Clothes made of wool materials such as cashmere, yak and camel require some extra care. We at Ayo Oslo want your garments to last as long as possible. Therefore, we have made a simple step by step list for you on how to wash wool. But before you start, always ask yourself if the garment really needs a wash. Can the stain be wiped off with a cloth? Can any odor be removed by airing the garment? Preferably, wool should not be washed too often to avoid drying out the wool fibers. But sometimes it is necessary. Which is why we have made this list for you. If you follow it, your wool garments will last for many, many years.

1. Go over the garment and look for stains

Start by going over the garment and look for stains. Some stains are actually possible to get rid of  by scraping them off with your finger nail. If you find stains that go deeper, you can rub detergent directly on the stain and let it soak in. It is best to use a detergent that is meant for wool. Wool garments do not tolerate bleach, so never bleach your woollens.

2. Wash by hand or in a machine

When you need to wash the garment, you can either wash it by hand or by machine. It is important in both cases that the water is maximum 30 degrees (celsius), and that it is washed with similar colors.

For hand wash of wool:

• Use liquid detergent suitable for wool in a washbasin. Let the wool garment soak for 10 minutes.
• Remove excess water from the garment by rolling it into a ball and squeezing gently. Never twist the wool garment because it can easily lose its fit.
• Rinse the soapy water with clean water and place the garment in the sink and rinse.
• Repeat the rinsing process as many times as necessary to remove all of the detergent.

For machine washing of wool:

• Choose either a program suitable for wool or hand washing, depending on which programs your machine has.
• Make sure that the temperature is at a maximum of 30 degrees (celsius).
• Have a maximum of 600 revolutions per minute (rpm).
• Avoid having more than 3-4 garments in the machine at a time.
• Do not leave the garments in the machine for too long, preferably remove them immediately.

3. Squeeze out water

It is important that you squeeze water out of your wool garment, do not twist it. Lay the garment flat on a towel and roll it into a sausage. This is the most gentle way to get excess water out of your woolen clothes.

4. Let it dry flat

Wool garments should never be dried hanging over a string or on a coat hanger. That makes them lose their shape. The best way to dry woolen garments is to lay them flat over a drying rack. Let it dry at normal room temperature. Preferably avoid direct sunlight and other heat sources. If you do not have enough space on the drying rack, you can lay the garments on a dry towel on the floor.

5. Go over the garment and remove pilling by hand

With clothes made of natural materials such as cashmere, yak and camel pilling is  inevitable. This is because the shortest fibers come loose and accumulate in small balls. Areas of the garment where there is the most friction will often get the most bumps. For example, under the arms, or on your shoulders where your bag is.

An electric pilling remover breaks the fibers. This causes more pilling to occur. The most gentle way to remove pilling is actually to pick them off by hand. We know it sounds time consuming. However, it is worth it!

6. Use an iron if necessary

If you want to make the final finish on your garment, you can go over it with an iron on low heat. Shape the garment to its original shape if it has lost its shape in wash, and iron the garment carefully. Focus especially on seams and edges. Always wear a cloth between the iron and your wool garment.

And now your wool garment is as good as new!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help you!