Caring for Wool and Cashmere

With gentle care, wool and cashmere sweaters can last for many years. We have a cream cable-knit in our fashion closet that has survived eleven winters, three office moves and one unfortunate encounter with a cup of cocoa, and it still looks better than the day it arrived. The secret is not a special detergent or an expensive service. It is a handful of habits: wash less, fold always and de-pill gently. Here is everything we have learned about keeping natural knits soft, shapely and ready for the cold.

Know what you are caring for

Wool and cashmere are both animal fibers, and that is good news. They are naturally springy, resist odors and shed wrinkles if you give them a night to rest. Wool comes from sheep and tends to be sturdier, with a bit more crimp. Cashmere comes from the fine undercoat of cashmere goats, and it is softer, lighter and more delicate. Merino, a fine type of sheep wool, sits somewhere in between.

All three share a few weaknesses. Heat and agitation together cause felting, the irreversible shrinking that turns an adult sweater into one for a toddler. Friction causes pilling. Moths love natural fibers, especially when they carry traces of skin oils or food. Understanding those three enemies, heat, friction and moths, makes every other rule easy to remember.

Before you do anything, read the care label. Some knits are blended with synthetic fibers or treated to be machine washable, and some have trims or linings that need a professional cleaner. When in doubt, ask a trusted dry cleaner for advice before you try anything at home.

Wash rarely

Air sweaters between wears; hand wash in cool water when needed. That one sentence will do more for your knitwear than any product on the market. Wool and cashmere do not hold odors the way cotton does, and most of the time a sweater simply needs fresh air. After wearing, lay it flat or drape it over a chair back overnight, away from direct sun and radiators. By morning it is ready to wear again.

Wear a thin layer underneath, like a cotton tee or a silk camisole, to keep skin oils off the fibers. That alone can stretch the time between washes to a handful of wears or more for most people. Spot-clean small marks with a damp cloth and a drop of gentle wool wash, blotting rather than rubbing.

How to hand wash, step by step

1. Fill a clean basin or sink with cool to lukewarm water. It should feel neutral on your wrist, never hot.
2. Add a small amount of wool-safe detergent or a gentle hair shampoo and swish to dissolve.
3. Turn the sweater inside out and submerge it. Press it down gently and let it soak for about ten minutes.
4. Do not scrub, twist or wring. Lift the sweater, drain the basin and refill with clean water of the same temperature to rinse.
5. Press out water against the side of the sink, then roll the sweater in a dry towel like a jelly roll and press to absorb more.
6. Lay it flat on a fresh towel or a mesh drying rack, reshape it with your hands and let it dry away from heat.

Keep the water temperature the same for washing and rinsing. A sudden change from warm to cold can shock the fibers and encourage shrinking. And never put a wool or cashmere sweater in the dryer, even on low, unless the label explicitly allows it.

Fold, don’t hang

Hanging stretches knits. Fold them on a shelf. Gravity is relentless, and over weeks on a hanger a sweater’s weight pulls the shoulders into little peaks and lengthens the body. Heavier knits, like chunky cables and long cardigans, suffer most.

To fold, lay the sweater face down, fold each sleeve across the back, then fold the body in half or in thirds from the bottom up. Stack sweaters no more than three or four high so the ones at the bottom are not crushed. If you need to hang something for a few hours, say before a trip, fold it over the bar of a padded hanger rather than hanging it by the shoulders.

A good sweater gets better with every winter.

Knitwear designer

That quote comes from a knitwear designer we spoke with in Portland, Maine, who told us that natural fibers relax and soften with careful wear. The first season, a new cashmere crewneck may shed a little and feel slightly stiff. By the third winter, if it has been folded, aired and washed sparingly, it drapes like it was made for you.

De-pill gently

Pilling is not a sign of poor quality. It happens to every natural knit, especially under the arms, along the sides and anywhere a bag strap rubs. Short fibers work loose and tangle into tiny balls. The fix is easy, but it should be gentle.

• A sweater comb or fine-toothed de-piller is the safest tool. Lay the sweater flat and glide it in short, light strokes.
• A cashmere stone, a lightweight pumice-like block, lifts pills when you brush it lightly in one direction.
• A battery fabric shaver works quickly on sturdy wool, but go slowly on cashmere and keep the guard flat to avoid nicking the yarn.
• Your fingers are perfectly fine for a few stray pills before you head out the door.

De-pill after washing and drying, when the fibers are relaxed. Do it on a flat surface with good light, and stop as soon as the surface looks smooth. Over-combing can thin the knit.

Storing knits between seasons

When spring arrives, give each sweater a final clean before it goes away. Moths are drawn to body oils and food traces, so storing knits dirty is an open invitation. Once they are clean and completely dry, fold them into breathable cotton storage bags or a lidded bin lined with clean tissue paper.

Cedar blocks or lavender sachets help discourage moths, though they are not a guarantee. Refresh cedar by lightly sanding it each season. Check your stored knits once or twice over the summer, especially in humid climates, and give them a shake and some air. If you do spot tiny holes or moth activity, set the pieces aside and ask a professional cleaner for advice before the problem spreads.

Mending small holes

A tiny hole does not mean the end. Many local tailors and alteration shops offer reweaving or darning, and simple darning is easy to learn with a blunt needle and matching yarn. Fixing a hole while it is small keeps it from running. Visible mending, using a contrasting yarn on purpose, has also become a stylish way to celebrate a well-loved piece.

Key takeaway: Air more, wash less, never wring or tumble dry, fold instead of hanging, and store clean. Those habits do more than any product you can buy.

A sweater for the long run

Caring for wool and cashmere is less work than most people expect. It mostly means doing less: fewer washes, no heat, no hangers. In return, a good knit becomes one of the best values in your closet. Run a favorite through our cost-per-wear chart and you will see why: a $180 cashmere sweater worn thirty times a winter for eight winters costs well under a dollar a wear.

So the next time you pull a sweater over your head, give it a little care when you take it off. Shake it out, lay it flat and let it breathe. Next winter, and the one after that, it will thank you by feeling even softer than before.