Wool fibres have a protective waxy coating, which makes them more resistant to staining. You won’t need to wash a woollen product nearly as much as one made with synthetic fibres. Often a good shake and airing will do the trick.
When the time has come to clean your woollens more thoroughly, we recommend washing them by hand. But many people do use the wool cycle on their washing machine instead, so here’s our advice for both.
Hand washing
- Wash at 30ºC (lukewarm) using a wool detergent.
- Gently squeeze and move your washing through the water. Avoid rubbing, which can cause it to shrink.
- Rinse well in lukewarm water a couple of times.
- Squeeze out excess water by hand or give it a short light spin in the washing machine.
- Dry naturally on a washing line or lay on a dry towel away from direct sunlight. Never use a tumble dryer.
Machine washing
We recommend hand washing to be on the safe side. But if you’ve tried your washing machine’s wool cycle before and are happy with the result, this can be an easier option. We use a machine ourselves for large throws as they’re difficult to handle by hand. Our tips for machine washing:
- Use a wool detergent.
- Select the wool cycle – it’s not the same as the delicates cycle.
- Wash at 30ºC maximum.
- Turn the spin speed down – we recommend 900 rpm for wool.
- Dry as for hand washing.
Alternatively you can ask a professional dry cleaner to gently dry clean.
Pressing and ironing
It’s fine to press your wool garments if you need to, but do take extra care. Use a low setting on your iron and spray the garment with a little water, and apply the iron lightly. Alternatively use the steam function to apply a bit of steam whilst ironing. After ironing, lay the garment flat for a few minutes before folding to prevent further creasing.
Why we love wool
Wool is a natural fibre with many wonderful attributes. Find out more about why we love working with wool – and wearing it – on our Campaign for Wool page. Visit the Campaign for Wool website to find out more about this global promotion initiated by the former Prince of Wales.