The soft fabric of wardrobe items made from natural wool attracts with its warming qualities and is one of the materials that requires proper handling. Compliance with the rules for caring for them, washing and storage recommendations helps preserve the initial properties of woolen items. Ignoring the advice of experts leads to disruption of the shape of the product, coarsening of the fabric, and the appearance of pilling on woolen clothes.

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  Approach to product processing taking into account thread types

  When starting to care for a delicate product, you should know what fiber it is made of. This is what you should follow when washing.

  Items made from melange thread can only be washed in cold water. To avoid fading, colored items are soaked in cool water, where you can add a tablespoon of table salt. Clothing made from mohair, wool or cashmere should be washed and rinsed in lukewarm water.

  Rules for handling woolen items

  Wool products are classified as fabrics that require delicate handling. To treat them, use hydrogen peroxide or table vinegar. Recommended liquids do not harm the structure of the material.

  Table vinegar helps make the fabric soft and pleasant to the touch. Before placing a woolen product in water, it is recommended to turn it on the left side. With such preparation, the front part will be less subject to mechanical stress.

  After choosing a cleaning liquid, you decide on the processing method: by hand or in a machine. With any processing method, certain rules must be taken into account.

  The following tips will help extend the life of your products:

  1. 1. If a stain is noticed in a fresh state, then you should not rush to remove it. It is better to wait for it to dry completely, then remove dirt with a soft brush.
  2. 2. To restore the appearance of yellowed white wool, it must be placed in an acidified solution of lemon juice for 15-20 minutes. An alternative method is to use hydrogen peroxide, which can also bleach wool.
  3. 3. To treat dark wool items, you can use mustard powder. Pour several liters of hot water into the packaging of the product, stir the composition well and let it cool, place the product in the resulting solution. After finishing washing, the item must be rinsed thoroughly.
  4. 4. To prevent the product from being deformed in size as a result of processing, it must be dried in a special way. Before washing, the item should be laid out on thick paper (excess old wallpaper is suitable) and the outline should be traced. After washing, let the water drain and the product dry slightly, then lay it out on paper and pin it along the outline. In this state, let things dry.
  5. 5. If things have shrunk, it is permissible to stretch them while wet. In the opposite situation, when the item has stretched and needs to be returned to its original size, the item should be dried near artificial heat devices (radiator, heater). At the same time, they lay it out in the assembled state.
  6. 6. Experts recommend washing woolen items no more than once every six months. In all other cases, items must be processed dry.
  7. 7. It is not advisable to dry wool products in the kitchen or other places where there are strong odors, since wool can absorb surrounding aromas.

  

  Hand wash wool

  It is no coincidence that wool is recognized as a fabric that requires delicate handling. Hand washing is recognized as the best way to process such products. Since woolen fabric is easily deformed during washing, it should be carried out subject to certain preparatory steps:

  1. 1. For any type of processing, woolen products are sorted from the total mass of clothes to be cleaned.
  2. 2. Products are sorted by color and turned inside out.
  3. 3. If clothes have buttons or zippers, fasten them.

  Only after completing these steps can you start washing.

  Algorithm of actions for hand washing woolen products:

  1. 1. Cool water is filled into a basin. Its temperature should be no more than 30 degrees. Wool products have the ability to absorb a lot of liquid, so there must be a sufficient amount of water.
  2. 2. The next step is to pour in detergent for wool or delicate fabrics. The amount of detergent composition is selected in accordance with the instructions. Stir the resulting composition thoroughly. If you don’t have such a special product on hand, it is recommended to use regular shampoo to wash your hair.
  3. 3. Place clothes in the resulting composition and leave for 15 minutes. Then gently knead the product with your hands, avoiding rubbing the fabric. Particular attention is paid to problem areas with contamination.
  4. 4. Upon completion of processing, the product is thoroughly rinsed in cool water. Do this until it becomes transparent. Wring out carefully, avoiding twisting of the fabric.
  5. 5. The product is shaken vigorously to remove any remaining liquid. Lay out on a flat surface on top of a clean terry towel.

