How To Care For Woolen Clothing
Woolen clothing is quite costly and we want them to last for at least 3-4 seasons. For long life of woolen garment, proper care is needed. Here are some tips to care for woolen garment and ensure they look new, year after year.
Fuzz Balls
When woolen clothing are used frequently, a woolen sweater, wool jacket or wool blanket, they develop all sorts of tiny balls, which destroys the cloth’s beauty. Brushing with a lint brush can help to remove these fuzz balls to some extent but the proper way to get rid of these balls is defuzzing them with small hand held, battery-operated machine that has been made to remove these little pests. They are not costly, so use them to make your woolen clothes look good.
Cleaning
Most woolen clothing are suggested for dry-clean only; but you can wash these sensitive clothes at home, by hand using mild and gentle soap, following some careful instruction.
1. To avoid the cloth from shrinking, soak it in cold water for at least one hour before washing.
2. Wash your delicate woolen clothes in mild liquid detergent or baby shampoo, by soaking it. Liquid soap for woolen clothes is readily available in the market.
3. Do not rub or squeeze too much. A smart rinsing is enough to get rid of dirt.
Remove the excess water by rolling the clothes in a towel. Squeeze and press it slightly and dry in the shade.
Hanging
Woolen cloth should be hanged carefully using a padded hanger and also use a zipped garment bag to protect it from dust and germs. Instead of using a plastic bag, use fabric garment bag, so that clothes get a chance to breathe.
Storage
Woolen clothes are easily damaged by insects. So during off season when you are going to store it, store them in cedar chest. If you don’t have this, then take a plastic container which has a tight lid. Keep the woolens in the container with lot of cedar chips. Once again when the time comes to wear it, dry them in air for 2-3 days. If they have moldy, musty smell, they will be gone. If there is mold growth on the cloth, then extreme action should be taken. In case of damage due to insects, then reweaving can be done with fabric knit. Do not use perfume, hair spray etc. before wearing it.
