Can you wash wool sweaters if you dont' try them or do they hv to be drycleaned only?

Question

Ok, i'm confused. i bought a new wool sweater and washed it and didn't even try it and it strunk 5 sizes :(. does the water somehow make it strink???? i now see that it says dry clean only. i don't really understand what dry cleaning is, so i am wondering if wool just can't even get wet??

Answer 1

If you washed it in anything but cold water, it is now baby doll clothes.

Wool and wool blends and other natural products need to washed in cold water only. Use Woolite or someother similar product. If you cannot lay them flat to dry, hang the shirts upside-down from a line and pants/skirts right side up to help prevent stretching out of shape.

If you washed the new sweater in cold and it shrunk, get it wet again and gently stretch the material into shape and lay flat to dry. Best place for this would be the bathtub with a net stretched across for air to circulate thru the wet garment and the dripping to go down the drain and not on the floor.

Dry cleaning is a chemical cleaning of fabrics.

Answer 2

SMUNIFFA's answer is excellent but I would try to dry it laying flat, blocking is the proper term. The proper way to block is before washing your garmet, lay out a clean old towel then spread your dry sweater on top of it and draw around the sweater, this way you know the proper shape and size of the sweater. Wash your sweater gently with cold water then spread it out on a towel (not your blocking towel) and roll the towel up gently squeeze to remove excess water, you may have todo this several times then lay it out on your blocking towel and fit it into the lines pull gently if necessary to fit properly, let it dry laying flat if you have one of the net like items that go over the tub for drying sweaters that would be great but otherwise just put it out of your way turn it over after 8-12 hours preferably on a dry towel. It should dry in about a day. You need to realize however if you do not follow the care instructions in your garmet the store is under no obligation to refund your money. You should always read the care instructions in clothing before purchasing.
Dry cleaning is washing with (liquid) chemicals and is usually only done by professionals. If you use a good dry cleaner your clothes should not smell like the chemicals. You can use the home dry cleaning kits which really don't clean (they refresh) though they do include stuff to clean spots but the whole process is done in your dryers in a special garmet bag provided in the kit the dryer heat causing the chemical to turn to steam and that goes through your clothes refreshing them. If you want to use this method I would try to get it professionally cleaned once during the seasonl

Answer 3

I have several wool sweaters and love them dearly. Here is my list of how to care for them.
Always wash in COLD water on a delicate cycle. Do not wash them with anything else seperately only. Use a very mild detergent (I use Dreft because it's made to be mild and for baby clothing so it is very gentle and smells good too.)
Never put wool in the dryer even if its just on no heat air fluff because this fabric is extremely delicate and needs to be aired naturally. In order for it not to stretch out and look sloppy from the weight of being damp, shake it out thoroughly and place it on a nicely shaped hanger but hang it from a door knob where the weight of it is resting on a clean linen on the floor. (I know I sound extremely picky about this but I love my sweaters a lot.)
After it has dried if it looks a bit wrinkled then wear it for an hour or two at home and the wrinkles will work themselves out. Finally when you are ready to wear your sweater to a party or out then use a finely picqued lint brush because little balls of lint will occur which is what makes wool not so popular. But if you brush it and keep it neat then everyone will envy your fashion sense. If you are not going to wear it for a while and want to store it away for summer then neatly fold it up and wrap the sweater into tight newspaper packing. Store it in a air tight place and it will be good as new next winter.

Answer 4

Wool shrinks when it's machine washed because the fibers felt up permanently when they are in motion in the water. The trick to hand washing "shrinkable" wool is not to rub, twist, pat or otherwise agitate the garment, AT ALL, just soak in woolite and rinse well, and dry it blocked to size. There still may be slight shrinkage from washing in water, same as you see for cotton fabric; this is the reason you should dry clean garments labeled "dry clean only"

Answer 5

Wool should be *gently* hand washed in cold water with a cleaner such as Woolite. Just soak the sweater and squeeze the water through it. Too much twisting of the fibers can cause shrinkage.

Answer 6

You must wash it by hand (that means no washing machine or dryer), very gently in luke-warm (hand-hot) water and gentle soap flakes. Don't wring out the water, just gently squeeze the sweater, then lay it out flat in the shade and gently push it into shape. If in doubt take it to a dry cleaners and they will do it all for you, for a price mind you, lol!

Answer 7

you can wash it with gentle clothes in cold water, hand wash it if you are really paranoid. but the main thing is not to put it in the dryer, let it hang dry but dont hang it on a hanger because the weight of the sweater will stretch the fabric. lay it out to dry.

Answer 8

Water doesn't make them shrink, but the hot air from the drier does. Lay your sweater flat on a towel to dry overnight next time. Also, you should turn your sweater inside out when you wash it so it doesn't fuzz out as much on the outside.

Answer 9

You have to hand wash them in lukewarm water with gentle soap and lay them out on a towel to dry. Even then they could shrink. It's not worth taking a chance. Send them to the dry cleaner.

Answer 10

It was the warm or hot water. Cold water is usually fine but they must be laid out flat to dry, no dryer!!!