Cleaning a Wool Shirt
Mark Anderson
know you can't wash wool in the washer but is there a simple cheap way
to clean this without having to pay a dry cleaner?
Evelyn C. Leeper
Wash it by hand. The recommendations I've seen are to use dish
detergent, not soap. Google around for various suggestions.
--
Evelyn C. Leeper
Life is complex--it has real and imaginary parts. --anonymous
The Real Bev
> Mark Anderson wrote:
>> I have this very warm 100% thick wool shirt that I need to clean. I
>> know you can't wash wool in the washer but is there a simple cheap way
>> to clean this without having to pay a dry cleaner?
>
> Wash it by hand. The recommendations I've seen are to use dish
> detergent, not soap. Google around for various suggestions.
Dish detergent requires lots of rinsing. Use Woolite. More expensive,
but how much of it are you actually going to use?
I don't know if you'd want to put it on a hanger to dry, but laying it
flat on a towel as if it were a sweater seems harmless. You'll need to
press it using the 'wool' setting, of course.
--
Cheers,
Bev
666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
"I wish I had more time to seek out the dark forces
and join their hellish crusade." -- Clarice
Shawn Hirn
The Real Bev <bashley1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Evelyn C. Leeper wrote:
>
> > Mark Anderson wrote:
> >> I have this very warm 100% thick wool shirt that I need to clean. I
> >> know you can't wash wool in the washer but is there a simple cheap way
> >> to clean this without having to pay a dry cleaner?
> >
> > Wash it by hand. The recommendations I've seen are to use dish
> > detergent, not soap. Google around for various suggestions.
>
> Dish detergent requires lots of rinsing. Use Woolite. More expensive,
> but how much of it are you actually going to use?
>
> I don't know if you'd want to put it on a hanger to dry, but laying it
> flat on a towel as if it were a sweater seems harmless. You'll need to
> press it using the 'wool' setting, of course.
Yup, the OP should just buy a bottle of Woolite and follow the
directions on the package.
Stormin Mormon
dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Shawn Hirn" <sr...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:srhi-102CB1.0...@newsgroups.comcast.net...
Chloe
news:47989951$0$7200$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
> I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the clothes
> dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
It's the heat from the dryer--not the dryer action itself--that shrinks the
wool. Hot water will also cause shrinkage. The advice to hand wash and air
dry is sound.
Evelyn C. Leeper
And for frugality, I'll note that most supermarket chains have their own
brands of "Woolite" that are cheaper but the same formulation.
clams_casino
>I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the clothes
>dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
>
>
>
It's actually the mechanical action while in a wet state that causes the
fibers to swell (widthwise) / correspondingly shrink (lengthwise) - both
the washer & dryer will accelerate shrinkage.
Evelyn C. Leeper
Probably--most sites say to avoid scrubbing, wringing, or other
stressing of the fibers.
On the other hand, people wore wool shirts long before dry cleaning--or
even washing machines--were invented, and while they may not have washed
them quite as often as we do, they must have washed them somehow.
h
"Mark Anderson" <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2201b2d43...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
>I have this very warm 100% thick wool shirt that I need to clean. I
> know you can't wash wool in the washer but is there a simple cheap way
> to clean this without having to pay a dry cleaner?
>
There are two options. Wash it in cold water with Woolite and dry it flat on
a towel. Put it in the dryer with a Dryel sheet. I actually use the generic
sheets, which are cheaper and use the same formula. I'm still re-using the
original Dryel bag from when the product first came out. Since the shirt
won't be wet, it won't shrink. I do this for several sweaters which can't be
washed.
clams_casino
> clams_casino wrote:
>
>> Stormin Mormon wrote:
>>
>>> I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the
>>> clothes dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> It's actually the mechanical action while in a wet state that causes
>> the fibers to swell (widthwise) / correspondingly shrink (lengthwise)
>> - both the washer & dryer will accelerate shrinkage.
>
>
> Probably--most sites say to avoid scrubbing, wringing, or other
> stressing of the fibers.
>
> On the other hand, people wore wool shirts long before dry
> cleaning--or even washing machines--were invented, and while they may
> not have washed them quite as often as we do, they must have washed
> them somehow.
