Wool is an ancient, natural fibre that we are seeing more and more in our daily lives. From clothes to blankets and socks to cloth diapers. Wool has numerous advantages: it regulates temperature and stays warm even when wet. Moreover, wool is dirt-repellent, which means you need to wash it much less often than other fabrics. Washing wool is not difficult, but you need to know how to do it so that you can enjoy it for a long time. In this blog, you can read about the best way to wash and dry wool, plus some handy tips for cleaning wool diaper covers.
What makes wool special?
Wool is a natural fibre with unique properties that other (synthetic) fibres, for example polyester, do not have. Wool breathes, can regulate temperature and is antibacterial. Because wool is dirt-repellent, you need to wash wool much less often than cotton or polyester, for example. Actually, it is best to wash wool as little as possible. Let it air regularly.
Wash wool as little as possible, but as often as necessary
Washing wool without damaging it
Many people think washing wool is complicated. Once you know what to look out for, washing wool is actually simple. The most important thing to consider is that wool is sensitive to temperature fluctuations. If you wash wool in the washing machine on a normal program, they are likely to shrink. This is not necessarily because wool cannot withstand high temperatures. You can even boil wool. However, what wool cannot handle well are large temperature fluctuations or intensive movement combined with high temperatures. The solution therefore is simple:
Wash wool with lukewarm water (30 °C at most), by hand or on the wool program in the washing machine. Make sure you use special detergent suitable for wool.
Washing wool by hand
The most thorough way to wash wool is by hand. It will last the longest if you don’t treat the wool to roughly. Washing wool by hand is as follows: fill a tub, bucket, or the sink with lukewarm water (30 °C at most). Add a little wool detergent or olive soap and put your wool garment in the soapy water. Gently knead the garment for a few minutes to get it thoroughly clean. Let it soak for another 10 minutes and then rinse the garment well with lukewarm water.
Washing wool in the washing machine
If your washing machine has a wool program, you can also wash your wool items (e.g., clothes, blankets) with this. Wash at 30 °C and 600 rpm maximum. Washing wool in the washing machine is usually slightly less accurate than by hand, but of course easy.
Drying wool: here’s what to look out for
You now know how to wash wool without damaging it. It is also important to handle wool carefully during drying. Do not wrung wool as the fibres can damage and felt. If the wool is soaking wet, for example after a hand wash, gently squeeze out the water and place the wool garment on a towel. Roll up the towel and stand on it. Then kick or dance a little on the towel so that the water from the wool soaks into the towel. Then lay the wool to dry lying down on a rack. Do not hang wool or dry it on the heater. You can dry wool outside, but not in bright sunlight for too long.
Washing wool covers
Those unfamiliar with wool may find it hard to believe, but wool is also an excellent fibre for cloth nappies. Wool is water-repellent and can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture. It is hence great as outer fabric for cloth nappy covers. So, isn’t it unhygienic? On the contrary. Because of wool’s dirt-repellent and antibacterial properties, wool nappies are much less likely to smell. They do not need to be washed as often as synthetic fibres, such as PUL (Polyurethane Laminate) coated cloth nappy covers.
If your child has only peed in the nappy, you merely need to wash the cover once every 2-3 weeks on average. Airing out is often enough. Unless the wool cover starts to smell or yellow urine stains appear, it is better to wash it as soon as possible. Of course, if poop gets on the wool cover, you should clean it right away. If it is just a little bit, you can easily and quickly clean it with wool washing soap (lanolin soap).
If you want to wash the cover more thoroughly, you can do this by hand or in the wool program of the washing machine, as described above. It is important to keep cloth nappies hygienically clean. Hence, it is recommended to clean them thoroughly every now and then with e.g., a wool detergent or olive soap. In the following overview, we have summarized exactly how washing wool covers works.
The best way to wash Jovoh wool covers
General cleaning with wool detergent
A wool cover must be washed every 2-3 weeks, depending on how often you use it. You can do this by hand or in the washing machine’s wool program, at a maximum of 30 °C. Therefore, use a regular wool detergent. Occasionally, a more thorough cleaning is needed, as wool detergent is not made to deeply clean wool from urine and poop.
Thorough and deep cleaning with olive soap
It is advisable to thoroughly hand wash wool covers about once a month. Otherwise urine stone can build up, which is difficult to remove from the wool. Normal dirt is easily removed with soapy water (made from e.g., olive soap). It gently cleans the wool without overloading it. A bar of olive soap is especially suitable for targeted stain removal. Rub the stains directly with the soap bar.
Simultaneous cleaning and greasing with lanolin soap
If a little poop got on the wool, treat it immediately with a wool washing soap (also called lanolin soap). Wet the wool with water and treat the stains directly with the soap bar. You can also gently rub the wool together or clean it with a soft brush. Afterwards, rinse the cover with fresh water. Wool washing soap is also ideal if the cover is leaking on a particular spot, but does not need to be greased yet.
If too much dirt has accumulated in the wool, you can treat it with natron. However, the treatment stresses the wool. It is hence recommended to avoid this by washing the wool cover thoroughly on a regular basis.
Additional information on cloth nappies
Do you also want to enjoy the benefits of wool nappies? In our webshop, you will find beautiful and sustainable wool covers that are honestly made from the best natural materials.
Sources
- E-Book: Care of wool diapers, Stoffwindelguru
- Wollhandwerk: Wollpflege
- Utopia.de: Wolle waschen: So geht sie nicht kaputt
- Photographic rights sheep: rbwildlife
- Photographic rights wool blanket: MrsBeAn