow up on super wash merino/wool

[EmilyEmilyEmily]

Knitter here ! As long as you do not wash with warm water, only use a natural fiber detergent, & do not agitate the fibers, and follow that by reshaping your wool garment (take measurements before wetting so you can stretch out to the original dimensions), washing at home is honestly easy. And a little mild shrinkage (not true felting) is usually reversible with some soaking & natural fiber conditioner & then reshaping to your desired dimensions. Dry cleaning is great but washing at home is also totally doable as long as you know the basics for natural fibers

[aquatic_donut]

We cold wash our wool clothing and roll it in a towel to dry. Works well!

[AllGreyEverything]

I've purchased thrift store wool clothing that was too big and shrunk it on purpose. I've even done it with a blazer to make it more casual-looking.

[suem]

I process wool from sheep to finished product. I show how to 'wash' wool at home over at spinningthepast. Soak is the correct name for the process. I tell my viewers to wash wool as you would a baby. Never use extreme temp changes of the wash water. Do not use strong alkaline soap. Soak. Rinse. Pat dry. Recipe to felt wool: hot wash/cold rinse, agitation (washing machine or dryer), strong soap, steam. When I use a dry cleaner: lined wool garments where different fibers shrink or do not shrink simultaneously. Exception is a bias cut garment but that is pretty technical. And woven wool behaves differently from knitted wool. Wool does not dirty readily esp if you wear washable base layer. My sweaters get washed 2x a year. Just prior to store is important to store clean wool to avoid hungry moths.

[nellys.]

Can you do a video showing a wool/ cashmere garment washed using normal detergent on a normal cycle, hot /cold etc to show what happens? A lot of videos describe what you should do with wool but NO ONE actually shows what happens if you do the wrong thing what happens in the end

[HogwartsBasement]

Not to mention the fact the soap affects the cuticles in the hair in a way that makes the felting happen easier because it makes the hair go frizzy.

[SomeplaceScary]

My sister washed her 100% cashmere sweater normally in the rest of her wash and made it fuzzy/lightly felted. Thankfully she didnt toss it into the dryer and shrink it, too. 🤦‍♀️

[uhhhhhHellllo]

Oh hey! I have cashmere swetters and i never understood why people say you cant wash them normally because i do and they're always fine. Well not totaly like my other clothes, i use cold water and a gentle cycle then ofc i let them air dry. But still i never hand wash them and they're always fine. However i have a wool skirt that i did the same thing ti and it did NOT turn out right. Thit makes so much sense.

[Pommy]

For wool, is it recommended to use wool specific detergents that contain lanolin? There’s a lot of debate in the vintage sphere about how to care for wool coats and some people say it’s required to wash wool with lanolin to keep it waterproof/resistant and soft to the touch. How true is that?

[sandrac]

Thank you for sharing your knowledgeable on wool care 🙌

[jenstewkoster]

What process and products do you recommend for cashmere?

[TurkeycreekJackJohnson]

Can you make a vid on how to iron a mens dress shirt :/ it’s so hard I can’t do it :((

[itslunasea]

I think drying can effect wool as much as washing. I was desperately trying to clean an antique-ish wool blanket and found out that i could wash it in hot water if I dried it on high heat. I wouldn't do it for clothes but the blanket came out fine, think i used vinegar and woolite! Good to know for cleaning handed down or thrifted things

That was just my personal experience ymmv

[vydel]

I have never owned anything made of wool. But, I also live in sunny California. Our winters are more like fall for the places with four seasons. 😂

[yosafat]

I see a lot of video tutorials of stretching wool garments that have shrunk, do those actually work if shrunken wool garments are not correctable?