Tips For Cleaning Up Your Wool Clothing

Wool can be a very comfortable and stylish material to wear. but it can also give you a massive head ache when it comes to storage and cleaning. Because it is soft, volatile and extremely pliable, the wool material can really crease a lot, and even more so when wet. This can make improper handling, storage and washing of wool a legitimate reason for doing damage to your clothing, and this is something that you definitely want to avoid. As you should know by now, wool is just like cashmere in the sense that it isn't your "everyday" wear. Wool is comfy, soft and very cozy, but it can also cost an arm and a hand for the most expensive and hard-to-manufacture ones.

Because of the tricky nature of wool, some people are even afraid to clean it. I have a friend who told me that she only washes her wool clothing and garments 1 to 3 times a year --- and she hire professional dry cleaners to do the job for her too. Having said that, when you are put in a situation where you often use your wool clothing, as you definitely should, you might get it dirty from time to time. As such, you should know how to properly take care of your wool in case that there are no professionals around to do it for you.

Why Is Wool Hard to Clean

Because of the tender nature of the wool material, washing it by hand is your first and foremost option. Although some wool clothing has a label "superwash" attached to it, which means it can be washed by machine, you don't want to risk something as pliable as wool when you put it inside the washing machine. Because it is such a tender material, not washing it by hand means you are risking losing its original structure and shape.

Having said that, the right way to wash wool is to place a tub with cool water while you mix in a small amount of gentle, bleach-free and wool-friendly detergent. As you put down the wool fabric in the tub, try to gently swish it softly around until the wool clothing has become completely wet. Always be careful not wring or handle the fabric too hard because doing this can possibly break down the fibers of the material. After that, leave the fabric immersed in water for ten minutes to break up any dirt or soil.

After your wool clothing has been gently soaked,  lift it and squeeze the water away from it, but do it very gently. Never hard twist the fabric for doing this might screw up the wool's shape. Empty the wash tub and refill it with cold water, then redo this rinsing process until the material is completely free from any traces of soap or detergent.

Although wool can be quite difficult to handle and store, the best thing about it is the comfort that it gives and the novelty that it brings to the table. If you want to see a nice example of how unique this material can be, check out this very nice wool pants from Crazy Girls, a popular Korean fashion store where I frequently buy my stuff from!