Natural wool is a capricious material that requires careful handling. You need to wash woolen items following all the manufacturer's recommendations, otherwise they may shrink, stretch, or lose their presentable appearance.
Wool can be washed using scrap materials or store supplies. Home methods will be relevant if you have a tendency to manifest allergic reactions or savings. Folk remedies:
Dry mustard will be beneficial when washing woolen items. You will need:
Stir the ingredients until a lump-free liquid is obtained, leave to stand for 2-3 hours. If the stains are light, one wash is enough. Products need to be rinsed well, and finally add a couple of drops ammonia, then the clothes will become softer.
Beans. The water that remains after soaking beans is suitable for washing wool products. Need to:
Boil the beans until full readiness, drain the water, strain it through cheesecloth or a strainer. Place into the container in which you plan to wash and beat the foam. Then the material is rinsed by adding vinegar (1 tbsp per 1 liter of water).
Potato. Peel the potatoes, grate them on a fine grater, squeeze out the juice. Add it to the basin with warm water, form foam. Rinse 2-3 times with vinegar.
This method is not suitable for white woolen items!
Chestnuts. The kernel is ground into powder; the peel can stain clothes. For one time, 3-5 chestnuts are enough.
There are separate methods for white woolen items. If there is a need to bleach a product, chalk tops the rating among available means. Take a small container of water (3-4 liters), dilute 1 kg of chalk in it. Leave the clothes for 15-20 minutes, periodically stirring the water, rinse, and wring out.
Hydrogen peroxide is considered a homemade stain remover. Soak the items in water with peroxide (1 tsp per 1 liter of water), wash the clothes.
If for use traditional methods If you don’t have the time or desire, you can resort to specialized store-bought products.
Detergents for woolen items | Action |
Gel for woolen items “Organics Wool” | Use for hand and machine wash. Does not contain phosphates, has protective and softening properties, eliminates odors, and disinfects. |
Gel for washing black fabrics “Black Line Feinwaschmittel” | Effective in fighting stains and dirt, ideal for dark coats. |
Organic liquid detergent for wool and silk Sonett | Natural olive soap in the composition gives the wool elasticity, has a gentle effect, and is hypoallergenic. Suitable for hand and machine wash. |
Liquid "Denkmit Wollwaschlotion" | Gentle care, smoothes fibers, restores tissue structure and protective layer. |
Baby fabric softener “Eared Nyan” for woolen items with cashmere | Softens things, eliminates electricity, suitable for allergy sufferers, children, pregnant women, suitable for preventing pilling. |
Fabric stain remover VANISH Oxi Action | Active oxygen in the composition effectively removes stains from woolen products, preserving the color, universal for white and colored. |
Wool is a finicky fabric when choosing temperature conditions. It should not exceed 30-35°C. It is correct to wash dirty woolen items by hand using hair shampoo or special means. If you decide to machine wash, a delicate cycle is optimal. To be on the safe side, it is better to set the temperature regulator to the minimum level.
If the main wash was at 30-35°C, then rinsing should be done at the same temperature. The item can easily shrink or stretch.
For many, washing wool causes difficulties, but knowing a couple of secrets of handling such things, you can forever forget about the problem of caring for them.
Woolen items must first be prepared for washing. General rules:
At hand wash For woolen products, you need to adhere to some rules:
If you need to wash something made from camel wool, it is better to use dry cleaning services, the material is delicate and expensive. You need to wash dirty wool in the washing machine at the minimum temperature, turning off the spin and drying functions. Shampoo or gel is added as a detergent.
A woolen blanket or rug is washed by hand. Take a lot of water and add suitable remedy and wait for it to dissolve. Wash the product, rinse thoroughly, and leave to drain in the bath. Roll the blanket into a large piece of thick fabric and wring it out to dry horizontal position.
They try to clean the coat rarely, resort to dry cleaning, and air it out. If you cannot do without washing, use cool water. Dry on horizontal planes on a terry towel, changing it periodically. An under-dried coat should be ironed at a minimum temperature through a cloth, then dried on a soft hanger.