  When washing by hand, it is convenient to use soap shavings or foam. Angora and mohair are best washed using shampoo. The most destructive factors for natural materials, including wool, are temperature changes and rough, strong squeezing. After washing, a woolen item may become rough to the touch and prickly. This fact indicates the presence of hard water in the water supply. To soften the fabric, rinse with industrial conditioners. An alternative way can be to use glycerin: it is added to water at the rate of half a tablespoon of the product per 5 liters of water.

  

  Washing dark items

  Please note: dark and bright items may change color during washing and fade. Therefore, experts recommend testing fabrics before washing. They try to take a small thread on the wrong side of the product. It is soaked in a container of hot water. Then take it out of the water and wrap it in white cotton cloth, soaking it. If the thread stains the material, this means that the material is shedding. When washing such items, table vinegar is added to the water in the proportion of three tablespoons of product per 5 liters of water. Such measures will help not to wash the paint out of the product.

  It is customary to wash dark clothes without using soap. It is replaced with mustard powder. One glass of dry powder is stirred in a small amount of cool water. The resulting composition is filtered through a cloth (usually gauze is used) and infused for two hours. The resulting mixture is added to warm water and dark items are washed. To soften the material, instead of conditioner, add one teaspoon of ammonia when rinsing.

  Processing light-colored products

  After washing light woolen items, a yellowing effect most often appears. Industrially produced bleaches are quite aggressive for woolen products, so in these cases a special composition is made at home.

  Hydrogen peroxide is recognized as the best way to remove yellowness from woolen products. To use it, prepare a solution: dissolve one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide in a liter of cold water. Dip yellowed clothes into the resulting solution and soak for some time (at least three hours). After this, wash as usual. When finishing processing, the item is thoroughly rinsed.

  Crushed chalk is recognized as an alternative means of bleaching woolen products. One kilogram of powder is stirred in three liters of cool water. The wool product is soaked in the resulting composition for a quarter of an hour. During this time, the water is stirred periodically. After such procedures, the item is washed.

  Machine washable

  Modern household appliances are equipped with many special modes and functions for delicate fabrics, which allows you to wash items without worrying about their condition after treatment. If the equipment does not have special programs for woolen fabrics or hand washing, you should select the appropriate settings yourself. For such products, it is customary to set the cold water mode, the minimum number of revolutions and turn off the push-up. Wool has the property of absorbing odors and detergents, so additional rinsing is advisable.

  Many washing machine models come with a wide range of washing options. From those offered according to the degree of preference, you should choose: “Wool” mode, “Delicate fabrics”, “Manual mode”.

  
  

  An important step is choosing a quality washing powder. It is preferable to use a liquid product. The best option would be to use products specifically marked “for natural wool.” The chosen product should not contain chlorine. Shampoo is used for washing items made from angora. If the water is hard, you can use fabric softener to prevent the item from matting.

  It is often not recommended to wash wool products in a washing machine, as they lose their shape and elasticity. If there is an urgent need for processing, the washing duration should not exceed 40 minutes.

  Folk remedies

  Bean broth helps to effectively wash items made of delicate wool:

  1. 1. Boil one kilogram of white beans in five liters of water until half cooked.
  2. 2. The solution is allowed to brew.
  3. 3. Wait until the temperature of the broth is at room temperature.
  4. 4. Strain the liquid.
  5. 5. The item is soaked in the broth, soaking and kneading the wool.
  6. 6. Rinse the product until the water becomes clear.

  Hydrogen peroxide helps remove stains from woolen items:

  1. 1. Prepare the solution: stir 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide in a liter of cool water.
  2. 2. Soak the product in the resulting composition for 2 hours.
  3. 3. Then the item is subjected to delicate hand washing with the addition of detergents.

  Drying and ironing

  The preservation of the appearance of wool depends on proper drying. When wet, wool fibers are pliable and deformed, making them difficult to restore later. The first thing to do after treatment is to gently squeeze out the wool. To do this, clothes are laid out on a horizontal surface on top of a clean, dry terry towel. Carefully roll the towel together with the product. The resulting bundle is squeezed out without twisting, kneading it with your hands.

