How to wash and store a wool jumper
Cold water, flat drying and a cedar block: five habits that keep knitwear soft for twenty winters.
A good wool jumper can last longer than you. It mostly needs to be left alone: wool cleans itself in fresh air, and every wash wears it a little.
Air it before you wash it
After a day, hang your jumper by an open window overnight. Smells go, the fibres relax, and you can often skip the wash.
Wash it cold, by hand
When it does need a wash, use cold water and a wool detergent. Press, never rub, and do not wring it: lift it out in one piece.
Dry it flat
Roll it in a towel to take out the water, then lay it flat on a dry towel, away from the radiator. Hung up, wet wool stretches.
Fold it, never hang it
Store knitwear folded, with a cedar block or a lavender bag against moths. Shoulders on a hanger lose their shape in a month.
Looking for a jumper worth the care? See our knitwear, knitted in Denmark by Nordlys.
Photo: Michał Parzuchowski mparzuchowski (CC0), Wikimedia Commons