Wool and cashmere sweaters should be considered the most awkward clothes to clean in winter.
Every time I take it out for dry cleaning, it hurts a bit. I wash it at home and accidentally shrink it into children's clothing
What should we do with woolen clothes?
Woolen sweater
Why does it shrink?
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Before solving how to wash it, let's first figure out why it shrinks.
This is because wool has a layer of scales that look like fish scales under a microscope. Touching directly with the scales will make it smooth, while touching against the scales will make it rough, a phenomenon known as directional friction effect.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
This is similar to human hair. You can try touching your hair in the opposite direction and feel it. Does it feel very rough? And the scale layer of wool is even more numerous and obvious than that of human hair.
Due to the presence of scale layers, during the disorderly washing and rubbing process, the wool will rub and entangle with each other, leading to the phenomenon of felt shrinkage, commonly known as shrinkage.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
Wash wool at home
Grasp these three points well
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Let's start with a sad fact: it's almost impossible for shrunk wool clothes to recover.
Some people online say that "shrinking clothes can be pulled back to normal under hot and humid steam," but in fact, that's just like perming hair, straightening the curly wool. This kind of pulling and pulling not only easily pulls away the shape of wool clothes, but also reduces the warmth and softness of wool without curling.
It's better to take precautions when washing
01
Try to wash by hand or use the wool washing mode of the washing machine.
The washing machine in normal mode has too strong stirring and rolling force, which can exacerbate the entanglement of the wool scale layer and cause significant shrinkage.
The hand washing and wool washing modes are relatively gentle, but it is important to not use too much force during hand washing, and try to rub in one direction instead of repeatedly rubbing back and forth.
The washing temperature should not exceed 40 ℃. Excessive washing temperature will open the scale layer of wool, making it easier to shrink.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
02
Use neutral or weakly acidic detergents.
When the pH of water is 4.8, wool does not carry any charge, and washing at this time is not easy to shrink and can also effectively reduce color loss. Therefore, neutral or weakly acidic detergents are better.
Meanwhile, because wool fibers are protein fibers, it is important not to use detergents containing enzymes or bleach. This will damage the wool and make it dull and itchy to wear.
Don't be too greedy for softeners. Excessive softener can promote wool fibers to slide easily and also make them more prone to shrinkage.
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Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
03
Spread flat and air dry at low temperature.
Wool fibers are prone to deformation under the pull of ultraviolet radiation and gravity, so they cannot be hung up for drying.
If you have a dryer at home, you can use the flat drying mode, do not tumble and dry, and pay attention to the drying temperature not exceeding 40 degrees.
If there is no dryer, you can buy a basket like this and lay it flat on it to dry, which is not easy to take shape.
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Image source: E-commerce
Here's another tip for everyone: Rescue stains promptly!
Wool fiber itself has good water repellency. When getting stained, you can quickly shake off a part of it or wipe it inward along the edge to absorb most of the stains and prevent them from spreading, which will also make it easier to wash.
There is also an ultimate lazy trick: purchase wool clothes labeled as "Basulan" craftsmanship.
This process will passivate the scale layer of wool, making it less prone to fiber entanglement and shrinkage. It can be thrown into a washing machine for washing like ordinary clothes.