I only hand wash items when they are delicate and have developed a spot. Everything else goes into the washer.

IMO there's plenty of reason to hand wash. I would think that for most people that have the occasional gentle or fragile garment whether its a scarf, nylon hose, or a delicate blouse..most people want this single or very small load laundered and not just laying around which would mean a very small load indeed even if your machine has a gentle/handwash cycle, and we've long been urged against doing small loads. Hand washing is the most gentle form of laundering and takes very little effort, fill a tub, or sink, add detergent of choice, add garment, gently swish around a few seconds and than just allow to soak. Very gentle on tender fabrics, yet does the job, and much more cost effective. I often hand wash things.

It depends on how gentle is the tumbling in the handwash cycle. The clothes should barely slosh in the water, without tumbling over. I've seen youtube videos of handwash cycles with really gentle washing but with too strong spinning. I wouldn't spin a hand knitted sweater...

Thank you all for that input. Years ago, I learned you could wash cashmere, so I would use the delicate cycle. Mine never looked brand new afterwards, but I have since learned that spinning was the culprit.

Cashmere and wool need to be ironed in order to look "brand new" or professionally finished. I steam iron all my cashmere sweaters after washing and they look perfect.

I had no idea about ironing them!!! So, when you don't spin your cashmere in the washer, how do you get most of the water out? I've heard you aren't supposed to wring things out, so do you just sort of ball them up and squeeze?

No, no, no! You have to use a towel to dry the sweaters (I'm towel guy today, haha) You lay a towel on a table, then you lay the sweater over the towel, and then fold the same towel over the sweater (or use another towel). You have to pat it dry sandwiched between the towels. Then you have to let it air dry laying on flat surface.

It's a pain in the ass, but it won't get gentler than this.

Diego, do you do that with the soaking wet sweater that are still dripping? Or how to you get most of the wetness out? I can't believe I've never learned how to do this stuff. I'm calling my mother to complain :)

Yeah! It's messy I know, but you want to take care of all those carefully knitted knots. The towel will absorb the water, leaving you with a damp but not wet sweater. If you have one of those folding drying racks, you can lay your sweater as flat as you can over the wires, and let it drip dry over your floor.

I remember my mother telling me "You can't wring it. You can't spin it. You can't hang it. You have to lay it flat" and I complained "But that's difficult!"

If I had your mother, I wouldn't have a pile of cashmere sweaters that are now too short to wear!

Not sure about cashmere, but for wool sweaters I spin them in the machine..what I've learned is spinning is nothing more than compression, and that the more water extracted the better. Cashmere I don't know.

I spin my cashmere sweaters in the washer. I just washed 3 of them over the weekend on Wool cycle. The cycle includes a spin on low speed. Once out of the washer I arrange them carefully stretching lightly and straitening any puckered seams. Once completely dry, I steam iron them. They look beautiful.

As MamaPinky says, garments don't move during spin, they're simply compressed against the drum.

However, there are a few kinds of 'damage' that can occur:

- High spin speed can cause compression wrinkles.

- Fabric can get pulled through the drum perforations and suffer tiny tears to the fibers. Some drums are designed with smaller perforations to minimize the problem. Slower spin speed, of course, also reduces it.

- Frontloaders and toploaders without a centerpost agitator may in some instances distribute/balance the items such that a larger piece (blanket, sheet, bath towel/sheet, slacks/jeans) is "hung" across the diameter of the drum, with some of it at one side and some at the other, which can cause some stress in the form of stretching. This scenario is less likely to occur with "normal"-size clothing items.

If you will look back, washers from years ago that had a Woolens cycle was always a slow agitate/Fast spin.(GE comes to mind, KM maybe not)?.

Best advice for wool that I have ..as gentle a movement in water as possible, even if it means putting it in a tub of water and just letting it soak without movement, than transfer to washer for a spin..best water temp is 80F but its urgently important that rinse water is the same temp as wash water, a change in temps causes shrinking. 5 minutes in solution should be plenty of time unless the garment is grossly soiled. Lay flat to dry, do not tumble even on cool tumble if the wool is wet. Do not hang to dry. Do not use bleach or enzymes. Best to use a wool wash detergent or Vaska. This is how I've done all my woolens with success. Now years ago..I didn't know any better and ended up with some sweaters for the kids dolls and some blankets that worked as ironing board covers LOL.

I've had super good luck with cashmere and wool using the Miele wool cycle. They come out perfectly and nearly dry after the spin. With this machine the holes are tiny. In my machine nothing gets pulled or wrinkled during the spin and it avoids all the squishing to remove excess water.

I just shake out each piece and let it try on a towel. I haven't needed to steam out anything.

I have also washed lingerie and hosiery in the machine -- but of course in a lingerie bag. The bag protects things, I find, and I can just shake them out and let them dry.

Depends a lot on the washer, sounds like. Some may be better than others at delicate task.

