Care:  no need to wash after each wear
Wool sweaters (cashmere, merino, angora, etc) do not need to be washed after each wear.  If some care is taken, washing can be avoided.  For example, wear a light t-shirt under your sweater to protect it from body odors or hang your sweater outside for 15-30 min. to freshen it if you have worn it to a restaurant and it smells of food.  Spot cleaning can be great too as long as the garment is colourfast! (See notes below re: colourfast)

Washing: say “no thanks” to dry cleaners
When your sweater needs to be cleaned, avoid taking it to a dry cleaner.  Dry cleaning solvents are very harsh and drying on fibres, not to mention their damage to the environment.  However, if you have a cleaner who does “Wet Cleaning”, that process can be a garment and earth-friendly option.  Also, lined suits, jackets, pants and skirts need a professional cleaner for proper pressing. 

Washing: wash at home by hand and/or machine
Most delicate fibres can easily be taken care of at home with a good quality, no rinse soap (like Eucalan).  Silk, wool, cashmere, embellished garments, rayon and delicate lace items can all be easily laundered. Set your front load machine on the rinse and spin cycle.  Put Eucalan in the fabric dispenser drawer and then run the cycle.  For a top loader, fill machine with desired amount of water and Eucalan then add garments.  Gently squeeze water and soap through fibre with your hands and allow to soak for 15 min.  Then simply turn the dial to spin and spin the water out.  By hand, simply soak the garment in a basin of water and Eucalan, gently massage with hands and then squeeze excess water out.  Lay knits flat to dry and see drying instructions below.

A few tips to know before washing:
1.  For woolens in particular, ‘no-rinse’ is an important concept. Wool fibre has barbs on it that have a tendency to link together when agitated or washed in the wrong temperature of water.  This leads to “felting” and shrinking.  Using a no-rinse product ensures that the water temperature is not being changed between the wash and rinse water.  It also means that you are not handling the fibres very much which decreases your chance of “felting” it.  The lanolin in Eucalan is a natural conditioner for wool, so it helps to increase the loft of the fibre and decrease the itchiness of wool by relaxing the barbs.

2.  When a label says “Dry Clean”, try Eucalan on an inconspicuous spot and test for colour-fastness.  If it is colourfast, launder according to instructions on the bottle.  When a label says “Dry Clean Only” it is best to use a reputable Wet Cleaner.  That being said, many people have cleaned garments that are labeled “Dry Clean Only” at home when the dry cleaner has declined to launder the item.

3. Colourfast: when colour runs or bleeds when wet
To test for colour-fastness use a white piece of 100% cotton and get it wet with water.  Pat the cotton on an inconspicuous spot on the garment.  If colour transfers onto the cotton, then the garment is not colour-fast and you should use caution when laundering.  If colour does not transfer onto the white cotton, then the colour is fast and can safely be immersed in water.

Drying:  No Dryers Please!
After washing, squeeze the water out of your sweater and then roll it in a clean dry towel to remove excess moisture.  Or spin the water out in your washing machine.  Then “block” the sweater on a sweater drying rack or a dry towel.  Blocking is simply shaping the sweater back into its original shape.  Allow to dry away from direct sunlight or heat.
Do not put delicates in the dryer as the heat is devastating to fibres.

Ironing:  Sure!    
Start by ensuring you are using a clean iron!
Cashmere or wool – use the wool setting on your iron and with a pressing cloth, iron on the wrong side (the inside) of the fabric. 
Silk – iron on the silk setting while the garment is still very damp.
Rayon – follow directions on clothing label – we recommend using a pressing cloth

Pilling:
Even high quality cashmere, wool etc. may pill.  Pills are the little balls of fibre that start to gather on your sweater typically in areas where there is friction.  These can be quickly removed with a small hand held electric de-fuzzer, a sweater stone, or if you’ve got a lot of time, by picking them off.  This keeps your sweater looking fresh and new.

Lint Removing:
Have you ever had an excited golden retriever rub up against your dark wool pants?  Garments have a tendency to pick up pet hair, people hair, and fluff.  Keep your clothes neat and tidy by using Eucalan’s lint removers (sticky paper) to remove those unwanted particles.  Keep them in your purse, car or at the office for those on-the-go emergencies.

Storing:
When you are finished wearing your cashmere, wool etc. for the season, it is important to put it away clean and in a sealed container if possible.  Pests such as moths like body smells and will quickly eat a hole in your treasured sweater if not stored properly.  Also, body oils, perfumes and deodorants can discolour fabric over time.  Wash the garment in a soap that contains an essential oil known to deter pests, such as eucalyptus, lavender or cedar.  In addition, you can purchase sachets of lavender or cedar disks to put in the container with your garment.

This article appears courtesy of Eucalan.