  The place for drying woolen items should be thought out in advance. It should not be located in the open sun or in a room with humid air, near artificial heat devices (radiators, dryers, fans). It is preferable to choose drying outdoors in the shade.

  It is important to check that there are no heating devices in the drying area.

  You should not place woolen items on a rope or on hangers: this will easily stretch and deform them. After wrung out on a towel, the product is similarly spread on a horizontal surface on a clean cotton cloth. The woolen product is straightened so that all folds are smoothed out. During drying, from time to time the item is turned over and placed on a dry cloth. If the last steps are not followed, a musty smell may appear, which is easily absorbed by the fur. When using thick fabric, turn the item over once every 12 hours.

  It is unacceptable to use a hair dryer or iron to speed up the drying process. Clothing should dry naturally, by itself. You should remember the specifics of wool: even if the item is dry to the touch, moisture may remain inside the fabric. After drying, it is recommended to leave the item for another day.

  Ironing woolen items is permissible, but only if the appropriate rules are followed. Before carrying out the procedure, you should read the product label with all the necessary care information. Adviсe:

  • Ironing an under-dried item is unacceptable.
  • The steam mode cannot be used.
  • When ironing, the item must be turned over frequently to dry not only the outer layer, but also the inner layer.
  • It is permissible to iron woolen items only through dry cotton cloth or gauze.
  • It is permissible to iron in fragments, paying special attention to creases.

Woolen items occupy a special place in every person's wardrobe. The beauty, warmth and unique comfort created by this natural material make it indispensable for the cold season. But the many advantages of wool products are overshadowed by the difficulties of caring for them. If you do something wrong, a soft sweater will become scratchy and unpleasant, or, in general, it will become matted and stiff as a felt boot. How to wash woolen items so that they retain their original qualities for a long time? Listen to useful tips that will help you avoid ruining your favorite wardrobe items.

General rules

The best advice would be to have your natural wool items professionally cleaned. But if you still decide to wash them yourself, proceed according to the following plan.

Preparation

First, carefully examine all product tags. Surely you will find symbols showing how to properly wash woolen items. Study them carefully. This often helps to avoid the most serious mistakes. Don't be surprised if they look different on two similar woolen items. For example, recommendations for washing temperatures depend on the percentage of synthetics in fabrics. The more natural fibers, the lower the temperature will be.

Before you start washing, carefully read the instructions on the label.

Before washing, turn all items inside out and check for damage. After this, the most important part begins. All wool items require a gentle handling, so hand washing is ideal.

Wash

So, how to wash wool correctly? Items should be washed in plenty of water. However, you should not twist them or rub them too hard. Also, do not sprinkle powder on top of items. Use a more delicate method. Beat the product into a foam with your hands and only then add it to the soaked items. It is important to note that wool is washed at low temperatures. In too hot water it becomes hard and can roll off. It is optimal to wash at a temperature of 30° C.

Modern washing machines have a special mode for wool.

Woolen items can also be washed in a modern machine. To do this, set a special mode. In most models it is called "hand wash wool". The delicate wash cycle is also suitable. Before starting the machine, make sure that the automatic spin system is turned off.

Drying and further storage

As soon as washing is completed, it is necessary to remove excess moisture from the items. To do this, gently squeeze them through a terry towel and leave them to dry flat on the table or floor. Never dry wool on hangers or radiators. This threatens to greatly change the shape and color of your items.

After the items have dried, carefully fold them and put them in the closet. If the season is over, use vacuum packaging for clothes. This will not only save space in the closet, but will also protect products from pests and accidental snags that occur due to careless storage. The vacuum will not affect the condition or appearance of the clothing in any way. In the fall, you can get it and start wearing it right away.

Use of special means

Many housewives do not know which powder is best for wool. It is believed that it is best to use liquid products. They work great at low temperatures and wash items gently.

