Hand washing cashmere?

[Anonymous]

I keep reading that dry cleaning is unnecessary, and that you can hand wash in cold water at home with baby shampoo (laying flat to dry). Well, I feel like I ruined a few sweaters. Please share your tips and products so I can figure out what I am doing wrong here.

[Anonymous]

I wash on cold delicate cycle with eucalan wool soap. Then air dry on drying rack. You HAVE to use special detergent for wool. Regular laundry detergent will ruin it as will warm or hot water.

You can use a large mesh bag too but I usually don’t

[Anonymous]

I have had great success washing my cashmere in my non-agitator HE top loader, on gentle cycle cold. I either use a TINY amount of laundry detergent, or a wool wash (I used Eucalan). They have always come out perfect. I have also washed in the sink by hand and put in the washer to spin on delicate cycle. I think the hand wringing is what is a bit rough on knits. The spin is more gentle.

[Anonymous]

I hand wash in the sink, roll in the towel to squeeze some excess water and lay flat on another towel to dry. Never ruined one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep reading that dry cleaning is unnecessary, and that you can hand wash in cold water at home with baby shampoo (laying flat to dry). Well, I feel like I ruined a few sweaters. Please share your tips and products so I can figure out what I am doing wrong here.

Can you tell us a little more about how you washed them, how you squeezed the water out and how they are ruined? I think that would help because I haven't had any issues hand washing delicate fabrics like cashmere. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Baby shampoo is probably the problem. Just wash on delicate with woolite and air dry on a sweater rack.

[Anonymous]

I like to use soak or other detergent for wool that does not g a to be rinsed out. Lukewarm water and the detergent, submerge the sweater, push it gently through the water and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes. Then gently squeeze (push) to get some water out, but don’t wrong or twist it. Then lay flat on top of a bath towel. Starting from the bottom, roll the sweater up in the bath towel, then gently press on the towel to dry. Lay flat somewhere to dry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hand wash in the sink, roll in the towel to squeeze some excess water and lay flat on another towel to dry. Never ruined one.

Yes rolling in a towel is key - do not wring. And having a place to lay it flat.

[Anonymous]

I machine wash all my cashmere sweaters on gentle cycle and the lay flat to dry. I have never found them too wet to have to remove moisture after the wash. I use Linen Wash detergent. My sweaters end up fresh smelling, soft and clean. I never dry clean any of my sweaters now.

[Anonymous]

I also wash cashmere and other wool sweaters in my front loader machine on delicate in delicate fabric bags using a bit of woolite. I then lay them flat to dry.

[Anonymous]

I use wool detergent to hand wash, and then run them through a spin-only cycle in the washer to get the water out. Hang dry. Works like a charm.

[Anonymous]

I washed my cashmere sweater on cold and it came out child-sized.