If you use wool nappies, a piece of wool washing soap is handy. The soap contains lanolin (a natural woolfat from sheep) and is therefore also called lanolin soap. Anyone who uses cloth nappies with wool will find the term lanolin familiar. Lanolin makes wool covers water-repellent. Do you have a small stain on your wool cover or a spot that is no longer water-repellent? In this case, you’ll be glad if you have a piece of wool washing soap at home, because with this you can quickly fix it.
What exactly is wool washing soap and what is it used for?
Wool washing soap is a bar of soap that cleans and greases wool at the same time. In other words, it cleans the wool and keeps it water-repellent. If you use cloth nappies with wool, wool washing soap can help you save time while it gently cares for the wool. Since the soap contains lanolin, it is also called lanolin soap. You can use wool washing soap for wool covers in two ways.
First, use it to clean small stains, for example if there is a bit of poop on the cover. That way you don’t have to wash and grease the cover in a full bath, which usually saves aa lot of time. Secondly, wool washing soap is useful when a small area of the cover is leaking. With wool washing soap, you can repair this quickly, without having to re-grease the cover. Frequent treatment in a full lanolin-bath causes over-greasing of the wool. We now explain to you in detail how this works.
Cleaning a stain with wool washing soap
If you use woollen cloth nappies for your baby, it sometimes happens that some poop gets on the cover. In such a case, you’ll be glad if you have a piece of lanolin soap at home. If you don’t have this, you will have to re-wash and grease the cover completely.
Use lanolin soap to clean small stains as follows: wet the stain with lukewarm water (no more than 30°C), directly apply the soap until it starts foaming. Then gently rub the wool together or clean with a soft brush. Rinse with lukewarm water. Do not worry, the pure water does not dissolve the lanolin. If the cover is very wet, you can roll it in a towel to dry faster. Stand on the towel and kick or dance a little bit so that the water from the cover soaks into the towel. Then let the cover dry lying down. When dry it is ready to be used again. Are stains still visible? Lay the cover in the sun briefly, but be careful not to leave the wool too long in the bright sun.
Making a wool cover water-repellent with lanolin soap
Sometimes a wool cover is no longer waterproof in a small spot, even though it does not yet need to be fully re-greased because it is otherwise still greasy enough. In this case, you can make a bath with lanolin soap. Rub the soap by hand in lukewarm water (no more than 30°C) until the water looks milky. The more soap you use, the richer the solution becomes. Place the wool cover in the water and leave it to soak for five minutes. Then rinse the cover with lukewarm water and make a new lanolin soap bath. Therefore, use fresh lukewarm water and again rub in the soap until it is milky. This time, soak the cover for about two hours. Then lay the cover flat drying. It is ready to be use again soon.
If you have a new wool cover, we recommend making a full bath with pure lanolin. We also recommend washing the cover every 2-3 weeks and cleaning it thoroughly once a month. You can read all about washing and cleaning wool in this blog.
What’s so special about Jovoh’s soap?
Jovoh’s wool washing soap has a high lanolin content, which means it cleans and greases wool covers (or clothes) at the same time and ensures they remain water-repellent. The soap is certified according to the EU Cosmetics Regulation and is also suitable as a skin care product (e.g., washing hands or dry skin). Hence, you can put the wool cover on your baby without worry. Jovoh’s lanolin soap contains natural and nourishing ingredients such as lanolin and coconut oil. The soap is handmade by Werfzeep, an artisanal, organic soap factory in Utrecht. Werfzeep uses plants and herbs from the local forest and their own herb garden, which they process into extracts, hydrolates, and essential oils. We are extremely happy that they make such a fine, natural lanolin soap for Jovoh.
Even more great stuff from Jovoh
- Do you need wool covers? In our webshop, you will find beautiful, durable wool covers that are honestly made from the best natural fibres.
- We also have a wide selection of high-quality inserts made from natural and sustanable fibres: from muslin nappies to hemp boosters and from cotton flats to prefolds: we have it all.