I did it. I washed a dry-clean only cashmere sweater. - YouLookFab Forum

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I did it. I washed a dry-clean only cashmere sweater.

Beth

Veteran

I know, my life is so wild. :O

But really, I've been unhappy with dry-cleaning for so long. It's expensive, my clothes still don't feel all that clean, they smell like chemicals, and they're pressed into oblivion.

So I bought a bottle of Eucalan fabric wash, took a deep breath, and plunged my sweater in the sink. Blocked it, let it dry, and OMG. It's amazing. My sweater is fluffy and soft in a way that it probably hasn't been since I bought it.

I'd type more, but I've developed a new obsession. Must go wash more sweaters...

General

28 replies

Latest reply was from MsMaven

kellygirl

Veteran

woohoo! There's also a nice wash called Soak that smells good too.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

FAB!!

I wash all my wool sweaters. And my silk blouses, too. The only things I send for dry cleaning are wool coats and blazers.

Jem

Veteran

That's great! I haven't wanted to buy any for that reason, so that's good to know that you can wash them.

Beth

Veteran

Kelly, that's good to know. I have a feeling I'll be going through a few bottles.

Suz, do you also wash merino successfully? I'm eyeing my very favorite merino sweater right now...

Jem, wash away!

Keix

Veteran

I wash all of my cashmere and merino wool sweaters. Formerly with baby shampoo, and now with Eucalan because I love the no-rinse aspect. I don't have any really expensve ($100+) sweaters, though.

JAileen

Veteran

I've washed wool and cashmere sweaters with baby shampoo for years with good success. It's gentle and smells nice.

April

Veteran

Beth, I've heard that cashmere really prefers to be washed, in spite of the persistence of "Dry Clean Only" on the labels. Some people even swear you should toss it in the dryer, but I'm not that brave.

Beth

Veteran

Glad to hear that it works well for others!

April, I'm starting to believe it. My test sweater may never have felt so deliciously fluffy and soft before.

Ann in New England

I wash all of my sweaters in Eucalan -- love the smell! I realized when I started knitting that it just made sense. The agitation of a washing machine is what makes sweaters felt (aka, shrink), The trick is to soak and gently push, without twisting, rubbing or wringing. Roll up in a towel and then unroll and dry flat.

I think manufacturers put 'dry clean only' on tags to protect themselves from people who don't follow instructions like "hand wash only."

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Another hand-washer here. I hate the smell of dry cleaned clothes.

Debora

Veteran

Thanks so much for the info, Beth! I've never heard of this product before and will need to look for it. Keep us posted on your experiments. I hate sending things to the dry cleaner and would rather not have my clothes cleaned with chemicals!

Ann in New England

Any yarn shop/knitting store should have either Eucalan or Soak.
BTW, I've been told by fiber experts that Woolite is the WORST thing to use to wash hand knits. My mom didn't believe it, but I got her a bottle of Eucalan and now she's sold.

Beth

Veteran

Debora, I looked but couldn't find Eucalan locally. I ended up ordering it from Amazon. It's marketed as "no-rinse" but I did give my sweater a quick swish in clear water after soaking. And then I rolled it up in a towel like Ann said, before blocking it to dry. So far, so good!

Diana

Veteran

Yay! I hand wash all my sweaters. I've read that gentle hand washing is actually better for your cashmere than dry cleaning because the dry cleaning chemicals cause the cashmere fibers to become brittle and shorten the life of the garment.

I confess I even use my regular detergent (it's one without scent or color, though, so it may be gentler than normal) since I don't like the smells of the special detergents. I have heard that Soak now has an unscented version though, so I might try it out.

PS - If you want the sweater to dry faster, here is a trick. After rolling the wet sweater up in a towel, put it on the floor and walk on it (with clean feet of course!). Your body weight will press a lot more water out of the sweater without wringing than your hands can.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I wash my cashmere in the washer on gentle, turned inside out, inside pillow cases, with shampoo. Then I put them in the drier on low and hang when they are only slightly damp. Works great.

Cashmere is hair, so it works!

