Genius Tips
It’s Springtime Somewhere
Here’s a confession: I didn’t wash my handknit sweaters and store them away this past spring. This may be because unseasonably cool weather kept me wearing my sweaters well into May, or it may be garden-variety sloth—always a factor!
The other day, when I faced into a sloppy stack of unwashed sweaters while looking for a tank top, I realized that a heat wave is the perfect time for a Ma Ingalls-style outdoor laundry day.
MDK’s customer service team does a brisk business in fiber-care questions. After a lifetime of making and wearing natural-fiber knits, I’ve got a really simple answer. It works for every sweater I own, and many other things too:
- Cool, gentle soak, preferably with a squirt of Soak Laundry Soap in the water.
- Squeeze or spin out the water—gently—until the item is merely damp. (Do not even think of wringing or twisting.)
- Pat it into shape on a flat, snag-free surface, such as a towel on a table.
- Air dry.
This recipe works for knits made of wool, alpaca, cashmere, mohair, silk, and all plant fibers, and it doesn’t harm synthetics, either.
Finer Points
If you’re worried about colors bleeding, put a couple of color catchers in the soaking water. What is a color catcher? It’s a sheet that absorbs dye that has leached into laundry water—using science! (There are many online sellers, and you can also find them in the laundry aisle of a well-stocked supermarket.)
If you’re doing a bunch of sweaters and have an old-fashioned top-loader washing machine, you can soak them in the machine—no agitation!—and spin out the excess water. Don’t try this with mohair or super-soft cashmere, though—I learned that lesson the hard way; they felted. When in doubt, gentler is best.
I never put a handknit in the dryer. No, not even superwash yarns! My feeling is: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. We all last longer, and look better, with gentle treatment.
The only exception is my Rowan Denim sweaters. Fading and shrinking are the whole point of the yarn, so I wash and dry them like I’m a college freshman.
Extra Credit
For a final touch that will make you feel extra smug, use a Lilly Brush or your depiller of choice to sweep away any stray nubbins dotting the surface. This will make the sweater look like new.
I’m always interested in fiber-care tips—my sweaters are Precious To Me. What are your tricks? Put them in the comments below, and thank you!
P.S. This one is not handknit related, but as long as you have a bottle of Soak on hand, it will save you a ton of money on dry cleaning, and save the earth from chemicals and plastic.
Here you go: Woven silk fabrics are washable. Even the shiny silk satins with 8 DRY CLEAN ONLY labels sewn into them. Wash your silk shirt as described above, be horrified at how crispy—no, cardboardy!— it looks when dry, then apply steam from a steamer or steam iron and watch the magic happen.
I am a certified ’80s girl who loves a silk charmeuse blouse, and I have not dry cleaned one since the early 2000s.
I use a salad spinner to start the drying process. Works wonders! It makes my husband cringe every time, but hey, I’m washing it thoroughly right after, so no problem.
I would need a much bigger salad spinner. Instead, I pop the sweater into a mesh bag and hang it over the sink until it stops dripping, then do the traditional roll in a towel method.
Lay the just washed knit on a towel. Roll up the towel amd stomp on it to get out the excess water. Unroll. Transfer garment to another dry towel, and pat out. Air dry.
I do this, too!
We are anticipating some fallout (flooding) here from Debby and all the while I was reading this I was thinking how can I incorporate your excellent laundry instructions into packing our car for the worst. Do I hurriedly wash the cashmere sweater in Soak and then squeeze it and spread it out against the back seat of the getaway car or quickly gather up the mohair in a waterproof bag. Never mind the extra underwear and the can opener for the survival tunafish and soup and the precious list of Passwords. Let me grab some knitting needles and some skeins of Fisherman’s Wool – good yardage and doesn’t need to be laundered for months….But given that all that is not likely to be needed I love the instructions for the silk fabrics. Ditto anything made with cardboardy Tencel…..and oh yes a skein of Simply Soft for that cute little chihuahua paddling in the flood waters. He’s going to be shivering when we rescue from the onslaught and he needs something not scratchy.
I’m so glad chihuahua rescue is part of the plan! And seriously, be safe.
