WFMW: Washing Cashmere
How much would you spend to clean a sweater for which you paid between $1 and $10?
Routinely I wash my cashmere sweaters in my washing machine, then dry them flat on top of the dryer. I had a problem once; turned out there was velcro in the load (nasty stuff, velcro). Even then all that was wrong was a tiny hole, which I made like the Europeans and repaired. You’d never know it was there.
I think it might depend on how much that particular sweater is worth to you … I have a cashmere sweater I paid nothing for, but it goes to the drycleaners. It was my Mom’s in the 50’s (so very vintage) and is bugle beaded on one side.
Hi. I think it’s a good idea. There are a lot of clothes that are marked “Dry Clean” but I heard once that you only “have to” dry clean it if it says “DRY CLEAN ONLY.”
Thanks!
Wendy, you are so right. The one that got a hole in it was my Grandmother’s … but it was Kirkland brand (which means Costco). Clearly she hadn’t had it long, it isn’t worth much other than the clothing value to me. Which is why I repaired it, it’s just a lovely, warm, sweatshirt substitute for me.
How nice you have your Mom’s vintage one; it sounds lovely!
Hello, my mum knows just about anything worth knowing about fabrics, having worked with them all of her life, (designing, making and maintaining every kind of garment), and she taught me never to dry-clean anything if I can help it, as it makes fibres brittle eventually, makes them hard and flat and yellows their colour. You can wash most things, especially wool, silk and cashmere, if you do it :
1). cool (silk cool or even cold, if you’re worried),
2). gently(you can fold the garment, lower into the water and gently raise and lower, if it’s fragile),
3). briefly - don’t panic, I mean don’t soak!
You can rinse by hand, and spin in the machine, or rinse’n’spin in the machine. If you use the machine then put the delicate garment in its own bag or pillowcase - stops stretching, or rubbing.
Extremely delicate or too tiny to be worth spinning? Roll or fold into a clean towel and sit on the towel to press water out. If you want to, repeat with another clean dry towel.
Hang it up, or re-shape and dry flat if it’s cashmere or doesn’t hold shape well.
I do this with silk, cashmere, wool, and I have some vintage, fragile silk which has not suffered.
Hurried ps:
I meant to say, you can hand-wash just about anything. With gentle wool-wash liquid (Woolite / Persil’s Silk & Wool wash, Ecover’s Delicates wash / or even baby shampoo for the worried!), rinsing thoroughly.
Don’t rinse wool in cold water, rinse it in cool / hand-hot.
Your clothes will last longer, feel nicer, AND, you’ll be saving the environment from dry-cleaning chemicals!