Tips for washing cashmere

notsaf

I regularly brush and spray my cashmere knits between wears, but am thinking about giving a deeper mid-season clean to the sweater I wear the most.

Any tips on washing cashmere? Thanks!

(SarahD, this one's for you!)

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by notsaf

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4 years ago

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30 replies

Latest reply was from notsaf

Molly Mac

Veteran

I wash my cashmere in a lingerie bag using the hand wash cycle on my machine. I use a very small amount of delicates powdered detergent. When the cycle is done, I lay the sweater on a towel and gently roll to squeeze out excess water. I then lay a fresh towel on my drying rack and place the sweater on the towel. I have two cashmere sweaters I have been cleaning this way for over ten years and they are still in very good condition. I have a depilling machine that I use once a year to keep them looking fresh.

4 years ago

Synne

Veteran

I have an old Fillipa K (mid range scandi fancy brand) cashmere sweater, which I launder from time to time (delicate program and wool detergent). It is still in excellent condition. How "deep" this cleanse really is is a good question. I prefer spot cleaning and giving my wool garments a week in the freezer, followed by hanging out in the fresh air to dry. That is the most effective "cleanse" for delicates in my opinion

4 years ago

Aquamarine

Veteran

I wash all my natural fiber knits, including cashmere, with a gentle detergent (The Laundress Wool and Cashmere Shampoo) in my washing machine, but I use the machine as a tub. I fill it with cold water, add the soap and sweaters, and let sit for a while. Then I turn the knob to rinse and spin (and sometimes a second rinse and spin), and then lay the items out to dry. I’ve done this for years and it’s never harmed an item.

4 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

I prefer handwashing to dry cleaning for cashmere (and alpaca) as it keeps it fluffy and buttery soft. I handwash my cashmere a few times a season in a sink of cold water using unscented Soak detergent. I gently wring out most of the water, lay the sweater out in a giant beach towel, and roll it tightly to squeeze out the water. I rack dry it for a couple of days, then toss in the dryer on low for 10 minutes to ensure there is no moisture left in it. I'll use a cashmere comb for pills.

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4 years ago

Irina

Veteran

I handwash my cashmere and wool sweaters with a drop of baby shampoo. I wash it in cold water, rinse, use a towel to roll it in. Dry on a flat surface. I iron dry sweaters on inside and let it breath for a while on a hanger. I use a sweater shaver for pills when needed.

4 years ago

notsaf

Veteran

Thanks, everyone! Seems like there are a few ways to go (machine vs. handwashing) but that I need not be too afraid.

4 years ago

April

Veteran

Yes, be brave. Cashmere enjoys a washing, and a delicate machine cycle with cold water and gentle detergent won't harm it. Turn inside out to minimize friction/pilling.

Also, moths supposedly hate the scent of lavender, so detergent scented with genuine lavender (such as Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day) may be your friend.

4 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

Another cashmere tip (not laundering specific) - if you have a steamer, use it between washings to help fluff up the yarn.

4 years ago

SarahD8

Veteran

Thanks for the shout out, notsaf!

I wash my cashmere in a front loading washer in cold water using the hand wash cycle.

I use unscented Eucalan detergent. (Though after reading April’s comment maybe next time I’ll try the lavender scent.)

In my machine the low speed spin of the hand wash cycle leaves things pretty waterlogged so then I do an extra “drain and spin” cycle, again on low speed.

Then I spread items out over the footboard of our bed to dry, stretching slightly as desired to block them when they come out of the washer and/or once they are dry,

I wash my silk tops in these loads too. Works great.

I’ve been thinking about getting a steamer to use on both silk and cashmere items between laundering.

Overall, don’t be afraid— it came from a goat, after all!

4 years ago

Gail

Veteran

I wash on delicate in a lingerie bag and lay flat on a towel to dry, haven't had any problems .

4 years ago

Lesley

Veteran

Synne, I am intrigued by this freezer option! Is that for killing stink?

I've heard it said that you should measure the width and length of cashmere before washing, so that when you re-shape it you make sure to stretch it back to the proper size.

4 years ago

Joy

Veteran

I hand wash all sweaters in a sink of cool water and a dab of baby shampoo, then rinse and lay out on towels on the shower floor, rolling or covering with more clean dry towels and walk on them with bare feel to remove more water. I let them air dry on towels on the shower floor until they feel dry, then hang on fat plastic hangers or move to dry towels to finish drying. They feel soft and fluffy.

4 years ago

Anonymous

With anything- if you wash it, don't later dry clean it, and vice versa. Either way it will shrink :/

4 years ago

Suz

(website)

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I do what Molly Mac does and sometimes don't bother with a lingerie bag but just turn the sweater inside out.

Washing good cashmere is actually good for it.