There is also a budget alternative - baby soap shavings. Just grate the bar on a coarse grater and lightly foam the shavings with your hands before starting to wash. You will probably be surprised how well wool washes in rich soap suds. For a gentle and soft angora, try using hair shampoo.

It is good to wash wool in rich foam.

To ensure that things are always pleasant to the touch, use fabric softeners, so-called conditioners. You can also try a well-known folk remedy for rinsing. Dissolve 1 tbsp in 5 liters of water. l. glycerin and carefully rinse your items in the resulting liquid.

Washing dark and light items

Caring for dark and light wool products has some features.

Before washing, make sure that dark items do not fade. To do this, carefully pick up one thread from the product and lower it into a hot soapy solution. After this, wrap it in light cotton cloth. If streaks appear on the material, be sure to add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to the washing water. It sets the color perfectly.

If light-colored items turn yellow over time, prepare natural bleach. Add 1 tbsp to a liter of cool water. hydrogen peroxide. Immerse the yellowed item in the solution for 1 hour. After this, rinse it thoroughly and dry it carefully.

What doesn't wool like?

To prevent washing your woolen items from leading to disaster, take note of these recommendations. So, what washing mistakes most often lead to damage to clothes?

1. Don't wash too often. You've probably noticed that natural wool and fabrics based on it are quite resistant to stains. Any unpleasant odors quickly disappear from such products, and small stains can be removed with a regular outerwear brush. Therefore, if you just want to refresh the item, clean it thoroughly and hang it on the balcony to air. No matter how delicate a full wash is, it wears out the material. Gradually it loses its softness, falls off and may lose its shape. It is believed that unless absolutely necessary, you should not wash wool more than 2 times a year.
2. Limit your stay in water as much as possible. Prolonged soaking will cause the item to stretch greatly or, conversely, to shrink. It is advisable that the entire wash of woolen items (from soaking to rinsing) should take no more than 45 minutes.
3. Pay close attention to the temperature. You already know at what temperature you should wash wool. Try to avoid sudden changes. For example, you washed at 40°C and then rinsed at 10°C. This is the easiest way to ensure that your sweater shrinks and moves into your child's wardrobe.

Now you know everything about how to wash woolen items. Using these tips, you can rest assured about the durability and quality of your favorite clothes.

Natural wool is very capricious, and sometimes a favorite sweater or jacket turns out to be hopelessly damaged after washing. How to make wool correctly and can it be done at home?

Is it possible to wash wool?

The peculiarity of natural wool compared to cotton or artificial materials is that it does not need frequent washing. Typically, woolen items get dirty a little, and small dirt can be removed from them without washing. It is enough to wait until the dirt dries and then brush it off.

The main disadvantage of such products is that they quickly become saturated with foreign odors. But in this case, you can refresh things by hanging them in the air. But still, you can’t do without washing, and therefore wool is washed, but following certain recommendations. It is important to choose the right cleaning agent, select the water temperature and set the mode on the machine, if this is not possible.

How to wash woolen items

Before you start washing such a delicate material, you need to study the label on the product and not deviate from the manufacturer’s recommendations.

What means are suitable

Before washing wool, especially capricious white woolen items, you should choose the right powder. It is not recommended to wash products in conventional powders with phosphates. You can use baby powders or special wool products. It is best to use gels that are gentle on the fabric and do not damage the fiber structure.
Especially delicate items can be washed in hair shampoo - mild baby shampoo will do just fine. Washing wool with washing soap is not recommended.

At what temperature should I wash?

To prevent the fibers from shrinking, it is important to choose the right water temperature. Do not wash at temperatures above +40 degrees. It is advisable to take lukewarm water about +30 degrees.

If you immerse a woolen product in hot water, it will inevitably shrink.

How to wash wool in a washing machine

If the tag does not say that it is prohibited, the product can be safely loaded into the washing machine. For example, items made from worn camel wool are perfectly machine washable. But, before loading a blanket or blanket into the drum, things need to be soaked for an hour in a weak detergent solution. Before putting it in the machine, you need to rinse the laundry thoroughly and then let the water drain.