Cashmere is washed by hand using soft remedies. The fabric is thin and light, machine wash is contraindicated.
Hand-knitted woolen items are cleaned by hand; coarse items with impurities are trusted to the machine. artificial materials(acrylic, polyester).
In order not to spoil woolen clothes, it is important to know the nuances of drying them:
Every person has comfortable woolen items in their wardrobe that reliably protect against the cold. Even with careful attitude they need to be tidied up periodically. Many housewives are interested in what temperature to wash a wool sweater so that it retains its shape, does not become matted, and lasts as long as possible.
To begin with, it is worth noting that woolen items do not need to be washed often. To freshen up your favorite sweater, hang it on your balcony once a week. Fresh air and frost quickly neutralize bad smell and give you freshness.
The optimal frequency of washing is once every 6 months, but with active wear, you can reduce the time and wash things several times more often.
For gentle cleansing Hand washing wool is ideal. But if you have modern typewriter machine, you can completely trust her with clothes.
Before washing wool items, inspect them carefully. If there are stains, dirt must be removed using table vinegar, glycerin or alcohol. These substances are not able to spoil woolen threads.
Tea or coffee marks can be easily removed with glycerin. Lightly heat the substance, soak cotton wool in it and treat the stain 10 minutes before washing.
Sweat stains from fur can be removed by gently brushing them with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol.
To preserve its shape, it is important in what water to wash the wool. Such threads are very capricious and cannot withstand temperature changes and hot liquids.
To clean a wool product, you do not need to soak it. Washing must be done quickly and carefully.
To make clothes look like new, you need not only to know in what water to wash woolen items. Proper rinsing is of great importance. This should be repeated several times to completely get rid of soap suds. At the final stage, add fabric softener to the water. Instead you can use the folk way and use glycerin to soften the water at the rate of 1 tsp. for 10 liters of liquid.
Gently remove the water from your clothes with your palms and wrap the item in a terry towel. Squeeze lightly and place on a flat surface to dry.
Many housewives do not have enough time and energy to put things in order manually. Washing wool blankets and other items is especially difficult. volumetric products. In this case, a modern automatic machine can make the work easier.
When choosing a program, there is no need to experiment with which mode to wash woolen items. Manufacturers have specially developed a “wool” program that takes into account all the features of such clothing.
Some models do not have this feature. In this case, select the delicate mode, set the water heating temperature to 30 degrees, make sure that the program time does not exceed 45 minutes, and completely eliminate the spin cycle.
Before loading clothes into the machine, you should remove large buttons and other accessories from them. Otherwise, during the rotation of the drum, they may damage the product.
When it runs out, open the machine door and take out wet clothes. Carefully remove excess moisture with a terry towel and send to dry, laying it horizontally away from radiators and other heating devices.
To automatic washing was safe, you must strictly adhere to the recommendations at what degrees to wash wool. And also do not use chlorine powders or bleaches for cleaning.
Dark and colored wool requires special treatment. She sheds frequently, so be sure to do a little test before touching water.
It will require the thread from which the product is knitted. Immerse it in soapy water for 5 minutes and then wrap it in a piece of white natural fabric. If after this there are visible stains on the material, it means that the wool was dyed poorly. To fix the color, add 2 tbsp to the washing water. l. vinegar.
If you are interested in how to wash dark-colored woolen items so that they remain soft and bright, use mustard powder. This folk recipe tested by time and copes with the task perfectly.
It is advisable to pour 1 tsp into the last rinse water. ammonia. Then wool sweater will become surprisingly soft.
From frequent washing, the white wool thread turns yellow, and the clothes lose attractive appearance. In this case, do not rush to send the sweater to the dacha. There are several proven ways to update its color.
You can use a simple recipe.
For the second method you will need hydrogen peroxide. It must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 tsp. per liter of liquid and soak wool items. After a quarter of an hour, wash them carefully, and then rinse.
With prolonged wear and frequent washing, clothes can become stiff and lose their shape. To give her back old look, find out how to wash woolen items with bean broth.
