How to Wash Wool
Maybe you’ve been hearing about wearing merino wool and are interested in adding some pieces to your wardrobe but are worried about wool care. Or maybe you’ve been a fan of wool for years but washing it always makes you nervous. Read on to discover the wonders of wool, and move past any nervousness about wool care!
Wool Benefits (and why to wear it!)
Merino wool is one of the most effective fibers in cold weather environments. It continues insulating even when wet (retaining around 75% of its insulating power), making it ideal for winter wear and especially active pursuits.
When you have been sweating and then take a break your body cools down and gets cold quickly; if you’re wearing wool you still want to keep your insulating layer handy but you’ll feel significantly more comfortable during the hot and cold of activity.
Wool fibers are actually generating heat when they’re drying! The kinks in the wool fiber trap warm air which helps keep you warm, unlike cotton which pulls heat from your body when it’s wet.
Wool is also hydrophilic (so it soaks up water but is able to soak up a lot before it feels wet) but oleophobic (so it doesn’t retain oils from your body). It won’t mold or mildew like other fibers, and it takes a lot to smell musty.
Wool is not just for winter either, wool will regulate your body temperature in cold or hot environments! In a hotter climate you’ll want to choose a lighter weight wool.
Wool is often labeled in microns (μm, one millionth of a meter), which is the diameter of a wool fiber. Merino wool in the 16-17.5μm range will be softer and lighter than merino wool in the 20-22μm range, but will also be less durable.
Felting Wool
Why Wool Felts
One of the reasons that people are often afraid of buying and wearing wool is because it’s often not easy care. This is because it can felt.
Intentionally Felting Wool
Felting wool can be done intentionally. Wool cloth diaper covers are very effective (and so cozy!), and can be felted by hand to give maximum wetness protection in certain areas (the “wetzone”) and maintain stretch along the sides.
Best Detergents for Washing Wool
Unicorn Products
Unicorn makes really great products for cleaning wool, including Fiber Wash (this will be your main wool wash), Beyond Soft (fabric conditioner), and Beyond Clean (for really stubborn stains). I use Fiber Wash (also called Beyond Fiber Wash) on most wash cycles, and occasionally Beyond Soft (also called “Fiber/Fibre Rinse”) if something doesn’t feel as soft as I’d like it.
If an item had been mildly felted, Beyond Soft can often bring it back to life and restore some softness and stretch to it!
Soak Wash
Soak wash is a really nice wash, and we use it on all our merino wool baselayers, interlock, and cashmere. I prefer the wash cashmere with soak over unicorn, and we own lots of cashmere sweaters and hats that we wash the same way we wash our wool (cashmere is an awesome outdoor fiber!).
Soak comes in some really yummy scents, Pineapple Grove and Yuzu are my favorites. They are only scented during the wash, I don’t find the woolies have any scent after the wash. Soak doesn’t need to be rinsed out, but I do usually rinse it anyways.
Eucalan
Eucalan is a great detergent for items that are not heavily soiled. It contains lanolin in the wash, so it is harder to get an item really clean with it, but it is great for a quick wash of a merino tee for a child with sensitive skin, as the lanolin in it can act as a moisturizer (unless the child is allergic to lanolin).
Other Helpful Washing Products
Fels Naphtha
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