Getting a stain out of wool
What changes on wool and cashmere. Wool is a protein fibre and it felts. Enzymes eat it, and the agitation that shifts a stain from cotton mats it permanently.
The method for wool and cashmere
- 1Lift any solids off with a blunt edge before adding water. Pressing them in is most of the damage.
- 2Use cool water and a wool-safe, non-biological detergent.
- 3Press the cloth against the stain. Do not rub, and do not work the fabric between your hands, which is the motion that felts it.
- 4Rinse by pressing clean water through the same way, then roll in a towel.
- 5Dry flat and away from a radiator. Heat plus moisture is the second half of felting.
What ruins it
No biological detergent, no hot water, no wringing, no tumble drying. Felting is not reversible, so a felted jumper is a worse outcome than the stain.
The general case, and what it costs you
The general method, the detection notes and what this does to a garment's resale value are on the stains page.
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