Cleaning Theresa Asbell wool

[Doc Nock]

There were several threads on Asbell wool pullovers and I just got my "Mac"... I'm having a heck of a allergic reaction which is unusual.

Wanted to try "washing" and if that doesn't work, dryclean...

I was concerned about how to wash as I know depending on the wool fiber in different wools, there are different ways to handle.

Theresa vouched for the simple method shared by severalin the other threads:

1) Hand wash in cold water and some mild soap (hunter soap for me)
2) hand rinse
3) hang or lay to dry.
4) Gently pull to maintain shape and dimensions

She did say it might be ok to spin out some of the excess water in "gentle cycle" spin only.

However, she did warn that wool fibers have little "hooks" on them and when they're manipulated as in agitation and tumbling in a dryer, they "tigthen up" and stay hooked tighter together.

The XL fits perfect (albeit a bit of a learning curve to shed it when pulling off)    but...I don't want it to "tighten up".

Thought some others might benefit so figured I'd share!

Thanks guys for all your great information sharing here on Trad Gang!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

[Kapellmeister]

Originally posted by Doc Nock:
However, she did warn that wool fibers have little "hooks" on them and when they're manipulated as in agitation and tumbling in a dryer, they "tigthen up" and stay hooked tighter together.

This is just a little FWIW... just thought some of y'all might be interested to know...

This process is known as "fulling" wool and was actually done intentionally in days of yore.  They would even trample on the wool in order to "full" it (known as "walking the wool").

The finished product is a lot like what we know as "boiled wool" today... very dense.  Some folks prefer the dense wool and it's more windproof quality.  I have some 18th c. repro garments that I've done this to intentionally.  The knit Monmouth cap in my avatar photo, in particular, was made EXTRA large and fulled down to size... it's like a helmet... practically bomb-proof!

I talked to Teresa about this too a while ago (yes... she really knows her wool!) and she prefers to brush out the wool, creating a more "air-trapping" nap.  If you're familiar with Filson's wools... they're "fulled" a bit more.

[Ric O'Shay]

and all this time I thought that when I put it on I "fulled it".

   

[Trad-Man]

Excellent post Gene...

If you are going to wash it...use woolite, a hypo alergenic soap and do it by hand.  It is made for hand washing wool garments.  Rinse the pullover many times!

You could put it in the washer for the SPIN cycle to remove some water then wrap it in dry cotton towels.  Once the major portion of the water is removed let it lie on cotton towels and stretch IN ALL DIRECTIONS many times as it dries.  I have done this for years with ZERO problems.

This would not be any different than getting caught in the rain and drying.  See if this resolves your alergic reaction before you decide to change the charactoristics of the garment.

Personally...I want my wool to breath.  If I want a wind block while I am on a stand I wear a wind breaker.  Otherwise you bake and sweat while moving about.

Do not dry near your furnace or over a floor vent.  To much heat!!

[Biggie Hoffman]

You're supposed to clean it? Like, once a year or what?

[Trad-Man]

I use the down wind test...

If nobody will sit down wind....then it's time for a good cleaning!!

[Doc Nock]

Oh, Biggie...

Just wear it in to pull out your deer and leave your pants on and it will get rinsed out enough...