How to wash cashmere: detailed instructions

Cashmere is perfect for the winter season. This soft, lightweight and breathable material keeps you warm without making you sweat. Another advantage is its durability. With proper handling, a cashmere sweater will easily outlive half of the wardrobe.

The material is considered difficult to care for, because it is sensitive to water temperature and mechanical stress. In fact, once you figure out how to properly care for such things, and washing cashmere at home will be an easy task that will save time and money.

What to Consider Before Washing Cashmere

Always check the care label before washing. If they are not followed, clothes can be easily ruined - they may lose their color or shape.

When a manufacturer recommends leaving a cashmere item in the hands of specialists, do not neglect the advice. Dry cleaning is much better at handling, for example, lined coats and jackets, items with a complex structure and an abundance of details.

But the basic cashmere products - sweaters, scarves, hats, skirts and trousers of a simple cut - you can wash at home. You just need to follow a few simple rules.

How often to wash cashmere

Unlike other winter items, cashmere sweaters, dresses or scarves only need to be refreshed once or twice a season, especially if you rarely wear them. Experts also advise wash cashmere after 7-10 uses and at the very end of the season. More often it’s definitely not worth it, this can lead to the fact that the product sits down or rolls up.

How to wash cashmere by hand

• Treat stains first. Apply a small amount of a stain remover suitable for cashmere to food marks, sweat in the armpits, on soiled areas on the neck and cuffs. Gently work the product into the fabric with your fingertips. Try not to rub the material to avoid damaging it, and do not use bleach products.
• Fill a suitable container with cool water. If you are washing large items, such as a blanket, it is best to do this in the bath; a sink is suitable for small ones. While the water is being collected, add detergent to it, and when it is completely dissolved, carefully lower the cashmere into it. It is best to take special detergents for washing delicate fabrics or use a children's shampoo.
• Gently, without straining your fingers, move the item back and forth and up and down so that the soapy water passes through the fabric. For best results, let the cashmere soak for a maximum of 30 minutes.
• Drain and rinse the product. If you have a faucet spray nozzle, use it to rinse small items like a scarf or hat. For larger items, it is best to refill the sink or bathtub with cool water, dip the cashmere into it and gently shake it with clean hands. Repeat this step until the soap scum is completely gone.
• Squeeze out the water. It is best to do this while the item is in the sink or tub. Lifting wet cashmere is not the best idea - it can stretch and lose its shape. It is also not worth twisting it, so as not to damage the delicate fibers. Instead, ball up the item and gently squeeze out the water. Or spread on a flat surface white towel, put a thing on it, and then roll everything together into a roll, gently pressing so that the towel absorbs moisture.

How to wash cashmere in the washing machine

Check the clothing tag and follow the manufacturer's instructions. In general, when machine washable things from cashmere, you need to take two important steps:

1. Turn the item inside out and place it in a mesh bag for washing delicate items. This will protect the cashmere from excessive friction, which can stretch the fabric and lead to pilling.
2. Choose the most delicate cycle with a water temperature not higher than 30–40 ° C and a gentle spin mode, no more than 400–600 revolutions.

How to dry cashmere

After hand or machine washing, cashmere items are dried in the same way. Find a flat horizontal surface, put a white towel on it, and the washed product on top. Give it its original shape and leave to dry naturally. When the front is dry, turn the item over and let the back dry.

Do not hang wet cashmere clothing or leave it in direct sunlight or near a heat source such as battery or heater. This can cause the item to stretch, shrink, or turn yellow.

How to care for cashmere

If you need to get rid of wrinkles after washing, use a garment steamer instead of an iron. The direct heat and pressure exerted by the iron robs the delicate material of its natural elasticity, making it less soft and fluffy.

In addition, even on the highest quality cashmere, pellets appear sooner or later. Over time, the thin fibers tear from constant friction and form unsightly balls. To get rid of them, with one hand, gently stretch the dry material until the wrinkles are gone, and with the other, carefully run it with a trimmer or a clothes razor. This will allow remove the pelletswithout cutting the fabric.

How to store cashmere

Cashmere clothing is best stored folded in a drawer or on a shelf in a closet. If you hang it on a coat hanger, it will stretch out and lose its shape.