I hope not, because the nearest dry cleaners is in the next town over. It’d be way easier to just wash them by hand. Anyone know?
Depends on how you go about it.
Assuming they are wool (since you said sweaters) you can wash them in a very mild soap and tepid water. Since you don’t want them to shrink or turn into felt, very gently move them while in the water - avoid all twisting, wringing, or churning motions. Rinse thoroughly. Avoid temperature changes in the water. When done, squeeze (do NOT wring!) the water from the sweater and lay flat to dry.
Anything with silk should be kept strictly separate from bleach, as bleach dissolves silk.
There’s a product called “Woolite” which is just for washing sweaters and such. You’ll find directions on the container. It’s best to put a clean white cloth, or towel, under the garmet while it’s drying.
The yarn/knitting communities that I’ve read don’t recommend using Woolite for wool, ironically enough. It apparently strips the lanolin out of the fiber (which limits wool’s ability to deal with moisture properly) and is rather alkaline; more acidic-tending products (like shampoo for adults) are recommended. Most women that I know who use Woolite tend to use it for handwashing underwear.
I found a discussion of wool care that covers this topic. Kyla, I don’t know if your sweaters are wool or not, but here’s another care link discussing how to deal with them (scroll down a bit).
And I assume “the next town over” is about 150KM away, right? Maybe (likely) my impressions of rural Bulgaria are wrong, or 100 years out of date, but I’m surprised there’s a dry cleaner at all near you.
Why does it need to be cleaned? Is it a soil or an odor issue? If it’s soil, you might be able to just use a dampened cloth to clean the areas that need it. Any odors could be removed by using a product like Febreeze. (Test on a hidden area first to ensure color fastness.)
Or, if Febreeze is not available near you, cheap vodka in a spray bottle (similarly, test on a hidden area first.)
No, the next town over is a pretty good sized city, by Bulgarian standards (~80,000 people) and many useful services can be acquired there. It’s about 25 minutes on the bus.
Thanks for the advice, all. I’m kind of leaning towards “going to the dry cleaners” at this point…I am still a little afraid of wrecking my sweaters, and I can’t afford to replace them, really.
Liquid dish-washing detergent is good for hand-washing wool items, and much cheaper than specialty products like Woolite.
I use that Dryel stuff - put your sweaters in the supplied bag with a cloth thing and chuck them in the dryer on the correct setting.
I use shampoo to handwash sweaters. As long as you do it gently there shouldn’t be a problem.
I’m a guy and not particularly adept at these things, but I’ve managed to wash sweaters. You should try one, using Broomsticks directions, I’m sure you’ll find it easier than you think. Just remember, no hot water, handle them gently and lay flat to dry.
I’ve also heard that you can use Johnson’s baby shampoo, but I’ve only ever used Woolite.
We don’t have dryers in Bulgaria. Or dishwashers, so liquid dishwashing detergent is out.
I don’t have a washing machine, in fact…I wash everything by hand. So it’s not really a big deal to me, I just don’t want to wreck my clothes.
Listen, you totally absolutely can wash wool, or any other animal fiber (cashmere, llama, alpaca, camel, etc.) with adult shampoo. That is the best thing to use. Pick one that is lavender scented if you can, because it will help to repel moths, but any nice smell will do, if lavender isn’t available. Use tepid water, not cold, and very certainly not hot, and avoid agitating the sweater(s) too much. The best thing would probably be to let them soak for awhile, maybe half an hour. Then rinse them, again using tepid water. If you want you can use conditioner (yes, plain old hair conditioner) at this point to help soften the sweater. Just put a little bit in your hands and sort of rub it onto the sweater. then leave it like that to soak a bit in the rinse water. When you are done, squeeze as much water out of the sweater as you can and lay it on a towel. Then put another towel on top of that and roll the sweater up, so you have a sort of tube with the sweater sandwiched between the two towels. At this point you can really squeeze the holy hell out of it, and you may need to substitute new dry towels. Wool can retain an amazing amount of water. Once you’ve gotten all the water out that you can, lay the sweater flat on another dry towel, and smooth and shape it into place. Allow it to air dry, and there you go! Soft, pretty and clean.
I use this method on all my sweaters, including the silk and cotton ones. In my experience it produces much less wear and damage than dry cleaning. I would never dry clean a sweater, I think this method is much better. But another thing is, don’t over-wash your sweaters. If it isn’t dirty or smelly, leave it. I usually only wash mine twice or maybe three times a season; once coming out of storage, maybe once during the winter, and again before packing them back up. The lanolin in wool will help to keep your sweater nice, and it is stripped out a little bit every time the sweater is washed. So, resist the urge to wash them every week-- they don’t need it, and are better off without it. And, the best shampoo to use is the cheap kind; the more expensive stuff is just full of junk you don’t need. There is also something called eucalan that many people love. I’m not sure if you can get it in Bulgaria or not. You don’t have to rinse with it, and it does work well, but I think shampoo works just as well and it’s cheaper and easier to find. But, you know, YMMV.
Don’t use Woolite. The above poster was right; it’s not that great for wool (weird, I know, but trust me).
I’ll repeat it again for anyone that wasn’t listening: Woolite is terrible for wool. Use shampoo (wool is hair, after all). No wringing, no sudden temperature changes, very little agitation.
Great info so far. Here’s a couple more points.
You can speed up the drying time with a thing you can get at an electrical shop or home improvement store. There’s a style of suspended ceiling tile that fits in an aluminum grid, hung from the real ceiling. The recessed light fixture made for this ceiling has a plastic grid that fits where the tile would have hung. You can buy that grid by itself, and it’s perfect for drying hand-washed clothes. Lay it over the backs of two chairs, and the air can get to both sides of the sweater.
Laying it flat to dry is critical. If you try to shortcut, drying on a hanger, the sweater will get much longer, and it will have funny peaks on the shoulders. The sleeves will hide your hands, and the sweater will cover your crotch. You’ll look like you swiped LeBron James’s sweater. :smack:
They don’t have washers or dryers there in Bulgaria. You think they’ll have this kind of suspended ceiling tile at their local home improvement store?
I’ve been using baby shampoo on wool for about 25 years now. Just don’t overdo the soap.
In fact, when I’ve processed raw fleece prior to spinning I’ve used baby shampoo for that, too. Any mild shampoo works. Wool IS hair, after all!
Thanks to all who warned about Woolite, I’ll just use shampoo from now on, it’s cheaper anyway.
I once had a lady friend offer to wash a beautiful cable knit sweater for me. I remember asking her if she knew how to wash a swaeter and was assured that she did. She popped it into the washer, (on the gentle cycle she kept insisting) and then into the drier. It would have fit a three year old when she gave it back to me.
Well, they might. Washers are actually pretty common (it’s dishwashers that no one has), I just don’t have one. There are a couple of competing home improvement stores a la Home Depot, when you walk in it’s like entering a different, and much more well-organized country. Possibly Germany. It’s great! Sadly, there isn’t actually one anywhere near me and I am not going to freaking Sofia to buy a drying rack.
Thank you all for your advice, my blue sweater is getting a shampoo tonight.