washing wool

[Biggamefish]

I have some LL Bean bibs in wool. They say dry clean only. They have been in storage for 4-5 years and before that at a second hand store. So I would like to wash them but don't want to pay for dry cleaning! How do I go about it?

[BowMIke]

I wash mine in cold water on the handwash cycle, then hang to air dry.

My wife has a dry clean rig that she throws in the drier, Dryel.  It seems to work pretty good.  I had an RC cola blow up all over my Swandri coat and it cleaned it up real nice.  We then used another bag thing and did a lanolin treatment, so it is fairly water proof again as well.  Some wool goes out of shape pretty bad when cold water washed and then hung dried.  I had a heavy wool blend shirt shrink in the sleeves and i couldn't get my arms all the way through them.  We fixed it by making soaked and then throwing it in a hot drier. With a bit of additional tailoring, the little neighbor kid used it for a winter jacket.  About 32 years ago my wife 'accidentally' tossed one of my Norwegian wool sweaters in the wash.  It fit my 4 year old son perfectly, the warmest winter coat any kid could want.  When he out grew it, we gave to parents that had a kid that it would fit.  Two winters back I saw a different little kid at the sliding hill with it, he didn't look cold either.  Makes me wonder how many 4 or 5 year old kids have worn it.  You want your expensive wool sweater to last for ever, wash and dry it and then give to a little kid.

[woodchucker]

Well... I've had lots of wool over the years. Washed everything myself. Cold water/delicate cycle, hang dry. Some things shrunk, others didn't? Kinda like a crap shoot. Now I still have lots of wool, I just don't pay top dollar anymore! Buy all my wool hunting clothes from the GoodWill store. Mostly $3-$5 wool sweaters. If they do shrink a little, they stretch right back out!

[Rough Run]

What always worked for me was cold wash, delicate/hand wash cycle, with gentle cleanser like Woolite.  But, for drying, I would lay flat.  On a towel, spread out on a card table, or any flat surface.  That way, air only reaches one side at a time, and it dries even slower.  Shrinkage was never a real problem, because each morning and evening I would "stretch" it by running my hands over it like an iron.  Have to turn it some, I usually did each day, and it takes longer to dry.  But no clothing loss due to shrinkage.

[Hopewell Tom]

I'm going to wash some stuff and will do it like Rough Run described. One item says dry flat. I like the "ironing idea.

[KSdan]

After a wash in cold waterand mild soap (either machine gentle or by hand) lay garment flat on a towel to absorb moisture. Then gently stretch the wool on small areas, like sleeve lengths, cuffs, shouders, side to side, overall length.  I do this a few times  during the day as it is air drying in a dry cool place. I have washed everything from old timers wool, Woolrich sweaters, you name it and I have never had anything shrink doing it this way.

[nek4me]

Check out Teresa Asbell's instructions for washing wool on their website. Click on the Charlie's  Soap item and scroll down for her instructions. I bought a gal jug and passed some out to everyone  I hunt with.

[Jakeemt]

I stick mine on the cold gentle cycle with scent free soap and a cup of backing soda. Hang dry inside out of the sun. Then stir in a tote filled with cedar. Works fine for me.

Soak them in cold water in the bathtub with some baking soda. Rinse same way until water is clear. Roll up in a big towel and press out most of the water. Block them (pull back into shape) and hang them on the line to dry.

[Mint]

Originally posted by huntryx:
Soak them in cold water in the bathtub with some baking soda. Rinse same way until water is clear. Roll up in a big towel and press out most of the water. Block them (pull back into shape) and hang them on the line to dry.

Exactly! Don't use your washing machine ever. Made that mistake once. I hardly ever wash my wool, just brush off dirt and hang outside.

[Dorado]

As per Teresa Asbell,
   

 WASHING WOOL

By: Teresa Asbell

There hasn’t been a lot written about caring for wool. One of the things you often see on labels is, Do not wash, Dry Clean only. Dry cleaning will certainly clean wool, but it fills it with chemicals that smell bad and removes the lanolin and oil. And if you are an outdoorsman, you don’t want to do that.

All wool can be washed. How you go about doing it is important…but it is simple. Forget the wash machine and dryer. All wool should be hand-washed in cold water with a gentle soap. We use Charlie’s Soap, which is totally biodegradable and unscented and works particularly well on wool and silk. Woolite has been around for a long time and works well, but it has a fragrance in it, and I’d as soon not have that on my hunting clothes.

A big container, like a bathtub, that will hold lots of water is best. Dissolve the soap in the water and push/slosh your garment up and down, back and forth, pushing the water and soap through the fibers for a few minutes. It doesn’t hurt to let it soak a bit. Drain the water and refill the container with clear water and repeat the sloshing action, rinsing the soap away (which you’ll not be able to see.) Press as much water out of the garment as possible, but DO NOT WRING or TWIST.

I lay the garment between two dry towels and press as much of the water out as possible. Then I carefully “block” the garment, which amounts to gently stretching the fibers back into their original shape, pulling vertically and horizontally. Sometime two people gently stretching trouser legs and long sleeves works well. You may feel the wet material move a tiny bit, and that’s all you are trying to do. I may do that a couple of time as the garment dries. Hang or lay the garment where it catches the air, but not the heat. Honestly, I have a closet full of wool clothing…some of it 50 years old…and I wash it all and none of it has shrunk.
 

I have done this on some wool pants and it works very well. I just wish I could find a supplier of Charlie's Soap locally.