Appreciate your insights! Thank you
Yikes! Thanks for moving me to dig out my sweaters, hand knit and store bought, and giving them a wash. This heat is a perfect time to spread them out on the picnic table in the sun! You always write with a marvelous sense of humor which takes the “chore” out of “chore”!
Just beware of birds flying overhead and leaving a gift on your knitwear! Yes, it happened to me…
I appreciate the washing instructions, but how do you store them. I live in an area where they can get eaten by moths. I use moth traps around my closet and where ever I have yarn. But I don’t know what to do with sweaters I usually keep in a drawer. Do you use moth balls (ones that are unscented)? I have cedar balls in the drawer, but I don’t feel confident this is enough. Any suggestions?
Here in the UK there’s a product called Mothstop and I slip a couple of sachets into the Ziplock bag before storing.
A good old fashioned cedar chest. Woolens spend the summer in the chest (which was my mother’s) out in my garage. First the ones that need it get hand washed, of course.
I use giant ziplock bags that you can find in some larger supermarkets or big box stores, or on Amazon. They can hold quite a few. If you have some cedar balls or blocks, sure, add them!
I watch carefully for moths, but I also use some very high quality lavender essential oil as a deterrent. This isn’t a Walmart $8 bottle, it was like $22 and from a fancy natural store, 100% lavender oil, no additives or thinners. Every couple of month through the summer (and last winter when I had a newborn and didn’t feel confident wearing hand knit sweater with him, so next winter too), I opened my storage and heavily sprinkled. My theory is if I can’t still smell lavender when I open it I’ve waited too long.
Can you post a link where to buy the fancy lavender oil?
Also, when I get worried about yarn or a sweater getting moths, I put them in the freezer for a couple of days. Sometimes I put my whole sock collection in the freezer. Then into a big zip lock bag.
Here in the UK there’s a product called Mothstop and I slip a couple of sachets into the Ziplock bag before storing.
Here’s a post from Kate Atherley with great tips on moth protection: https://loom.moderndailyknitting.com/community/on-moths/
I have a front load washer and always use the spin and drain cycle at a lower spin speed to get the excess water out after soaking. The garments come out so dry they dry the rest of the way overnight.
Yes, my LG front loader works well for all my knits. I use the “Handwash” cycle, cold water, and Soak. I usually do five at a time of similar colours because that’s how much space I have to dry them flat. They dry very quickly, too.
And I agree about just using Soak for things that say they need to be dry cleaned. I haven’t taken anything to the dry cleaners in years although, to be fair, I don’t have high-end tailored/lined clothing like suit jackets any more, either.
I once completely felted a sweater using the spin cycle on my front loader (I bought a top loading washer the next time). Watch it carefully – my washer tried to balance the load and it kneaded my sweater into something I mourned for a year. That said, if it just spins, it’ll be OK. Just be careful.
Yup, me too.
Just discovered my husband used these settings on my recently knit and worn Frequency Sweater. I about had a heart attack but sweater (and hubby) survived.
yikes!
That’s a great tip! I don’t have that cycle on my machine but I’m going to google. It would save me a lot of wet towels from the roll & stomp method!
I have that setting too and use it all the time but didn’t realize it has a speed selection button, thank you Carol! It works really well.
I completely agree with hand-washing silk. My mother always said silk fabric has been around for far longer than dry cleaning and you can hand wash anything with care.
I put large knitted objects in a huge stainless steel mesh colander inside the bowl I use for soaking. I lift the colander out and let the knitting drain, then gently press it (still in the colander) to get most of the water out. Then on to roll-in-a-towel and stomp.
I use the soak on all my knits but have worried each time about colors bleeding. Can you recommend the color catcher you use please? Thanks
I discovered a product called Synthrapol that you add to the wash water, it works great. I tested it on Darn Good Yarn silk yarn which always bleeds, and the water stayed clear. It only needs a little bit.
My current box is Haggin Family Company’s Color Keeper, but they all seem to work the same.
Shout makes one
Years ago I purchased a spin dryer from Dharma Trading Company (yes…) I’m sure it is twice the price these days but so worth it. I hand wash my sweaters the same way Kay outlines, then put them in the spin dryer and lay them out flat. They dry so quickly, especially outside on a good ‘drying day!’
