With the weather beginning to warm up, you may be preparing to store winter clothes. With wool and cashmere pieces, it’s very important to be sure they’re clean before storing to avoid attracting moths.
Tips for washing cashmere (and wool) sweaters
For decades, I was told that we should always dry clean wool and cashmere pieces. For structured items like coats and jackets, that makes sense. But in the past few years I’ve begun washing my wool and cashmere sweaters at home with great results. And I’ve learned that cashmere actually gets better with washing, and will pill less over time.
I really like the Wool & Cashmere Shampoo from The Laundress. I need to reorder soon, and will try this one with the Cedar fragrance. (My current bottle does not have fragrance.)
Now here’s the part that may surprise you…I often wash my sweaters in the machine on the delicate cycle (cold water, always!). My secret? I always use one of these lingerie bags for sweaters without embellishment or embroidery (if they have either of those, I recommend hand washing). I then reshape and dry flat or on a rack.
And I use these bags to wash scarves in the machine as well as my lingerie. (Yes, even silk scarves.)
Almost all cashmere will pill to varying degrees. I use this sweater comb to gently remove the pills.
For my silk items and lingerie, I’ve used this delicates wash for years. If fragrance isn’t an issue for you, the one with Lavender scent is nice. A little goes a long way, and one of these bottles usually lasts me for several months to a year.
How do you care for your wool and cashmere items?