The water temperature when washing in the machine is set to +30 degrees.

Soft, very fine wool is best dry cleaned. If the label says that machine washing is allowed, then you must select the delicate mode and set the water temperature to +30 degrees.

Sheep wool should be turned inside out before loading into the bin. When washing such material, a softening agent is added to the washing tray. Be sure to turn off the spin cycle so that things don’t stretch, and set the water temperature to +30 degrees.

Important! Do not load more than 2 kg of pure wool laundry into the tank. The problem is that the fiber becomes very heavy and you can overload the machine.

How to wash woolen items by hand

Delicate threads such as cashmere, angora, mohair and alpaca are washed only by hand. In this case, the water temperature should not exceed +30 degrees. It is advisable to use only liquid gels specifically designed for washing woolen materials.

If you want your laundry to smell nice, you can add a few drops of essential oil to the water.

When washing by hand, do not soak the laundry for a long time. It is enough to immerse things in water for only 10 minutes. It is important to ensure that the water temperature is the same at all stages of washing, otherwise things will lose their shape.

An excellent alternative to chemical detergents is mustard. 15 g of mustard powder is diluted per liter of water, and the laundry is washed in this solution. The remaining sediment is another load of laundry.

An excellent detergent for clean wool is soapwort rhizomes. The plant extract can be purchased at a herbal pharmacy. The day before washing, the roots are poured with boiling water. Then the infusion is filtered, diluted with cool water and washed in it.

When washing by hand, it is very important not to overuse synthetic detergents, since it is very difficult to rinse them completely out of pure wool fibers.

Washing wool by hand step by step:

1. Dissolve a capful of detergent gel in a bowl of warm water. The gel can be replaced with regular hair shampoo.
2. Immerse the product in a soap solution for 10 minutes.
3. Gently fingering the item, wash it with your fingers in a soapy solution, slightly washing out particularly dirty areas.
4. Rinse the product in water at the same temperature in the bathroom. It is advisable to rinse with plenty of water.

How to dry woolen items correctly

After rinsing, under no circumstances should the laundry be wrung out, much less twisted. Things need to be placed in an empty basin and wait until the water drains from them. Small items can be wrung out by wrapping them in a terry towel and pressing gently.

Lay out a large terry towel or sheet on a horizontal surface (table or floor). The item is carefully laid out on top of them, smoothing out all the folds and creases. You need to make sure that there are no distortions or folds, otherwise the item will dry out and lose its shape.

Do not dry wool near heating devices, much less use a hair dryer for drying.

How to iron woolen items correctly

If the iron has a “Wool” mode, the ironing process will be as easy as possible. You will also need white cotton fabric.

Iron woolen items only from the inside out and only through slightly damp fabric, otherwise the wool will shrink. During ironing, you must ensure that the material does not stretch, otherwise the jacket or sweater will become deformed.

It is generally not recommended to iron embossed woolen items. You can simply steam a fairly thick sweater using the “Steam” function on the iron.

Terry items can be ironed the old-fashioned way using a terry towel and a rolling pin. To do this, place a towel evenly under the item, cover it with a second towel on top and iron it with a rolling pin, as if rolling out dough.

During the ironing process, it is important not to deform the structure of the fabric or knitwear.

You can refresh woolen items without washing, if the scale of contamination allows this.

For example, a woolen coat is hung on a hanger and sprinkled with washing powder. Then the fabric is wiped with a slightly damp sponge, and the remaining detergent is removed with a clothes brush. All that remains is to dry the coat.

If paint stains appear on the material, it can be removed safely with household gasoline. It is important to buy highly purified household gasoline at a hardware store, since regular car fuel is not suitable for such purposes.

If traces of juice or berries appear on the wool, you can wash them off by first sprinkling them with salt and then treating them with a soap solution.

Traces of lipstick on clean wool are wiped off with medical alcohol, and scorch marks are removed well with fresh onion juice.

