Allow 24 hours before wearing a wool garment again. The natural resiliency of wool fabric will allow wrinkles to fall out and the original shape to bounce back.
Soil and dust can be removed from wool fabric by brushing lengthwise with a garment brush. Wool garments with heavily napped surfaces should be brushed regularly. Finer wool fabric should be restored using a damp cloth instead of a brush.
If a wool garment gets damp, hang it out of direct sunlight. Be sure to brush it after it is dry.
If a label says "Dry Clean Only" take the garment to a professional dry cleaner for the best results. You may choose to hand wash the garment instead. However, the garment probably hasn't been treated for washability. Washing may result in some shrinkage, loss of color, and/or the fabric may lose some of its softness.
Removing Stains from Wool Fabric
Try to treat stains immediately to prevent them from setting into the fabric.
With a clean white cloth, blot to remove as much of the stain as possible. Do NOT rub.
Take garments with stubborn stains to the dry cleaner as soon as possible. This includes stains caused by paint, dyes, nail polish, etc.
Have a bottle of stain or spot removal solution on hand for oil based stains such as oil, make-up, or chocolate. Make sure that the product you use is safe for wool fabric. Test the solution on an inconspicuous area before using on the stain.
Be sure to remove stains before pressing. Heat can cause stains to set in wool fabric.
Hand Washing Wool Fabric
Clean wool fabric using a mild detergent in lukewarm water. Never use hot water! Do NOT use bleach. bleach dissolves wool fabric.
Completely cover the garment in water and soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Gently squeeze to allow water to penetrate the fabric. Do NOT wring the garment.
Rinse thoroughly with cool water to remove all traces of soap.
Squeeze gently to remove excess water. Do NOT wring the garment.
To dry, lay the garment on a flat surface, reshaping if necessary and allow to dry away from direct sunlight and heat. Do NOT hang to dry. This will cause the wool fabric to stretch from the weight of the water that has soaked into the fibers.
Never put wool clothing in the dryer! The combination of heat, friction and pressure will cause shrinkage.
Ironing Wool Fabric
Set iron for WOOL setting.
Add water to the iron. Always use steam heat when pressing. Never iron wool fabric dry.
Squeeze gently to remove excess water. Do NOT wring the garment.
Press garment on the inside of the garment to avoid surface shine.
Use a pressing cloth when top pressing. A clean white handkerchief or cotton cloth may also be used.
When pressing napped fabrics, place a piece of the same fabric or a thick terry cloth towel on the ironing board to prevent crushing.
If napped wool fabric is slightly scorched when pressing, rub lightly with an emery board. A diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide may be used for a more severe scorch. Be sure to test on a hidden area first.
Shine created by pressing may be reduced by sponging white vinegar on surface of wool garment. Rinse thoroughly.
Some recommended notions for someone with a lot of wool to press are a steam iron, a tailor's ham for pressing curved areas such as collars and lapels, a seam roll for pressing seams open without making a visible seam edge, a point presser for hard-to-reach places, and a press cloth.
Wool Fabric, Clothing, and Blanket Storage
To prevent the invasion of the clothes moth, brush wool with a fabric brush before storing.
Clean the garment or blanket. Food stains and body oils attract moths. Dry cleaning or laundering kills moth eggs and larvae.
Store cleaned wool fabric in airtight bags or containers with tight-fitting lids. When folding, add white tissue paper between folds to prevent wrinkling.
Add mothballs to the container. Do NOT put them directly on the fabric. Hang them in small loosely woven cloth bags near the fabric. Clothing will need to be aired out after removing from storage to remove the mothball odor. |
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Please note :Be sure to test the fabric for colorfastness. Do not use bleach if your fabric is colorfast.
Milk or Egg Products
Rinse well in cool water. Presoak with detergent and powdered bleach in cool or warm water. Follow Package directions for dissolving bleach. Launder in cold water with detergent and liquid bleach.
Blood
Rinse in cool water and pre-treat with liquid bleach or bleach. Rinse and repeat if necessary. Launder in cool water with bleach.