Wool calls for minimal agitation/tumbling while wet to avoid felting the fabric. Fairly fast spin since it holds a lot of water. Warm water theoretically is OK, I've read that it's not so much warmer water (vs. cold) that can shrink wool but rather thermal shock to the fibers when suddenly going from a warm wash to a cold rinse. The Woolens cycle on one of my washers runs the rinse at the same temperature as the wash (choice of cold, cool, or warm). I've seen some older dryers (1950s, 1960s) with the designated Woolens temperature position more toward High on the dial than toward Low!

Cashmere comes in different qualities and price is not always the determining factor. I have dozens of cashmere sweater and 2 pair of knit cashmere pants. (Can we say obsessed.) All are washed in the machine on gentle or wool cycle and spun on the lowest setting. They are dried flat on a towel. (Currently I am planning on making a drying screen for my sweaters.) Some of my sweaters look new though they are several years old and others age during the first wear before washing. Piling often occurs from the quality not the washing.

Cashmere gets softer with water washing, but will become brittle and the fibers will begin to break if dry cleaned (told to me by a dry cleaner).

I never just iron my sweaters. You must use steam and an ironing cloth is advised or you may get shiny, flattened and damaged fabric. I have a steamer that is my first choice for removing wrinkles, but if you want seams down the arms you must iron.

Just today I bought a scarf, hand washed it and hung it on a rack to dry. I dislike the chemicals put on most fabrics, and I figure things get a little dirty hanging in stores, so I hand wash delicates, and toss non-delicates in the washer for a quick cycle before wearing them.

My LG's Wool cycle defaults to Warm temp but since it only does cold rinses, I change it the wash temp manually to cold because, as mamapinky pointed out, a drastic change in the temperature will cause shrinking. The spin is at slow speed but it still does a very good job of extracting all the water from the items. It doesn't set wrinkles in, but I like to iron my sweaters because it gives them a smooth, professional looking finish.

Can I assume the instructions for cashmere are the same as wool?

Wow, I had no idea spinning was ok and it was the movement DURING the was cycle that was the problem. Can I assume this is even the case for front loaders?

I checked and see my washer doesn’t even have a wool cycle. I have quick wash, delicate wash, and normal etc. I can turn off the spin option which is probably why I thought this worked for my needs. mamapinky0, maybe this means I should hand soak it and then just put them in to spin.. I really don’t want to do anything by hand though. Gee, the more I learn the more I realize I don’t know :) I’m hoping you all say I can use delicate and a low spin???

I hate chemicals or even harsh detergents, so I never take things to the cleaners unless I’m really worried. Until today, I didn’t think wool was machine washable (I don’t wear much of it so never think too much about it).

I’ve assumed that any detergent without enzymes is fine for delicates and there is no reason for a 'delicates’ detergent, right? I always by the ‘natural’ brands. Zum is my current favorite only because the smell makes me happy. Too bad it’s fleeting.

Hisown, in the last couple of years I’ve finally started washing things before I wear them too. I finally realized how dirty some of this stuff might be.. yuck.

Thanks for the tips on keeping a constant temperature in the wash too. I’ve always thought warm water was the culprit.

Building, this is absolute fact although some will disagree, nor am I recommending this, but wool can be washed in screaming hot water without shrinking as long as rinse temp is the same and there is no movement not even gentle as in a wool cycle.

I can't answer your question as to using the gentle cycle on wool..I wouldn't, but I don't know your machine..maybe the manual will tell you if this cycle on your machine is ok for wool...in a FL'er the wool cycle wouldn't take the clothes to the top and drop them it would be a gentle rocking. if you choose to hand soak I'd recommend a sink, add the water, check temp, add the detergent and swish around to mix up..than thay the garment in the water gently lowering it to submurge and just leave it that way 5--10 minutes not disturbing it..than gently move it aside and drain the sink, and refill with correct water temp and gently push it down at this point you can gently push it down a few times to remove detergent. .drain sink again and move to washer for a spin. it sounds complicated but its really not. II've done this with my St. Marys Wool blankets and always had beautiful blankets, until I lost them in a flood.

Cashmere is a type of wool. So yes you can use the same instructions for wool. If you don't want to hand wash use the delicate cycle let it slosh a few times and then stop the machine, let it soak for a little while slosh one or two more times and then rinse several times. I use a cheap shampoo like Suave to wash my wool items. Sometimes you can get too many suds but a drop of conditioner or fabric softener will cut that down. I always use warmish water. I allow about half warm then switch to cold water fill. I never spin above 500 RPM which is my machines slowest speed. I don't let it spin the whole spin just about half because I just want some water out.

I do not have a nice sophisticated machine with many settings, so I just adjust. All this being said, my SIL just throws her wool into the top loader turns it on delicate adds whatever detergent is near by and walks away. My wool items last longer, but she feels her energy and time are better spent. So it's really a matter of preference. Baby your wool and it will last or don't and enjoy it while it does. She says "life is too short and I can always buy another sweater if I need to." She's got a point.

mamapinky0, sorry about your flood :(

Thanks for the step by step instructions. I feel like I've gone to textile school today. I'm shocked about the mere thought of cashmere being fine in hot.. and yeah, not that I would do that either. But that is quite interesting. Hmorton, I'm with your sister about many things, but just not sweaters :) Knifes, china and sterling, in the dishwasher you go!!!!