If your clothes begin to smell unpleasantly from sweat, then it is enough to wipe the sweat-soaked areas with a solution of table vinegar. To prepare the solution, use 1 tsp. Dissolve vinegar in 100 ml of water. Lemon juice also helps get rid of sweat odor.

And finally, if you want your woolen items to smell nice after washing, then place them on your closet shelves with paper napkins soaked in a few drops of lavender oil. This will not only give your laundry a pleasant aroma, but will also reliably protect it from moths.

A cozy thing made of wool perfectly warms you up in the winter cold. It can last for more than one season, delighting with its comfortable cut and beauty, if you know how to wash woolen items.

This material is very capricious and requires special care so that the product does not stretch or, conversely, shrink after washing; you should familiarize yourself with simple recommendations.

Basic rules of care

Items made of wool do not like rough and too intense impact, so preference should be given to hand washing. Nevertheless, the question of how to wash woolen items in a washing machine without causing serious harm to them worries many housewives. If you follow all the rules, it is unlikely that a rare automatic wash will cause significant damage to the product.

But even when planning to wash a woolen item by hand, we must not forget about some nuances so as not to spoil the item of clothing. So, before you start washing, you need to understand the following points:

1. If the item is very fluffy, the material is carefully combed before putting it in water. This measure will make the washing procedure easier, since surface particles of dirt and pellets will first be removed.
2. The product cannot be dipped into a basin or loaded into a washing machine drum without turning it inside out. It is necessary to carefully study the label, which contains detailed information regarding the rules for caring for the item.
3. Clothes made from wool are washed separately from other items, and packaging by color is also important. Although wool is not subject to shedding, the fibers can stick to other products.
4. The temperature of the water in which the washing will be carried out plays an important role. The material does not tolerate either too cold liquid or too hot one. Sudden temperature changes should not be allowed, otherwise the wool fibers will be destroyed and the item can be thrown away.
5. When thinking about the question of what detergent to use for washing, you should choose a powder or gel specially designed for such material.

Features of hand washing

If time permits, it is better not to be lazy and wash a woolen item by hand, thereby leaving it safe and sound. Those who do not know how to wash woolen items by hand can always turn to quick reminder:

Cleaning in the washing machine

Every modern washing machine has a delicate wash mode, so, in principle, no problems should arise. In addition, many models are equipped with a special washing program designed for processing woolen items.

Set the required parameters. It is important that spin is turned off in the settings, otherwise the washed item will lose its previous shape. To prevent things from shrinking, as in the case of hand washing, the temperature should not exceed 30 degrees.

For machine washing, purchase a special liquid product, the label of which indicates that it is suitable for processing products made from natural wool. Using such means, you can be sure that the item will not stretch or become one size smaller. A pleasant bonus is the fresh aroma after washing.

Drying woolen items

Even if the washing went without any surprises, a dilemma automatically arises about how to dry a woolen sweater or other items so that they retain their original appearance. To do this, you just need to remember some simple tips:

Damage to the appearance of a wool product, no matter how high quality it is, most likely indicates inattention, haste or lack of experience. To remove old stains from things and at the same time prevent shrinkage, you should pay attention to

It would seem that these days, when any washing machine has many special modes, the question “How to wash woolen items” should be taken off the agenda. But alas, even the most modern unit over time turns your favorite wool sweater or dress into an unpresentable rag, if you do not know the basic rules for washing woolen items.

Fortunately, there are not too many of these nuances, and they are easy to remember if you apply them regularly. Well, let's get started.

The main thing to remember is that woolen products do not like intense exposure and high temperatures, this quickly renders them unusable. It is best to wash them by hand, and use a machine only in cases where there is no time to wash them by hand.

Important: Before washing (or even at the purchasing stage), carefully study the information on the product label - usually all the nuances that will need to be observed are indicated there so as not to spoil the item.

Woolen clothes should be washed separately from all other items, always taking into account the color. Good wool fabric does not fade, but during the washing process it forms a lot of lint, which easily sticks to other clothes, and then it will have to be cleaned. By the way, these fluffs can clog the filter in the washing machine, so it needs to be cleaned regularly after washing such items.