Pour 1 kg of beans into 5 liters of water and cook until tender. Drain the water through a sieve into a deep basin and add the required amount of liquid there to soak the clothes. Check the temperature before submerging items. It should be no more than 35 degrees. Wash the wool in the bean solution and rinse.
This method gently removes stains, adds softness, and restores the same form, prevents the appearance of pellets.
Woolen items are loved by many. Items made from natural or mixed wool can definitely be found in every wardrobe. They are loved for the beauty and comfort they give. But not everyone knows how to wash woolen items so that they do not lose their appearance and shape. Hence there is a whole heap of damaged clothes in almost every home. Something has stretched out, something has hopelessly collapsed... Such troubles can be avoided. The main thing is to know how to approach the wool.
So how to find with woolen products mutual language? The first thing that any owner of such clothing thinks about is how to keep the shape of your favorite sweater after washing? What should I do to prevent the product from shrinking, stretching, or matting? In fact, you can do a lot of things. But all these rules are quite simple and easy to follow.
Paradoxically, it is better not to wash wool. Or rather, do this as rarely as possible - only when necessary to remove specific dirt or stains. In other cases, it is recommended to hang the item of clothing periodically (2-3 times a year) on the street or balcony for ventilation. Streams of fresh air are often enough to refresh the product and get rid of foreign odors.
But if washing is inevitable, you need to prepare for it first theoretically: learn a lot of subtleties. There are three main and most important ones that have the greatest impact on the shape of washed products:
So, temperature. For demanding wool, it should not exceed 30-35 degrees, otherwise the product will inevitably shrink or stretch. But for high-quality washing of woolen items, following this rule alone is not enough. It is equally important that soaking, washing and rinsing take place at the same temperature. Yes, the value of 10 degrees does not exceed 35. But if you wash the item with warm water and then rinse it with cool water, the shrinkage will be much more obvious. Sometimes it’s not even shrinkage, but local deformation (only of the cuffs or just the armpits), and after this it can be problematic to restore the shape of the products.
Mechanical impact (friction, spin) is another primary evil for woolen products. At the same time, they risk not only sitting down or stretching, but also significantly matting or becoming covered in pellets. So no spinning when washing woolen clothes! Minimum mashing and erasing, minimum machine drum speed – important subtleties on the way to longevity of knitted items.
Such clothes also need to be dried properly. Errors during drying, the main one of which is line drying, also lead to deformation of knitted items, which stretch under their own weight.
It is clear that products made from this material cannot be washed with anything: the capricious material is susceptible to negative impact unsuitable detergents. Woolen items can become rough, prickly, lose their original luster, get stains in the form of streaks of unwashed powder, and become matted.
If you plan to wash the item by hand, then rubbing the item with a piece of laundry soap is completely wrong. And it will be difficult to rinse out such foam, and the rubbed areas will fall off.
A more gentle option may be suitable here - shavings from baby soap. But first you need to make sure that the product is completely dissolved in the water, and then beat it well with your hands. This delicate thick foam can carefully and efficiently wash knitted product. Another alternative is to use hair shampoo. After all, wool is also hair, but of animal origin. Therefore, natural shine and softness after such a product will be guaranteed.
For machine washing, there are special powders designed for wool. They must have a designation - intended for washing woolen products. However, more delicate and effective - liquid products. They are already in a dissolved state, wash well, soften the fibers, preventing matting and pilling, and are easily washed out.
Washing even with the most delicate wool detergent will not help make your favorite clothes truly soft if the water is hard. Therefore, the use of special softeners for hard water when washing woolen items is mandatory.
For bleaching, if the need arises, chlorine-containing substances cannot be used - they will destroy the delicate texture.
To bleach wool items, use regular table vinegar. It will not only make things whiter, but also soften the fibers and give them shine. Hydrogen peroxide is also suitable for these purposes.
Well, now – the basic “truths” of washing, as well as subsequent drying of wool. What and how to do - right?
Even if your clothes definitely don’t fade, you need to wash light and dark ones separately. Lint from one product can stick to the surface of another and ruin the entire painting. Correcting such an incident can be difficult.
