How can I safely whiten a garment hand knitted in raw wool?

Question

I knitted a sweater in an unbleached/undyed yarn; 70% wool, 30% mohair. I would like it to be just a little whiter. Does anyone have any suggestions? A trick you learned from Grandma maybe?

Answer 1

If it is homespun wool it will bleach a little each time you wash it. You can hasten that by using rather aggressive detergents but I would not do that myself.

If it is a factory spun wool in natural wool colour, forget it, they bleach and dye the wool so it stays colourfast.

Answer 2

LOL My mom knitted me a cardigan sweater and a hat/mitten set. The mittens have been too long interior the finger section so I hated 'em. The hat replaced into basically undeniable retarded looking so I hated it. The sweater replaced into ok yet I left it at my Camp hearth leaders' living house sooner or later (and not at all have been given it back). i'm particular considered one of her 5 daughters wore it.....I lost the mittens, thank goodness, yet I nonetheless had the hat for years. It ultimately unraveled final 3 hundred and sixty 5 days so I have been given rid of that, too. How humbling all those living house-knitted issues have been! I did have some cool hand-sewn outfits tho.....

Answer 3

My grandmother knits with acrylic yarn that's dyed in factories.

You could wash it it bleach, in cold water, and dry it in the sun. Try it first on a small square made form the same yarn. Or you could try lemon juice and sunshine, or maybe one of those sprays people put on their hair when they go to the beach.
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Answer 4

NEVER bleach wool