Washing Wool

[Roger Norris]

I thought you guys might find this interesting, You can find this information on the Asbell's website.

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.

[Alexander Traditional]

I've been doing this myself for sometime. I didn't know about the pulling on the fabric though. Interesting post,thanks.

[Sharpend60]

Wool shrinks due to mechanical action. The surface of a wool fiber is very rough and sticks to itself causing shrinkage when the garment is mashed together, hence the stretching afterward. No need to be afraid, just be gentle!

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[Jack Guard]

Great post.  I do something similar, if i actually wash my wool.  

Thanks for sharing Roger

[LA Trapper]

Thanks Roger, good read.  

Billy

[joe ashton]

thanks I almost never took my Asbel wool off the entire elk season and it does need washed....

[Buranurra]

Targeting your stretching also facilitates a custom fit, some may require more room in the shoulders, longer or shorter sleeves and some more room around the spare tyre.    :D

[Maxx Black]

Roger I appreciate the (how too) . The pull over has been worn non stop this hunting season as the weather has been a little on the cool side . Thanks m Maxx

[Stone Knife]

Gee Roger I thought you just wore yours in the rain to wash it    Thanks for the great info  

[Bud B.]

I have placed mine in a mesh garmet bag and washed on gentle cycle with baking soda in the washing machine.  Then placed it flat on towels to dry with the stretching of it back into shape as it dried.

I have the Shadow Plaid pullover hoodie. It has been washed once so far. The Asbell's wool is tops.

[Roger Norris]

Originally posted by Bud B.:
I have placed mine in a mesh garmet bag and washed on gentle cycle with baking soda in the washing machine.  Then placed it flat on towels to dry with the stretching of it back into shape as it dried.

I have the Shadow Plaid pullover hoodie. It has been washed once so far. The Asbell's wool is tops.

I'm glad that worked, but I would be very leary about putting the wool in a machine.

[Roger Norris]

Originally posted by Stone Knife:
Gee Roger I thought you just wore yours in the rain to wash it       Thanks for the great info      

Thats pretty close to the truth!  

[Bud B.]

I'm gonna try the Charlie Soap Roger. It was invented by a guy working in a mill here in NC. Mayodan, to be exact. That mill is now facing demolition.

Love the wool. Maybe Ms. Asbell will begin making pullover pants??? One can hope.  

[carbonflyr]

where can charlie soap be had???

[Kris]

Good post!  I have always done the same or very similar but enjoy seeing it in print as a reaffirmation and a vote of confidence.

Kris

[stickbowhntr]

Great info Roger- I think I missed that on T's site/instructions.Will try this year when Mine gets dirty.

[longrifle]

I was told by Ron at sleeping indian wool that you need 3 things in order for wool to shrink, heat,water, and agitation. remove 1 of these and it will not shrink. I don't wash my KOM wool anymore or any of my woolrich goodwill finds, but when i did it was gentle cycle, and air dried after stretching.

[chinook907]

Thanks for posting this Roger.

[Bud B.]

Just google Charlie Soap, it'll pop up.

[Roger Norris]

TTT