# How to wash wool handknit irish sweaters



## dylanM

I have no idea what section to put this in . I have 3 wool handknitted irish fishermans sweaters from Ireland.

How do I wash & dry them ? Any special soap to use or not use. How do I care for them ?

TIA


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## susanne

i would put them in warm water with woolite or other similar soap.
let soak for a while and rinse in clear water *same temperature*. important as not to felt. to get excess water out lay flat on bath towel, roll up and push down. lay sweater flat on a rack to dry.


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## Marchwind

I'd say NEVER use Woolite but others will disagree (see above). Supposedly Woolite has things in it that are not good for wool or protein fibers. I don't know the specific but why risk it. That's my opinion (we all have one ) and other will differ.

I wash all my sweaters, and knit and others, in hot water and shampoo. Fill the basin (or whatever you want to wash them in) with hot water put in shampoo, About the amount you would use on your head of hair. Swish to mix. Put sweater in (I'd wash them one at a time) and submerge, making sure it is fully submerged in the hot soapy water. Let sit for about 20 minutes. It there is a specific area that is dirty, you could very gently rub it against itself but only very gently. Drain the water squish as much water out of the sweater as possible. Rewash as needed. Then rinse in hot water as follows; Fill basin with hot water then submerge sweater and allow to soak for a few minutes. Repeat until soap is out. I wouldn't use so much soap that you need to rinse it more than twice and that might be too much soap.

I'd do what Susanne says for drying. After I squeeze as much water out as I'm able, I'll lay a large towel on the floor and lay the sweater on the towel. Then fold the towel around the sweater and roll it up, then I'll step or walk on the towel to squish out more water. I have a wooden trying rack that I place them on to dry after most of the water is out. Depending on the weather it may take a day or two to dry.


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## susanne

oh, why not woolite? what is in there that will harm the wool? 
i have not heard about that before.


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## Cabin Fever

dylanM said:


> How do I wash a wool handknit irish sweaters?


I'm just guessing here, but I assume you'd wash it the same way you would wash a wool handknit Norwegian sweater....but what do I know?


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## dylanM

Cabin very good question. I have a norwegian handknit wool sweater that I just bought. 

I would assume they would be washed the same. 

Is there a difference between irish wool & norwegian wool?


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## Marchwind

All my hand knits, wool items, including fleeces and yarn are washed the same way.

Susanne I can't remember exactly what it is. I'll see if I can find anything on it.


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## Marchwind

Okay here's one thing I found. I'm sure there is info on Ravelry
"There is also much mythological agitation around Woolite, but it's just a publicity scam. Woolite was 'gentle' in the 50s, if you compared it to the usual regime of hot water and Tide in the machine, with bleach to boot. It was gentle mostly in that it firmly recommended hand washing. But it's not a gentle product, it's very alkaline and strips the hell out of innocent wool fibers. Leave it to the uninitiated. http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/wash_sweater.shtml


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## dylanM

Thank you all for the help & the replys.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

Thanks Marchwind, this is a good article.
I do have another opinion about shampoo though - I use baby shampoo, the generic kind is just as good as J & J, just give it a sniff test to watch out for scents. You can get unscented too, but it's pricey.
I found it really revived old silk and keeps new silk looking "alive". So I have one wash product to have on hand, I squirt it directly on necklines and underarms of wet garments, squeeze squeeze, and then put through the wash process. 



Marchwind said:


> Okay here's one thing I found. I'm sure there is info on Ravelry
> "There is also much mythological agitation around Woolite, but it's just a publicity scam. Woolite was 'gentle' in the 50s, if you compared it to the usual regime of hot water and Tide in the machine, with bleach to boot. It was gentle mostly in that it firmly recommended hand washing. But it's not a gentle product, it's very alkaline and strips the hell out of innocent wool fibers. Leave it to the uninitiated. http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/wash_sweater.shtml


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## susanne

thank you for looking this up. i had no idea. just new for some reason i liked washing with shampoo better. but because it was before my addiction to wool had not very often wool sweater to wash anyways and socks were washable with the machine and never used different detergent for them.


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## Marchwind

Susanne you would also think that a product called Woolite would be good for wool :smack So my figuring is if it's hair then shampoo will work.


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## sheepish

First rule is don't wear your sweaters next to your skin and spot clean as needed so that you only have to wash them rarely.

I used to handwash all my wool clothing with the Orvus paste I use for washing fleece. I put them in cool water and just let them sit, only touching the really dirty spots. Then I did multiple rinses, spinning dry in the washer. It worked well, but was a pain because my big laundry tubs are in the basement and my washer on the main floor. 

The final step was rolling them in towels and then laying on towels to dry, blocking if needed.

Now I put them in my front-load washer, with low suds cold water detergent. The first time I was really scared, even though my daughter said she washes everything for her 9 member family that way. It works perfectly. I don't see any degradation of my sweaters, though most have been washed only once this way. I still block and dry on towels.


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