I have one too, and it was one of the very best knitting related purchases I have ever made.
I usually use the towel roll and stomp method too and lay flat on a plastic drop cloth on the bed with the ceiling fan on high. I found that they dry much faster this way than on a towel.
Also re; moths, this article has good info too: https://www.knittersreview.com/slow-stashing-and-spring-cleaning
Someone, I think Andrea Mowry, recommends doing the final drying process on top of plastic garbage bags on the hood of your car. Of course, she hasn’t seen my car or garage
Using my top loader’s spin cycle has been LIFE altering. Now things dry in a few hours tops, even thick sweaters.
The first time I did it I was terrified. But there is no agitation happening. It sure beats the towel rolling and squeezing rigmarole.
That first soak should not be too long. I did once soaked a light blue sweater too long (can’t remember how long it was) and it came out kinda “marbled”. Ouch! This being a light shade to begin with I did not expect it would happen…
And re dry cleaning – absolutely , only structured jackets/blazers deserve that treatment. And we are at the laundry theme – all white linen or cotton get boiling water soapy soak as well – becoming brilliant white (BTW nothing ever shrunk for me despite the heat).
It is always great to get these care tips. Thank you.
It’s a lot of work caring for knits but it was also a lot of work making them . We want them to look good and wear well.
Ty
My comment was going to be about using a salad spinner and I see I am not the only one. However, I finally bought one that I use just for my knits. A salad spinner really works great to get out the extra water. I still roll my knits in a towel and press out even more water.
I use a yoga mat for drying my washed knits on. Its just like those interlocking blocking mats.
My only use of a dryer for knits is to remove lint with a few minutes on “air only” (no heat, but I do set it to low just as a backup). I leave the wool balls and dyer sheets in the dryer. I actually do this for all items I air dry, which includes most of my clothes.
(At this point, it’s hard to remember any cold spell last spring!)
I turn my top-loading washer to the rinse cycle and let it do its thing with the lid open. As long as the lid is open it won’t drain. I add the cleaning agent (I’m partial to Eucalan) so it can get dissolved. When the action is over, I add my knits and let them soak, then close the lid and let them spin then dry then lay them on a towel or even hang on the line! Usually all done by the next day (they hang in the basement unless it’s a warm day).
Second all the home cleaning of silk!
I recently bought a Strucket, and it has made washing my hand knits so much easier. The strainer is built into the bucket, so when you are done washing, you lift the strainer up and set it on the edge of the bucket so the water drains from the garment into the bucket. It’s made blocking blankets and sweaters much easier. You still do the towel routine, or spinning, but no more sink or bathtub. And when you are done it is easy to let the water out.
I don’t tend to use it for small knits like socks or cowls, but I love it for everything else.
Best line ever: “so I wash and dry them like I’m a college freshman.”
I hand washed a million of my husband’s wool sweaters and after gently wringing in a rolled up towel put them out on the driveway on beach towels to dry ….. turning and blocking them so carefully…. And about 5:47 pm he pulled into the garage having just RUN OVER all of them.
O M G… I think he got knocked off the knit-worthy list by doing that…
I just can’t even!
nooooooo!
For moths I finally tried the trichogramma parasitic wasps this year. Worked a treat, completely imperceptibly. My pheromone traps are just collecting dust since then, both in my sweater storage and in my yarn stash. This is one source (in the US): https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/products/trchogramma-caterpillar-and-moth-control?variant=23314962307
Storing your wool away from the little munching moths, I too live in an area where this is a worry. In the spring I take a week or 2 for conversion of the wardrobe. All sweaters.get laundered, blocked and dried. I then put them in faint zip lock bags with lavender bags. These bags go into LARGE plastic totes with more lavender. You can also use cedar products but I am allergic. If your really wanting to be aggressive, get moth traps from Amazon. A little pricey but they really work. I refuse to lose anymore woolen treasures to little buggies!