Candle Wax
Harden the wax by either applying ice or placing the garment in the freezer. Scrape off as much of the frozen wax as possible, then launder with bleach and detergent in the hottest water recommended for the fabric. Repeat the laundering procedure until all the color from the wax is gone. Do not dry the garment until the wax color is completely removed.
Baby Formula
Soak in cool water. Pretreat with Stain Out or bar soap and rub gently. Wash with detergent and bleach, or bleach.
Ink- Ballpoint
Apply liquid bleach or rubbing alcohol. Rub on detergent and launder with liquid bleach and detergent in hottest water recommended for fabric. Repeat if necessary.
Ink- Felt Pen
May be impossible to remove. Apply liquid bleach and rub on detergent. Rinse. Repeat as necessary. Launder with liquid bleach and detergent in hottest water recommended for fabric.
Perspiration, Deodorants
Launder with liquid bleach and detergent in hottest water recommended for fabric. If stain has caused color change, try to restore by using ammonia on fresh stains, vinegar on old stains. Do not use ammonia or vinegar with liquid bleach.
Yellowing Dinginess
Launder garment in the hottest water recommended for the fabric with bleach and detergent. If the garment is not colorfast then regular bleach is fine.
Pollen
Vacuum, do not brush, as much of the pollen from the garment as possible. Pretreat the area with bleach. Launder normally with bleach and detergent.
Grass
Apply Stain Out and rub gently into stain; let sit 5 minutes. Then wash with detergent and bleach or bleach in the hottest water safe for fabric.
Makeup
Apply prewash stain remover such as Stain Out and gently rub into the stain; let sit for 5 minutes. Then wash with detergent and bleach or bleach in the hottest water the fabric will tolerate.
Scorching
If the damage is severe it may be permanent. Mild scorching can be treated to improve the color by brushing the scorched area and pre-treating it with detergent or bleach. Then launder normally in detergent and bleach.
Coffee, Tea, Wine, Soft Drinks
Pretreat with liquid bleach. Launder right away with detergent and liquid bleach in hottest water recommended for fabric.
Mildew
Mildew can damage the cellulosic structure of fibers as well as many manmade fibers. If the fabric shows no sign of permanent damage treat the mildew by first brushing the area to remove as much of the organism as possible. Pre-treat the area by rubbing with bleach. Launder in the hottest water recommended for the fabric plus bleach. Test for colorfastness. If the garment is not safe in chlorine bleach substitute bleach.
Grease, Butter, Margarine, Oil, Mayonnaise, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Cosmetics
Apply liquid bleach stain remover and rub into stain. Launder with detergent and liquid bleach in hottest water recommended for fabric.
Gravy, Mustard, Ketchup and Other Tomato-Based Products
Presoak in powdered bleach and detergent in warm or hot water. Launder with detergent and liquid bleach. If oily stain remains, use Stain Out on stain and launder again.
Crayons
Place the stained surface down on a pad of paper towels, spray with WD-40, and let stand for a few minutes. Turn the fabric over and spray the other side. Apply liquid dishwashing detergent and work into the stained area. Replace towels as they absorb the stain. Wash in hot water with a laundry detergent and bleach for about 12 minutes (use "heavy soiled" setting if there is no minute timer on your machine), and rinse in warm water.
Fruit-Flavored Drinks, Juices
Soak in cool water. Rub bar soap into the stain or pretreat with liquid bleach. Wash right away with detergent and bleach or bleach in hottest water recommended for fabric.
Dye That Bleeds
Dye transfer is caused when unstable dye colors "bleed" from one fabric to another. Their removal is often difficult. To minimize problem, sort loads by color, and always remove clothes from washer as soon as rinse cycle is complete. Re-launder affected items right away with detergent and liquid bleach. If color remains (on all-white fabrics only) use a packaged color remover or stripper sold under the "Rit" label.
Diaper Stains, Vomit
Rinse off soils. Presoak. Launder in hottest water safe for fabric with appropriate bleach, To kill bacteria that contribute to diaper rash, add liquid bleach to the wash cycle.
Vitamins, Liquid Pain Relievers
Pretreat and let sit for 5 minutes. Launder in hottest water possible, using appropriate bleach.
Mayonnaise, Mustard, Salad Dressing
Pretreat, launder in hottest water safe for fabric, using appropriate bleach. |