Wool isn't hair, it's pelt or something, which is why you cant do this with wool. That is strictly a hand-wash job.

DeclawedJaguar

Veteran

I too handwash all my sweaters. Dishwashing liquid (Joy is my favorite) also works really well without being damaging, especially on oily stains. I refuse to dry clean things.

BethL

(website)

Veteran

Another hand-washer here, too. I grew up with a grandmother who was a fabulous seamstress and knitter/crocheter. She made me beautiful, special things and taught me how to take care of them. I think of her each and every time I block a sweater or one of my own hand knits. When I was in high school and college, I used to think hand-washing was such a pain. Now that I'm 50, I treasure the memories it holds for me.

Laurinda

Veteran

As far as I know, goats are well adapted to rain showers, LOL. I think the danger of washing knit wool items comes from 'felting' -- vigorous rubbing between wet fibers causes them to lock together and shrink the item.

@BethL - what a sweet sentiment!

Beth

Veteran

LOL, Laurinda. My goats hate rain but nobody has shrunk yet.

siniestra

hand wash it usually clothes last longer and add baby shampoo instead of regular detergents

Anonymous

@ironkurtin: What shampoo do you use? Because my DH is allergic to fragrance and I have sensitive skin, I doubt I could ever use Eucalan or Soak, and I never have cared for Woolite. I do the same thing you do--put the so-called "hand wash only" or "dry clean only" items in a zippered pillow case and wash on gentle cycle in cold water. My mom was a professional seamstress, and taught me all about fabrics. I know that many "dry clean only" items don't really have to be dry cleaned, but that it's the heat of the dryer that harms them. For this reason, I don't ever put such items in the dryer. I do, however, take suits and winter coats to the dry cleaner.

Nadya

Veteran

@Ruth Soak does have a fragrance free version, though of course it might still irritate your skin.

Inge

(website)

Beth, you daring creature;-))

Glad to hear your cashmere sweater is now fluffier than ever!
I've been hand washing all my wool and cashmere jumpers for years, and am very happy with the results. (btw: I also use Diana's "wrap 'em in a towel and walk all over them" method, it really does help speed up the drying process.)

RedM

I handwash cashmere, merino, and silk.. I use mild dish soap and a splash of vinegar. I rinse it, roll it in a towel and lay flat to dry. My husband accidentally washed a cashmere sweater in the washer once and unfortunately put it in the dryer. It's a fuzzy mess and I would not recommend it. I've heard there's some trick to putting silk in the refrigerator to prevent wrinkling, but I haven't tried it.

Parsley

Veteran

I have washed my sweaters for years, including machine washing my older cashmere sweaters on gentle, with no problems, but I had never heard of Eucalan. It sounds excellent, so I've just ordered a bottle from Amazon.
Thanks for the heads up!

MNsara

Veteran

Ruth - Eucalan also has a unscented version on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ.....M9EQGNCLQA

I also started washing my own cashmere, but I do it in my machine on hand-wash cycle, inside out. I also tumble dry it on low for 5 minutes or so before laying flat to dry. I started when I demoted some cashmere to lounge wear and it turned out SO soft and fluffy I was hooked.

For non-loungewear, I started to write down the sweater's measurements before washing so if there's any blocking I need to do, it dries sized right: armpit to armpit, size of bottom hem, overall length.

I do merino wools this way too. I use my regular detergent (Target Up & Up powder) and have been very happy so far.

Anonymous

Thanks for the link, MNsara. I plan to try it! I like that it has so many good reviews and that the unscented version is less $. Must be a great product.

MsMaven

Veteran

I also wash cashmere and some wool sweaters in the washer. Years ago I read that you can pre-warm your dryer on low for two minutes, then change to air dry (no heat) and put the sweaters in for two minutes, then lay them flat.

After a silk blouse came back from the cleaners with the spots still in, I just washed it myself and let it hang dry, then pressed it. Clean and wearable. (I hate pressing, but it's worth it.)

Tailored, structured garments (such as blazers) or print fabrics and some colored things shouldn't be hand washed. The interfacing and lining might shrink and colors might not be stable. Sweaters come out great, though. I