Actually, wool does not shrink - it felts, giving the impression of
shrinking -
"Wool is a natural fiber with many natural organic characteristics. It's
warmth is created by the tiny packets of air which individual wool
fibers trap naturally.
But, another characteristic of wool yields the secret of why wool
sweaters and clothing knitted from wool yarn can sometimes shrink. Two
conditions are required for wool to shrink. Water and heat. The outside
of the wool fiber is hydrophobic—hates and repels water. The inside of
the wool fiber is hydrophilic—hollow and absorbs water. Every fiber has
a love hate relationship with itself. Even though wool wants to repel
water around the fiber, at a certain point of getting wet, it reverses
its process of repelling water to absorbing water. When this happens it
brings water into it’s core and holds it.
In the microscopic view, the outside of the wool fibers look like they
are made from overlapping shingles, like shingles on the roof of your
house. When wool gets wet and heat and agitation is present, wool has a
tendency to overlap and lock the shingles. Thus the impression of
shrinking is created. This is inherent in all wool fibers!!! The only
way to maintain a wool garmets size and avoid shrinking is to let it dry
in a cool area and block or stretch out the shingles when the fabric is
still wet. Dry cleaning is the surest means of cleaning without shrinking."
The Real Bev
> Chloe wrote:
>> "Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the clothes
>>> dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
Wool stretches, so hanging isn't that good an idea. Careful pressing
can rememdy the situation, but why do it if you don't need to?
>> It's the heat from the dryer--not the dryer action itself--that shrinks the
>> wool. Hot water will also cause shrinkage. The advice to hand wash and air
>> dry is sound.
Back in the 1950s my grandma made me a skirt out of some blue plaid
orlon+wool material. The thing was machine washed and dried countless
times with no harm and never needed pressing. This is long before the
days of permanent press. It's probably still being worn by some girl in
a third-woeld country...
>>> "Shawn Hirn" <sr...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>>> I don't know if you'd want to put it on a hanger to dry, but laying it
>>>> flat on a towel as if it were a sweater seems harmless. You'll need to
>>>> press it using the 'wool' setting, of course.
>>> Yup, the OP should just buy a bottle of Woolite and follow the
>>> directions on the package.
>
> And for frugality, I'll note that most supermarket chains have their own
> brands of "Woolite" that are cheaper but the same formulation.
--
Cheers,
Bev
==========================================================
There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness.'
Lou
"Chloe" <just...@spam.com> wrote in message
news:47989b8a$0$24121$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
> "Stormin Mormon" <cayoung61**spamblock##@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:47989951$0$7200$4c36...@roadrunner.com...
> > I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the clothes
> > dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
>
> It's the heat from the dryer--not the dryer action itself--that shrinks
the
> wool. Hot water will also cause shrinkage. The advice to hand wash and air
> dry is sound.
Hand wash in cold water. Not warm water, not cool water, cold water. Use
detergent, not soap. Don't swish it around, don't wring it, just let it
soak, even overnight. Drain, put in clean cold water to rinse - again,
don't agitate. May need two or three rinses. Drain, and roll up in a towel
to dry - don't squeeze it or wring it.
If it was an expesive garment and you really don't want to lose it, have it
dry cleaned.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply
> I'd suggest some more interent research. As I remember, it's the clothes
> dryer that shrinks wool. Line dried might work.
And the agitation in the washer could cause the wool to felt.
--
Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your
work with excellence.
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply
>
> Yup, the OP should just buy a bottle of Woolite and follow the
> directions on the package.
Not Woolite! It has bleach in it. Use shampoo.
Nicik Name
"Mark Anderson" <m...@nospambrandylion.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.2201b2d43...@chi.news.speakeasy.net...
> know you can't wash wool in the washer but is there a simple cheap way
> to clean this without having to pay a dry cleaner?
>
SMS
Whatever you do, don't use Woolite.
Use Kookaburra Woolwash.
"http://www.kyarns.com/kookaburra-woolwash-lanolin-tea-tree-oil-shampoo.html"
You can put it in the washer on delicate or wash it in a sink.