When washing wool items, do not allow sudden changes in water temperature - this can damage the fabric. Also, such clothes “do not like” too hot and too cold water; it would be optimal to wash all woolen items at a temperature of 30-35 degrees.

What products are best to use?

Special detergents for washing woolen items are not a trick of manufacturers or an invention of marketers interested in high sales. It is these gels and powders that will help you keep the fabric in its original form, return softness to the products and make them fluffy, while eliminating static electricity. Therefore, definitely choose special products for hand and machine washing of woolen clothes, without wasting money on “folk recipes”.

For example, regular soap contains alkalis that damage wool fibers. For the same reason, such clothes cannot be washed with the addition of dishwashing detergent (you can also find such a “recipe” on the Internet). Shampoo or hair conditioner will be very difficult to rinse out, although they will not cause much harm. Laundry soap will also not disturb the structure of the fabric, but white items after such washing will become dirty yellow.

There are also proven folk remedies that can replace special powders for wool, but you will have to tinker with them:

1. Mix a glass of dry mustard with a small amount of water, add hot water and leave for 2-3 hours. Then the mixture must be filtered through cheesecloth several times and you can use it for washing. The main thing is to rinse well and dry the washed item properly.
2. A unique, but quite effective remedy can be obtained by boiling a kilogram of beans in 5 liters of water until half cooked. Cool the broth, filter and wash woolen items in it.
3. You can make a potato decoction in the same way. Boil a kilogram of potatoes in 10 liters of water, cool and strain.

Washing in a washing machine

Washing woolen items in a washing machine is not difficult, but it also requires a little preparation.

This is exactly the case when you cannot wash clothes with potato broth or mustard powder, since folk remedies can ruin the unit. Therefore, you will have to purchase in reserve a special powder or gel for washing woolen products marked “for automatic washing machines.”

Important: Hand washing powder produces too much foam, which is also absolutely not suitable for an automatic washing machine.

In addition to the powder, you need to choose the right washing mode. Modern machines usually have a separate mode for washing woolen items. If yours doesn’t have this, choose a “delicate wash” and a water temperature of no higher than 35 degrees. Spinning and drying will have to be turned off, otherwise things will be hopelessly damaged.

Before putting items in the car, turn them inside out. This is especially important if there are fasteners - this way they will not damage the fabric. After this, soak the items in lukewarm water - the washing machine is filled with cold water, and we already know that temperature changes are undesirable for wool. Very carefully put the clothes into the drum, select the desired mode, and you can wash.

Handwash

Pour water into a basin (at what temperature to wash woolen items was already mentioned above), add detergent and stir it thoroughly. Turn the products inside out and place them in water.

Heavily soiled areas of the fabric can be rubbed, but carefully, without using sponges or brushes. For the same purpose, you can pre-soak things in water for about 40 minutes, then change the solution and continue washing.

Rinse washed clothes thoroughly in the same cool water at least 3-5 times. Remember that you cannot twist such things - just squeeze them lightly to remove excess liquid. Small items can be rinsed directly under running tap water.

During the final rinse, you can add conditioner or glycerin to the water (1 teaspoon per 5 liters of water) so that the clothes become softer, do not prick when worn and do not accumulate static electricity.

Note: The optimal time for washing wool clothes is no more than 20-30 minutes.

How to remove stains from wool clothes

Most often, dirt appears on things in places where clothing comes into contact with the skin. Since you won’t be able to intensively rub collars or cuffs while washing, sprinkle the dirty areas with talcum powder or tooth powder (preferably odorless, so as not to smell “minty freshness” throughout the entire office) for 3-5 hours. After this, the powder must be shaken off and the item washed in the usual way.

To remove chocolate stains, wash stained clothing in a concentrated salt solution. Don't forget about thorough rinsing and conditioning, otherwise the item will itch! By the way, salt can also remove sweat stains from wool fabric.

