How to properly wash woolen items?

With the onset of cold weather, you begin to think about purchasing warm clothes. These include not only the jackets and hats that are familiar to us, but also sweaters, jackets and even dresses made of wool. It is wool that warms very well in the most severe frosts, and most importantly, it is a natural material.

Such things never go out of fashion and, indeed, warm their owners very well. True, caring for woolen items is not even easy. Many people have a question: how to wash woolen items?

All things need proper and careful care if you want to preserve their former beautiful and ideal appearance. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the washing method for each specific material. So, It is advisable to wash a woolen sweater by hand yourself or in a washing machine using a special mode and a certain temperature. Any washing, whether by hand or by machine, has its own subtleties that every caring housewife should know.

Washing wool items by hand

Hand washing must be done carefully. This is especially true for woolen products. Before the process itself, you should prepare all your dresses, cardigans, sweaters, and so on. To prevent the hairs on things from matting after washing, they need to be combed against the grain. After this, you can lower the outfit into the water. Unless absolutely necessary, do not soak your clothes. Follow these rules when hand washing:

• the water should not contain alkali. The water needs to be slightly heated. It should be warm or a little cool;
• maximum water temperature up to 38 degrees;
• do not wash sweaters made of natural material in contaminated water;
• try to change the water as often as possible;
• Choose washing powder specifically for woolen items, or use soft powder with conditioner. It’s good if you wash sweaters in liquid powder;
• Products made from angora wool are wonderfully washed in hair shampoo. Especially if it contains glycerin additives;
• You should not use soap, as it will ruin the products.

Important: after finishing washing, items should be carefully rinsed in cool water in order to thoroughly rinse off any remaining powder. If you wash this or that wool item in hot water, they can shrink. To prevent your favorite dress from fading, add a little ammonia or wine vinegar to a bowl of water while rinsing. So, colorful patterns will not lose their beauty.

People's Councils

Washing natural items should be handled with care. After all, clothes are valued not by their design, but only by how they look. For those who do not use chemicals, you can try using some folk recipes for washing these items. Some advice may be unusual, but it always has a positive effect.

Bean infusion

One of the common methods for washing wool material is white bean broth. So, for five liters of water you need to take a kilogram of beans, which are boiled and allowed to brew for some time. After this, strain the water and let it cool. The water should not be completely cold, but slightly warm. At this optimal temperature, you can safely start washing. Things do not need to be thoroughly dipped and rubbed with your hands. Just blot them a little and squeeze them.

Sometimes things get very dirty, in which case they are soaked in bean solution again. This time they use a freshly brewed decoction. After this wash, all dirt is removed, things are not damaged, and wool does not pill. There is no need to rub the product with soap.

Potato decoction

Potatoes can also effectively wash items made from such delicate materials. To do this, you will need to brew a decoction of potatoes. You need to take a kilogram of potatoes and boil them in water, which should be at least ten liters. After boiling, strain the water and let it brew. Carry out the entire washing procedure in the same order as with the beans. The result will be unpredictable. Your sweater or dress will immediately become clean, smooth and pleasant to the touch. They will not stretch or fade.

If you want your favorite sweater not only to be clean, but also to smell nice, then you can add a little conditioner to the rinse water. This won't harm the threads. After drying, comb the jacket using a comb. Then it will also become soft, tender to the body.

Mustard for dark things

To wash dark clothes well, you can use dry mustard. It is mixed with a certain volume of water. It is advisable that it be cool. Then, mix this composition with hot water and filter the resulting mixture into a bowl intended for washing. No need to use soap. Rinse things in the remaining water.

Washing wool clothes in an automatic machine

Everyone should know how to properly wash woolen items. You don't always have time to wash by hand. Therefore, you have to use a washing machine. She will do all the work for you. In this case, you need to remember the following:

• choose a washing powder that states that it is suitable for washing wool items;
• the water temperature should not exceed 30 C so that the fabric does not lose its elasticity;
• you need to select a special washing mode. In some cases, a delicate or quick wash is used. Try not to turn on the spin cycle.

Important: regardless of the type of washing, you should not wring out natural items so as not to stretch them. It would be appropriate to roll the item in a terry towel so that it absorbs moisture or spread it on a flat surface.

Properly drying products made from natural materials

Washing things carefully is not the most important thing. They also need to be properly dried so that they do not lose their shape. They should be dried on a table surface or on a chair. The surface needs to be perfectly flat so as not to stretch the wool. If you immediately hang a sweater on a hanger, it will not only stretch, but the spots from the clothespins will be visible on it. After placing the product on the table, you need to straighten all the folds and leave it in this position until it dries completely.

In order for the material to dry quickly, lay regular newspaper or other thick paper under the item so that it absorbs moisture. Once the sweater or cardigan is dry, you can iron it. Ironing should be done from the reverse side using low temperature.

There are times when things shrink. There's no need to get upset. During ironing, you need to spray the material with water and smooth it out. Using an iron, pull the product to the desired size. The main thing is to dry it completely so that it doesn’t shrink again.

As you can see, washing woolen products is not so easy. This is real skill and work.Such troubles are worth it to keep your items in good condition and wear them for a long time. After all, wool will never go out of fashion, and most importantly, such material is natural, which is doubly appreciated. By following all the necessary advice, you can avoid unforeseen circumstances and negligence. You need to love and take care of your clothes if you want to always have a neat and tidy appearance.

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