Fill a washbasin, large enough to accommodate garment to be washed comfortably, with warm water and add mild soap (If you are using a cold water wool washing liquid, wash and rinse in cold water). Submerge garment and let it soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse clean in warm water.

Squeeze out as much water as possible, but do not wring or twist garment. Then roll garment in absorbent towel and lightly wring or squeeze towel to remove more water. Unwrap garment from towel and lay it flat to dry on a bed or table covered with a fresh dry towel. Shape garment to proper size and dimension. You can also use the spin cycle on your washing machine to remove excess water. Be careful: NO rinsing, just use the spin cycle to remove as much water as possible. Then lay garment flat to dry. Do not dry garment in dryer.

Machine washing

Scarves, hats and mittens can be washed in washing machine on ‘Knit’ or ‘Gentle’ cycle (not regular cycle, because it will agitate woolens too much, causing shrinkage and felting). Set water temperatures to warm water wash and warm water rinse. Add mild soap (not laundry detergent).

If you cannot set wash and rinse temperatures on your washing machine to warm water settings, wash garments by hand. Do not use warm water wash followed by cold water rinse. Switching temperatures causes garments to felt and shrink. Sweaters are better washed by hand. They might become stretched out in the washing machine. To dry, lay garment flat on bed or table covered with towel, shaping it to proper size and dimensions. Do not dry garment in dryer.

Soap for washing woolens

Use soap with a neutral pH. If you are using a soap specifically made for washing woolens, follow the manufacturer’s directions. Strong alkaline solutions, such as laundry detergents, will damage wool. Never use chlorine bleach on wool. At Morehouse Farm, we use Palmolive® dishwashing liquid.

Dry cleaning

You can safely dry clean Morehouse Merino woolens. But frequent chemical dry cleaning may harshen the wool.

Care during storage

Morehouse Merino wool contains no chemical mothproofing. It is therefore important to store woolens properly. Never store woolens for long periods of time without cleaning or washing them first. Wool-eating insects prefer dirty wool to freshly washed woolens. Also clean the storage area, such as the closet, drawers or trunks. Use airtight containers (plastic bins with lids work well) for storage.

Use cedar or herbal moth repellants. A word of caution however: herbal moth repellents and cedar repel moths, they do not eliminate the pest like mothballs do. So if you have a heavy infestation of moths in your house, consider using mothballs first to rid storage areas of the pests. Then switch to a natural form of control. Pack mothballs in small plastic bags or cloth bags (don’t put them directly on woolens), then put in storage containers together with the woolens.   > Lavender Moth Repellent Sachets

Ironing woolens