Nope, don't hand wash 'em and don't dry clean 'em (yech, all those stinky chemicals). I machine wash 'em.

Of course, I have a front loading washing machine that has a very gentle cycle that works perfectly, but I have with intense supervision done it in a TL with fair success.

I use just barely warm water; a gentle, specific for wool washing powder; a cycle with enough water and very gentle, short cycle, action and I carefully pre-spot, if necessary, and always turn the garment inside out and close the buttons, if any.

But before you wash the item, take clean piece of paper (like unprinted newsprint) and draw (with a pencil not a pen which could bleed on to the garment) the exact outline of the sweater so after you get it out of the washer you can turn the garment right side out again and lay it out on the outline and block the sweater back to the right size. Then let it air dry, flat. You may need a teensy bit of touch-up ironing, but that's very rare.

If you want to hand wash follow the instructions for machine washing, but just gently squeeze the suds through the garment, and rinse until the water is clear. Then roll the garment in a clean terry towel and gently press the excess water out. (If you're feeling adventurous after you've rinsed you can lay the garment in the base of the tub of your washing machine and run just a spin cycle to extract excess water so as to speed up drying.)

I wash cashmere sweaters almost weekly since I live in a cool climate and wear sweaters a lot and I can't recall any disaster, but it's always possible. If you're worried, started with a gentle hand wash, then move on up to popping them (one at a time) into a machine if your machine has a suitable cycle.

As for washing products: I routinely use Perwol powder (hard to find in US, but great); Delicare (a liquid that works fine in fls) and Eucalan liquid. Never, ever, use regular detergent whether liquid or powder, almost all are far too alkaline for any kind of wool, including goat hair like cashmere.

Molly~

Thank you so much, housekeeping!

I remember in Europe my mother in law buying Perlana and washing wool in her front loader. However, i've always been afraid because once i accidently washed a wool sweater and it shrank. Of course, i didn't realize it i had washed it until after i pulled it out of the washer -- it was mingled in with the rest and i hadn't checked. Of course, i had also used regular detergent.

Should i be concerned about any color fading?

Cleo,

Always check your item for dye run before washing the first time, but in most cases if you wash a single item dye running isn't a big problem. Fading might happen if you exposed the garment to strong chemicals or prolonged strong sunlight, but I doubt that would happen when washing and drying a sweater or two.

You always run the risk of damage when washing (whether by hand or in a machine) as item marked dry clean only. But, in the case of many natural fibers washing is just fine (goats get wet when it rains, right?)

That said the thing to keep in mind when washing any wool item is that heat + agitation = felting, which is just an exagerated case of shrinking, so keep those those two factors to a minimun when dealing with woolens, particulary knit items. Very low heat and minimal sloshing will see you through just fine.

You can buy Persil-brand wool washing detergent (perwol liquid) online here (and at many Miele dealers locally) in the US, and Perwol Powder online frm Canada. Both, of course are made in Germany. Eucalan which is often available at yarn shops is very nice, too. Delicare is for sale at supermarkets, but it is my least favorite since it comes with fabric softener which is unnecessary for woolens.

Chances are your previous failuare was due to improper (for the wool sweater) selection of detergent, temp and agitation. Rarely, one can block a garment like that back to shape, but usually around here, it winds up being cut into a cat cushion cover!

One other thing to remember, at leasta for sheep's wool items, and maybe for cashmere as welll. The actual fiber is composed of overlapping scales (like a very thin flexible green pine cone, if you looked at it in high magnification). Washing temporarily disturbs the smooth lie of the scales often causing the garment to feel less smooth and soft. The cure for this is to set the item aside for a few days to allow the fibers to anneal again. You will be amazed at how nice it will feel after several days rest.

HTH,

Molly~

Awesome, Molly! Thanks again!

I used to handwash my cashmere sweaters quite often. Woolite soap, a bit of vinegar in the rinse, gentle squeeze, then roll up in a big fluffy towel and...step on it (gets the water out without more squeezing!).

Unroll and air-dry on a mesh fabric screen or another towel. Comes out much softer than dry-cleaning (which I did do occasionally as well). Biggest problem with cashmere was the moths adored it over anything else.

Thanks to all above. Hope this helps regarding moths:
Clean all sweaters before storing since moths don't like clean garments nearly as well, and then put in a zip lock bag.