Okay, so I wonder what I did wrong to cause my sweaters to shrink over time. I thought my mistake was spinning them, but it sounds like that is ok. They were definitely agitated in the delicate cycle of the front loader, but it sounds like that is the cause for pilling and not the shrinkage. I used cold water, but it sounds like that wasn't even necessary as long as the water temps remained consistent.

Personally gentle cycle is too much movement...does it take the clothes to the top and drop them? There should never be more than a gentle back and forth rock with them never going to the top.

I ran the Wool cycle on the recent refurbed Samsung frontloader (for a hand-knitted afghan and a microfiber throw) just to see what it does. Higher water level (to rim of the drum/door/boot) and VERY minimal drum rotation. Turned the drum (with long pauses between) just enough so a baffle or two moved under the items for a bit of jiggle. Never lifted and dropped the items, and probably didn't roll them over even once through the wash period.

Dadoes, I love that you did an experiment! I'm going to have to read my manual tomorrow to see if I have a cycle like that. I will pull up a chair in the laundry room to actually watch what goes on in there

I've successfully washed wool in a standard top loader also. A warm fill on gentle cycle, add detergent, agitate just to incorporate ddetergent into water, shut machine off, use my hands to push clothing/blanket down into the water and leave it soak 5/10 minutes. .no agitation. Than advance dial to spin and advance again wash with warm, again let soak for 5 minutes or so but I usually let agitate on gentle for only a few seconds this time. Than advance again to spin. Done.

My boys bought Amiees BF a beautiful wool scarf and socks for Christmas. I wrote down the washing instructions in a card ...he showed up here for a visit one day giving me the scarf and asking if I would return it for a exchange..it was shrunk, and has white fuzzy stuff all over it..turns out it was washed with a mixed load ( these people don't sort) I told him I could never return something that was improperly washed..he was offended, he see's nothing wrong with his mothers or his laundry practices, and indeed see's me as a laundry obsessed crazy lady ( imagine me of all people being laundry obsessed, the nerve of some people LOL)

Building, I'm assuming your machine is a basic type, just like mine (judging by your comments on cycle options). If that's the case, then Delicate cycle is the same as Normal in terms of tumbling. Maybe it adds a little more water, which combined with a lower load size (a completely user-dependent variable) provides more water cushioning. Sadly the water cushioning effect is not enough to protect a knitted fabric from an energetic tumbling.

Basic machines do this because they lack a motor control board (which provides the complete rainbow of speeds) and only have two or three speeds built in the motor (one for washing, and two for spinning). That's really cheap compared to a motor control board.

I've been surfing youtube, and the first four not-so-basic machines I watched were too intensive. But then I found this machine, which has IMO a proper wool tumbling:

I also liked the Indesit approach (a continuos distribution spin without tumbling) but I'm not sure of its cleaning efficiency.

Building, unless your machine has a dedicated Hand Wash/Wool cycle, any other cycle named Gentle or Delicate has too much tumbling for washing wool or cashmere. The Hand Wash/Wool cycle in my FL LG is like dadoes described above. The drum just rocks back and forth once or twice and then stops and allows the items to soak for a minute or two, then rocks again. It is never a full turn and the items are never lifted and dropped.

It's the tumbling, lifting and dropping that will cause shrinking and felting. If I were you, I would hand wash/soak my sweaters and just transfer them to the washer for a final spin on low speed (assuming you can just run a drain and spin cycle on the machine).

Diego, I just love how obsessed you are.. I now even have a video to watch!!!! I can't believe I'm going to watch a laundry video, but I am!

So, mystery solved. I've ruined everything because I used to wash on delicate. And then when I THOUGHT I knew better, I was washing on delicate without spinning. Ding ding ding.. we have a winner.. no more delicate!!! Can't believe I botched my washer purchase and didn't know what to look for (I did make sure I could turn off the spin cycle though :) *bangs head against the wall*

Building, no sense beating yourself lol...how often do you wash wool or cashmere? I doubt its a daily thing, so you will adjust..and that delicate cycle will come in handy for other things, I always have delicates to do. I'm sure we've all ruined something or other in the laundry room, Lord knows I have.

Thanks mama pinky! Yes, I wind up washing most of my clothes on delicate because I just assume that cleans them enough, and who knows, maybe they'll last a little longer.

The good news is we will have a new house in two years so I'll have another chance at the right washer :)

Building: Google How to unshrink a wool sweater. All kind of methods for cashmere, t shirts jeans etc using different methods. Worth the read and possibly trying. If yours are short, you have nothing to lose at this point. Gives all the steps and items to use...

What about something made with 'bamboo fibers'. I bought a floaty top made of this at Blue Ginger. The salesperson said should be hand washed -- and the seams 'thumb ironed'. (First time I ever heard that term for pressing the seams between your thumb and fingers.)

I don't mind hand washing 1 sweater at a time . I read to spin cashmere in your salad spinner and it works nicely! Then lay it out on a towel to dry.

Would a machine be capable of cleaning a light colored baseball hat?