4 years ago

Style Fan

Veteran

I handwash my cashmere and wool sweaters. First, I measure them and keep a notebook with the measurements. I wash each sweater individually. I fill the sink with cool water and mild detergent. I turn the sweater inside out. I submerge the sweater in the water, gently swish it around and then leave it for about 30 minutes. I rinse it in cool water until the water is clear.
I then gently squeeze the water out. Next, I lay it out on a towel and roll it up. Then I put it on a drying rack, measure it and reshape it according to the measurements I took. It usually takes a few days to completely dry.
I find the sweaters turn out softer than they were before washing and they look beautiful.
I put them in the freezer with lavender in a plastic bag at the end of the season for 2 weeks. I have heard this kills insects.
I have a comb to depill my sweaters but I rarely have pilling. That is one of my secret powers.

4 years ago

dakotacheryl

Veteran

I use the hand wash cycle on my front loader with The Laundress Wool/Cashmere soap. This cycle has a slow spin spead. After the washer has turned off, I spin again on a higher spin speed to get the excess moisture out. I also tumble dry in my dryer on Low. Been doing this for years and years.

4 years ago

Peri

Veteran

Marking this to keep, I've never tried washing cashmere before.

Curious about what suntiger says though....I've never heard that. What's the reason for this? Now I can't remember what other things I've washed and what I've dry cleaned!

4 years ago

Anonymous

I don't know why, I just had bad experiences! I'll never buy dry clean only clothes from consignment for that reason (unless new w tags on). You don't know how the last person took care of it.

4 years ago

Bonnie

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This post is timely for me as I purchased a cashmere sweater in December. I haven't had one for years being because of being afraid of the washing process. Now I feel better with so many great tips.

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4 years ago

Style Fan

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Suz is right. Washing good cashmere is good for the cashmere. It just gets better. The sweaters get softer and puffier.
I have not heard what Suntiger said. Hmmm. I bought a cashmere sweater at a consignment store in the Fall. I guess I will find out how it fares with washing.

4 years ago

Molly Mac

Veteran

Sun tiger, I have several items of clothing that go back and forth between dry cleaning and washing at home (including my cashmere sweaters) and I have never had a problem with shrinkage. Could this be fabric specific?

4 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I used to use Soak, but a few years ago we got a new European washing machine with a wool/silk cycle. Do I love that cycle! I have washed silks, wools and cashmere in it and it all came out well.

4 years ago

Cee

Veteran

I yell at my cashmere sweaters and threaten them with beetroot juice.

4 years ago

notsaf

Veteran

Just a note to thank you all for your tips. I washed two sweaters in the wool cycle on my machine, rolled them in a towel, and dried them flat: they've come out beautifully!

4 years ago

Helena

Veteran

I am laughing at Cee's comment!

I've only had one cashmere sweater in my life ... I washed it on cold and delicate, with gentle detergent, and dried it flat. It came out perfectly ... for my (at the time) toddler Have never bought it since! This thread gives me hope though if I ever saw something I really loved.

4 years ago

Anonymous

@Molly Mac- one was an angora sweater (who knows how I wore it without itching like mad...) that shrank terribly- the length/ arms especially.
Anything with linings too- the lining shrinks and the rest doesn't or vice versa!

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

I've been machine washing my cashmere sweaters for years. I didn't like the way my early ones came back from the dry cleaners. Much nicer and softer.

If I bought a really expensive cashmere knit designer item I might not wash it. But I'm unlikely to ever buy such an item.

Yes, suntiger. I washed my BR washable wool jacket last year and the wool part came out well, but the lining did shrink. I've worked on stretching it out with the steam iron on the seams and it is now passable. Very disappointed in it.

4 years ago

oana1111

Member

Veteran cashmere user here. For close to ten years I have given up on plastic derivates except where is actually needed and avoid tree derivates that don't wash well. So in the cold season I wear mostly cashmere, wool, alpaca, sometimes mixed with cotton or silk. Unfortunately my DH insists on using deodorants without alluminium, which means I can wear a top only once before throwing it in the laundry bin or twice if I had a shirt or blouse under. So, every other week I wash either darks or lights, in the washing machine, on handwash cycle with 400rpm spinning at the end, with normal wool&silk detergent (different brands, depending on what's on promotion). I add some 30ml vinegar for every load in the rinsing compartment to remove traces of detergent and revive the colours. I dry them either on the rack taking each two spaces (not flat since I don't have that kind of space for 5-10 sweaters) or on a plastic hanger for the lightweight ones to avoid lines. Nothing else. No fluffing needed, or reshaping, pilling normally depending on the quality, gradual shrinkage the first season unless I intentionally controll shrink them in the dryer to fit better. Before the first wear I put them DRY in the drier to remove the loose fluff and reduce pilling later on. I have never had an issue, except if someone else did the laundry and treated them like normal acrylic and dried them fully in the dryer (Hi mom, remember that 50euros merino scarf?).

4 years ago

oana1111

Member

One question however is how to wash wool/cashmere+silk blend. I never found an answer to this except for the ridiculous 'dry clean them'. I only dry cleaned twice in my life and both times the stench was unbearable and the dirt still there. Can't believe I actually paid for that. Back to our goats, my washing machine has different programs for wool and silk and in this case I prefer the silk one since I consider it's more fragile when wet and probably the engineers are calibrating it to move more gently. I really wish Bosch and Mille told us more of what's behind each option, what are the + and - for each.

4 years ago

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