Unfortunately, no one is immune from such a nuisance. Perhaps the owner “shrinked” the blouse out of ignorance, perhaps she missed something in the process of caring for the clothes. But now she faces a problem: how to stretch the woolen item back? There are ways to solve this issue, but their effectiveness will depend on the degree of wool shrinkage, its composition, knitted pattern, other factors. Therefore, it is difficult to give a 100% guarantee.
So, you can try the following “recipes”.
Caring for woolen clothing is a painstaking process that requires certain knowledge. But now that they have been received, it will be much easier to cope with the characteristics of the wool. This means that things made from it will faithfully serve their owners. allotted time, without upsetting surprises such as shrinkage or stalling.
Clothing made from natural wool is warm, hygroscopic and breathable, which allows air to circulate freely and the skin to breathe, eliminating overheating and hypothermia of the body. But, when washed, clothes can stretch greatly or shrink significantly in size, so woolen products require special care. In this article we will tell you how to wash a wool sweater and dry it properly.
Regardless of which washing method you prefer, there is one rule: “wool should only be washed in cool water.” The ideal temperature is 30-40 degrees, no more.
Washing woolen items is carried out in large quantities water, as wool absorbs it strongly. Rinse the products thoroughly, changing the water several times in a row so that the soap solution completely “comes out” of the fabric fibers. In order for products to be washed better at low temperatures, which is not always easy when washing by hand, you can use a variety of water softeners. Even for heavily soiled light woolen clothing, do not use chlorine bleach, as it can ruin the item. It is better to wash the items in a weak solution of table vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or stain removers specially designed for wool. You cannot twist such clothes too much; you can only wring them out lightly and lay them out on a flat surface, first shaping them into the desired shape with your hands. Dry in a well-ventilated area.
A dark-colored wool sweater is best washed in mustard. Dilute a glass of mustard powder in water and let the mixture brew a little. Then, add the amount of water required for washing, and immerse the clothes in the solution. Do not rub the fabric too much, just squeeze it lightly. After this, rinse the product in a solution of ammonia or glycerin, after adding 1 tsp. product per 10 liters of water, and fix the color of the clothes with a spoon of table vinegar diluted in water during the last rinse. Wool, after this method of washing, will be very soft.
Also, the sweater can be washed laundry soap, but since it is impossible to soap woolen fabric directly, prepare a soap solution from a bar grated on a fine grater. Angora and mohair, best to wash regular shampoo for hair. And when rinsing, add fabric softener to the water; Lenor or Silan work well.
If your favorite sweater has stretched out while being worn, and things made from natural fabrics tend to stretch, this is not a reason to part with it. There are some tricks that can help you reduce clothes by one or even two sizes.
First, you need to read the recommendations on the clothing label and do the opposite, but within reasonable limits. Place the jacket in hot water, 20 degrees more specified temperature on the tag and leave for 20-30 minutes. Then wash the clothes as usual, but rinse very quickly. cold water, maybe with ice cubes. Wool does not like hot water or temperature changes, and will definitely shrink. You cannot twist the product, so as not to stretch it or deform it, just lay the jacket on a terry towel and roll it into a roll, allowing excess moisture, soak into the terry. After this, you can proceed to an equally important moment, this is the “correct” drying. Dry the sweater by laying it out on a flat surface and using your hands (as if squeezing it) to the desired shape and size. If the jacket needs to be reduced by several sizes, dry it on the radiator, unfolding it in the manner described above.
If, after washing, your sweater “unplanned” shrinks in certain places, neck, waist, sleeves, etc., you can return it to its previous size in several ways:
Capricious wool does not need to be washed unless absolutely necessary. If the product is saturated with unpleasant odors, simply ventilate it in the fresh air. Also, never soak woolen items (with the exception of the need to reduce them in size), but immediately begin the washing process. The water temperature should be the same both when washing and when rinsing.
The cleaner woolen item, the warmer it is, but, unfortunately, wool does not like frequent washing. Without knowing the secrets of washing woolen fabric, you can end up with a damaged product. The thing may stretch out or, conversely, “sit down”, become matted or become rigid.
