Often hearing the word wool, the first thing that comes to mind is a grandmother’s knitted sweater or socks, which, with a little “bite”, warms up in the autumn and winter seasons. But did you know that wool is one of the oldest natural materials that people have been using for more than 10,000 years? It is renewable and biodegradable, durable and soft. It can warm in the strongest winds and also cool in warm sunlight.
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Yes, that’s wool – a material with thousands of years of history, which, thanks to its functionality and sustainability, is still in high demand today. However, people often avoid woolen products because they do not know how to care for them properly. Lauris Piņķis, an active leisure expert at Fjällräven, shares practical tips that need to be taken into account to make woolen clothes last for years.
Heat in cold and humid weather, cool in heat
Wool is an excellent cold insulator due to its naturally elastic and bent fibers. It has low thermal conductivity and does not dissipate heat from the body, so when it is cold outside, the heat stays in the wool sweaters. In the deceptive autumn weather, wool will be able to both cool and warm, thanks to the same great natural fibers. That is why it is recommended to choose first-class clothes, including thermal underwear, so that they are partly made of wool.
Those who have soaked in the rain at least once know that the feelings are not the most pleasant of them. Everything is wet, it is cold, and you feel shivering. This reaction of the body is natural, but if at least one garment made of wool was worn, it would be able to warm up despite being wet. What kind of? Because wool is naturally hydrophobic and does not allow water to penetrate the fabric, as well as protein-formed fibers are able to store large amounts of water without losing thermal insulation. Unbelievable, but a fact.
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Tips on how to properly care for wool
To take proper care of your wool, you need to start by washing it properly. Given that wool is resistant to dirt and unpleasant odors, in fact wool clothes do not need to be washed as often as it seems. Here’s an interesting way to take care of your wool product ventilate thoroughly in the fresh air or leave the shower room soaked in moist air!
However, if there are large stains or an unpleasant odor, then, of course, the wool sweater should be washed. To wash wool properly, the first and most important thing – check what is washing instructions on the care label of the product, as most woolen clothes should not be washed in an automatic washing machine. Sometimes the stains of dirt are not large enough to wash the whole garment. In such situations, the oldest method must be used washing clothes – by hand, which is not only a sustainable solution, but also prolongs the life of clothing.
If wool clothes are washed by hand, it is important to remember this do not leave to soak for a long time. Instead, lift and put the garment back in the water several times. It is recommended to skim it by hand and let it dry on a flat surface on a towel. If you still want to dry the wool clothes faster, you can also put it in the washing machine by setting the spin at low speed. In addition, it is recommended to use a gentle laundry mode, otherwise there is a possibility that the clothes will get tangled.
If the label states that the clothes are machine washable, use a gentle or detergent specifically for wool, low temperature and, if possible, the washing machine setting “wool” or “hand wash”. When washing clothes containing wool, it is necessary to avoid the use of ordinary laundry detergents. Because wool is made up of protein, it can break down the amino acids in the fibers and remove the wool’s natural lanolin (the secretion of the sebaceous glands in the skin), which will result in holes in your favorite wool sweater or socks.
By no means woolen clothing do not tumble dry, because it is the fastest way to the shrinkage of a lovely sweater and a general deterioration in quality.
To avoid discoloration of woolen clothing, it is recommended to store it away from direct sunlight. The expert Pinki recommends that woolen clothes be placed in a clothing bag or cardboard box so that they can be ventilated, but at the same time they cannot encounter the codes that are hungry for wool. However, if the wool products are stored simply in a closet, it is better to fold them neatly and lay them down, rather than hang them on hangers – thus the clothes will better retain their shape.
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