Good knitwear needs to be looked after, tempting though it is to think that it rarely needs cleaning or anything else. A regular clean does more than just stop the piece smelling: it also brings up the fibres, brings back colour and, perhaps unexpectedly, helps with pilling.
A new sweater should be worn two or three times, and then washed. This will help settle the fibres and decrease the amount it will pill. Doing so regularly in the future will also reduce pilling over time. The finer a cashmere is, the longer the fibres, so it can be more susceptible to pilling. And pieces that are hand knitted can suffer particularly.
Hand washing is safest, followed by rolling the sweater up in a towel to remove excess moisture and drying flat. I put mine on a rack to increase the air flow; try not to let the arms dangle over the edge in case that stretches them slightly. Remember you’re drying the sweater flat to protect it in its moist, weakened state.
You can wash most cashmere sweaters in the washing machine though – just make sure it’s on the lowest temperature setting and the gentlest cycle. And put the piece either in a washing bag or a pillow case to prevent it stretching – that’s the major thing you’re trying to avoid in hand washing it, after all.
I only started doing this recently, beginning with a relatively cheap sweater as an experiment and moving up to my most valuable stuff. So far I’ve encountered no negative effects at all.
Lastly, when sweaters do pill simply run an emery board or nail file over them. It picks up the little nubbins beautifully.
I have Audie Charles, of Hayward and now Anderson & Sheppard, to thank for most of these practical tips. She promises more pointers in a blog once the A&S haberdashery gets up and running. We can’t wait, Audie.
Photo: Andy Barnham
I find that a cashmere comb
from Johnstons of Elgin removes pills beautifully.
Is there anything one can do with wool that has been inadvertently “fuzzed” with velcro? I recently wrecked a £200 margiela jumper by wearing it under a motorbike jacket. The shawl collar and velcro became one…
Should this advice apply to other forms of wool as well? Air-drying a sweater seems like a dicey proposition, as I would worry about mildew. I suppose that’s what all the towel-rolling is for.
Yes, the towel removes most excess, and after that there shouldn’t be much risk if dried in a warm, well ventilated room
Simon,
Do you recommend hand washing all wool pieces (sweaters and trousers) in lieu of dry-cleaning? In addition, what do you recommend in terms of detergent? I recently had a wonderful wool cardigan back from the cleaners with all of its buttons smashed and chipped. I’d very much like to avoid this mistake going forward.
-M
Sweaters should be hand washed and rack dried – roll in a towel to get rid of most moisture, then dry flat on a rack.
Tailoring should be kept clean by being pressed, steamed or spot cleaned with a sponge and a little soap. Then dry clean when needed.
Hi Simon, you have a recommendation for a good everyday laundry detergent? Thank you
I don’t use specialist laundry detergents. It’s mostly about washing delicate, line or rack drying etc, rather than the detergent