Wool fabrics should not be soaked. Washing is recommended only gentle: manual or special program for machine wash. During the washing process, do not rub or twist the item. Rinse wool fabrics you need a large amount of water, keeping the water temperature the same as it was when washing.
It is better not to wash the coat for as long as possible, but to make do with dry cleaning and airing.
Washing a coat by hand is not easy, but it is less risky than washing it in a washing machine. Prepare cool water, whisk wool washing powder in it and dip the coat into the foam. Instead of a special powder or liquid for washing woolen items, you can use a solution of soap, laundry or baby soap, but it is harder to make foam from them. As a last resort, take regular powder, but be sure to avoid bioadditives, as they destroy natural fiber. Wash and rinse the coat thoroughly at least 3-4 times in water at the same temperature. Place a large towel on a horizontal surface, a wet coat on top and leave to dry, changing the towel periodically. When the coat is almost dry, iron it through the fabric with a moderately warm iron. Then hang it on a hanger to dry completely.
If the manufacturer allows machine washable, this will make the task much easier. First brush the stains with a brush, fasten the buttons and put the coat in the drum. Temperature- 30 degrees. And wash using the delicate wash program. If the label does not indicate that spinning should be excluded, then it is enough to simply set the minimum spin speed. Hang the washed coat on hangers to dry.
It is recommended to turn a wool sweater inside out before washing. Prepare a foam solution, as you would when washing a coat, and dip the sweater in it. When choosing a detergent, in this case, take a special wool powder or neutral shampoo. Wash quickly; the longer the wool sits in water, the weaker the fibers become. When rinsing your sweater for the last time, add conditioner to make it softer.
Today the majority washing machines have a wool program. Manufacturers assure that the result will be no worse than washing by hand. At the same time, different manufacturers The technology for washing wool is different. The best option- This is washing with soap foam. The drum whips the detergent into a rich foam, and woolen then soaks in it for a few minutes. With this option, things wash much better and at the same time do not lose their shape. When washing hand-knitted clothes, the spin cycle must be turned off.
You need to dry the sweater by carefully laying it out on a horizontal surface, for example, on a wooden grate placed on a bathtub. But under no circumstances place a woolen sweater on a hot radiator; it will certainly shrink in size.
You need to iron the sweater from the inside out to avoid shine. A damp woolen sweater should not be ironed; it may become deformed.
It is preferable to dry clean suit trousers. If the manufacturer allows washing, then before doing this, sweep the legs along the arrow line, this will make subsequent ironing easier. Wash and rinse in cool water. Hang to dry on a hanger without wringing.
A small wool blanket or blanket can be washed by hand. Fill the bath with water at a temperature of about 30 degrees. Take the grated baby soap or wool washing powder and dissolve completely in water. Wash and rinse. Let the water drain in the empty bathtub. Take big sheet, wrap a washed blanket in it and blot it. Lay out the blanket wrung out in this way, if possible, on a horizontal surface. If it is not possible to dry the blanket horizontally, then hang it on several clothes lines at once.
It will be very difficult to wash a large blanket by hand, so it is better to entrust this task to a machine. Turn on the minimum spin speed, low temperature water, wool washing program or delicate wash. To keep the blanket tender and soft after washing, add conditioner.
A hand-knitted woolen dress is washed by hand. The result of washing such a product in a machine may not be predictable even on the most delicate program. The machine can be trusted with thick woolen fabrics with the addition of artificial fibers. The processes of washing, drying, ironing are the same as when washing a sweater.
A woolen scarf or scarf can be washed carefully in cool water and only by hand, using a special delicate detergent. It is not advisable to wash bright Pavlovo Posad scarves at all, as after this they may fade. As a last resort, add a little vinegar to the rinse water after washing. When the water has drained, carefully place it on a towel somewhere on the table.
Wash your wool hat by hand. Even tight machine knitting does not guarantee that the hat will not lose its shape when washed in a machine. Dissolve a delicate detergent in a basin in cool water and wash light hat kneading movements. Rinse thoroughly, with a final rinse with conditioner. Let the water drain, wrap in a towel and squeeze lightly. You can dry a hat, like other woolen items, on a horizontal surface, or by placing it on a three-liter jar.
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