My favorite tip for preventing moths from munching your sweaters: FREEZE THEM! I live in Maine and one year discovered serious damage including a hand knit Irish fisherman knit made decades ago…SOB! A quilty friend told me when winter comes, put your sweaters in a latched bin or box outside on the porch for at least 24 hours when the temperatures are below freezing. For those of you who don’t live in Mother Nature’s freezer zone, pop a sweater or two into a very large (2 gallon maybe?) ziplock baggie, and put them in your fridge’s freezer, again for at least 24 hours. I haven’t had any moth damage since. Using the baggie method takes a lot longer because you have to swap them out. But really, use a bin (ahem….or two….) with a brick on top to prevent the bin from being blown off the porch if you live somewhere cold; I now swear by freezing! And I can grab the quart of ice cream at the same time. ; )
Or when there’s snow in the forecast, you can lay them out on your deck or wherever there’s a horizontal surface with clean snow on it. Let the new snow bury your sweaters. Leave them for a day or two, and when you bring them in they’re beautifully refreshed as well as free of moths.
Great info! Thanks.
Thanks, Kay! I was thinking it was about time for an article on knitwear care and this one is spot on. As for washing woven silk, in the 70’s, a friend fashioned a full-out, flouncy, down the aisle wedding dress of white silk for her soon-to-be sister-in-law. When she finished it she washed it in the washing machine. Came out luminous.
Great article. Totally agree. Also, sweaters don’t need to be washed as often as we do. Put on a hanger and let it air for a day. Then decide if it needs a bath. Sloth is not always bad. Be gentle.
If you do decide to dry your freshly washed woolen outside, please consider bagging the dry item and putting it into the freezer for at least 72 hours to destroy any moth eggs or larvae that may be planning a hitch-hike into your closet.
One of the best tips I ever found on Ravelry: I put my soaked sweaters into the salad spinner after gently squeezing them. It works like magic!
After a two decades of theatrical and dance costume building and tons of costume laundry from sweaty actors and dancers, I can concur with the tips people provided, and add a couple.
Silk and other protein fibers are actually strongest when wet, so they stand up to the handling needed to launder them better than most people think. Those dry clean only tags are there for product liability control! Silk fibre will change texture and “full” or fluff out with moisture, so if you want the flatter, harder, shinier surface back, IRON IT FROM WET condition, not after it dries. The weight of the iron plus heated steam is required. If you like the soft drape, steam it when dry or nearly dry.
Also, the trade secret for stinky wool clothes that have to wait until “dark” day or show closing to get cleaned—vodka spray to the pits, crotch, collar, etc. Buy cheap unflavored vodka and put it in a spray bottle. Turn the garments inside out and the offending areas with the spray before garments are air dried. No harm, and the alcohol breaks down odor causing sweat. Do not ever do this to sequined or beaded garments until you invert the garment and tuck the embellishments out of the path of the spray, as some beads and sequins are dyed and can be affected by alcohol.
Final tip: those big mesh bags are great for knits that get gently soak washed in a machine or even a tub, as the bags keep snags from happening. Wash on with confidence!
I love the lovely scents of Soak wool wash. Thanks for all the tips on washing my knits. I’m wanting to start knitting my first sweater this year.
I wash my wool knitted sweaters and also my cashmere sweaters in laundry bags with 1T of ORVUS soap in a top loading washer on the delicate setting. ORVUS soap is used to wash the manes and tails in grooming horses, This was recommended by a professional knitting instructor. It can be found at most farm supply stores.
Yes, it’s also recommended for old textiles, as is Synthrapol.
I love SOAK, especially the Fig fragrance. My care is much like yours, but I do put linen in the dryer sometimes. (Just finished a DanDoh Joinery and tried to “block aggressively” per instructions. Aggressively is a relative term. The result was big and baggy, but a SOAK and spin, then the dryer and the fit is perfect. As for my vintage Liz silk charmeuse blouse, washer and dryer every time. After 25+ years, what could be the harm? I also use the stomp and roll method mentioned below after a bathroom sink wash. The bonus is a damp towel for a quick once-over the bathroom floor. I often throw a pre-measured swatch in the laundry with towels or jeans just to see what the worst outcome would be.
My two cents on drying: don’t let them lay on a wet towel. I have had too many musty, stinky items because of laying on that wet towel. I lay mine out on my blocking mats (mine are those locked other exercise mats. I got an eight pack on Amazon.) and then put a little rotating desk fan blowing over the top of them and voilá! Dried knits in record time.
Very informent Loved it