How to wash a sweater in a washing machine

How to wash a sweater in a washing machine Woolen items have a number of outstanding advantages due to the naturalness of the fibers, but there are also disadvantages: wool is very finicky and unstable to temperature changes and moisture. Many housewives are frankly afraid to wash a sweater in a machine if it is made of wool. Are these fears groundless or justified?

We wash in automatic mode correctly

To be honest, things are not made from pure wool now, at least not in factory production. To increase the “wear resistance” of products, they resort to adding synthetic fibers to them. Thanks to this technique, washing such a sweater in a washing machine is quite possible, but very carefully, in compliance with the rules.

If your machine has the “Wool” program, select only it and do not use any other additional settings.
If there is no special mode, choose the one that will handle the wash as quickly as possible (15-30 minutes).
Turn off rinsing, soaking, and other functions that will prolong the product's contact with water.
The washing temperature should not exceed 30 degrees. Some models have a minimum temperature of 40, but this is the maximum permissible limit.
As for the powder, add half of the usual amount, since it is extremely difficult to wash out from the “tenacious” wool fibers. Moreover, you will have to give up rinsing.

Important! Can I use conditioner? A wool sweater won't mind. However, opt for special wool conditioners to be sure that nothing is in danger.

Under no circumstances should you wring out the item, as well as twist it, shake it, etc. No matter how wet it is, take it out and hang it to drain in a natural position, such as in a sink or bathtub. Once the sweater has drained, hang it away from any sources of heat, light, or direct sunlight.

Caring for an acrylic sweater

If your item is equipped with decorative acrylic inserts, its washing parameters become even stricter. In general, it is not recommended to wash such a sweater automatically; it is better to do it manually using washing powder for wool. If you still want to machine wash it, use the most delicate cycle.

Drying requirements are the same: do not iron, do not wring, do not place near heating devices or light sources. The only thing you can do to speed up the process is to lay the item on a terry towel so that it absorbs excess moisture.

Expert advice

drying a wool sweater after washing As mentioned above, woolen items are either pure wool or half-woolen. Products with added synthetics can be machine washed, and we figured out how. But if you are lucky enough to have a purely woolen item, you can only wash it with your own hands. What problems can lead to violation of washing rules?

Shrinkage of things (from contact with hot water, for example).
Stretching.
Rolling up.

To make the process of washing woolen items even smoother, turn the item inside out before washing. It is better to use a simple baby shampoo, which will deal with dirt much more delicately. The spin cycle has already been discussed above. Of course, a woolen item can transfer it, and even spinning in a machine may not be so dangerous, but you never know.Therefore, placing the sweater to drain at the bottom of the bathtub is the safest option.