Warm glycerin will help get rid of stains, coffee or milk. It must be applied to the stained area, wait 10 minutes and carefully wash the treated area of ​​​​fabric with soap.

A blood stain on clothing should be wetted with cool water, then the item should be placed in a warm soapy solution and the fabric should be rubbed gently. Such stains are difficult to wash off; you may have to change the soapy water a couple of times. After the stain has been washed, rinse the clothes in cool water with a small amount of vinegar added.

The neck of a woolen sweater or dress can easily be stained with lipstick. If you have such a problem, take a clean white cloth (colored ones can fade and ruin your clothes), wet it with regular alcohol and wipe the stained area until all traces of lipstick are removed. Next, wash the item as usual.

Stains from berries or wine can also be removed with regular salt. Only this time, do not dissolve it in water, but wet it a little and pour it directly onto the stained area. Wet salt will absorb dirty marks, and after half an hour all that remains is to remove the powder from the item and wash it.

There are also more daring ways to deal with stains on woolen clothes - for example, it is often recommended to moisten greasy stains with gasoline and then iron them, etc. But if you do not want to spoil your favorite item, there is no need to experiment. Just buy any good stain remover from the store and use it according to the instructions. Just make sure that this product is suitable for woolen items or delicate fabrics - from responsible manufacturers such information is indicated on the stain remover packaging.

Drying rules to avoid deformation

Now let's talk about how to dry woolen items after washing, because this is perhaps the main secret to preserving the appearance of such products. Once you dry such a thing incorrectly, it will only be useful to you as a bedding for a pet, as it will lose its shape, stretch out, or shrink.

To prevent this from happening, follow these steps:

1. Gently wring out the clothing without twisting it. A terry towel can absorb excess water.
2. Lay down a light-colored fabric that does not fade and place the washed item on it.
3. Wait until the product dries naturally. Cuffs and sleeves can sometimes be carefully stretched to the sides during drying, since woolen fabric tends to shrink when drying.

Remember that these items cannot be dried on a clothesline. Firstly, a mark will definitely remain on the clothing, and secondly, under the influence of gravity, the item can stretch in length. The same applies to hangers - if you hang a sweater or dress on them, the product will become noticeably longer, and large and ugly “bubbles” will form on the shoulders.

To prevent woolen clothing from shrinking or stretching, dry it away from heaters and direct sunlight. Also, there should be no foreign odors in the room - wet wool readily absorbs all aromas.

After washing, try soaking it again in cool water for 10 minutes, lay it on a horizontal surface and dry it as described above, stretching the product to the sides from time to time. For the same purpose, a woolen hat can be placed on a glass jar or a special form.

To prevent wool clothes, pour a couple of teaspoons of vinegar into the water. And to preserve the color - a few drops of ammonia.

Before washing dark items, it is a good idea to check the fabric for color fastness. Cut a small thread somewhere on the inside, immerse it in hot soapy water for a couple of minutes, and then wrap it in a piece of white cloth. Are there any traces left? This means that the product will definitely fade, so you will have to wash it separately from other clothes and add color preserving agents to the water.

White woolen items fade over time or acquire a yellowish tint. To prevent this from happening, use special powders and gels for washing white wool items. Well, if you have already received a thing that is not at all snow-white, then ordinary hydrogen peroxide can restore its beauty. Mix it with water (8 parts to 1 part peroxide) and soak the woolen item you want to bleach in the solution. After a few hours, you can wash the item as usual, dry it and evaluate the result.

Expensive items of clothing often come with small pieces of fabric. Most housewives throw them away, although it is on such a scrap that you can easily test any folk recipe for washing or a new product from the store. This way you will immediately get an idea of ​​how the fabric will “behave” and make sure that a beautiful thing made of wool will not turn into a dull rag after the next experiment.

We hope that you have no questions about how and what to wash woolen items in a washing machine and by hand. This is not such a difficult process, and even our grandmothers successfully coped with it in the absence of washing machines and magic detergents. So there is no reason to refuse woolen clothes - with proper care, such products will please the eye for a long time and warm their owner even in the coldest weather.

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