Glencroft’s 100% British Wool sweaters are some of the hardest wearing and comfiest you will ever wear. This entirely natural local material has been used for clothing for generations and if washed right it will last you much longer than other fibres while still looking great. It’s the original ‘easy care’ fabric.
The two things to avoid – HEAT and SPINNING
Firstly, the reason why we have to be a little more careful with British Wool than other materials is because both the use of heat AND spinning in the washing or drying process can shrink wool. If you avoid this, then you’ll be fine, we’ll show you how in 3 simple steps.
1. WASH LESS
100% British Wool jumpers really don’t have to be washed very often. This may seem counter intuitive in a post about how to wash wool jumpers, but trust us on this. Wool is an amazing fibre that’s both breathable and anti-bacterial – unlike man-made fibres.
Use your eyes and nose
You may find you can wear wool jumpers for weeks or months without the need for washing. They won’t smell or look dirty – don’t wash for the sake of it, only wash if you need to.
This is what makes British Wool ‘easy care’ because over the course of it’s lifetime, you will spend a lot less time washing a wool jumper than a cotton t-shirt or man-made fabric.
NB: British Wool has a distinctive natural smell which we love, this is normal and not something that’ll wash out.
2. ‘HAND WASH’ IN COLD WATER
Our recommended way to wash our British Wool items is to put some cold water in a bath with some wool detergent (such as ‘Woolite’), let them soak for 10 minutes or so, gently wash by hand then rinse thoroughly.
Some of our customers have used the ‘hand wash’ options on their washing machines but with mixed results, and we have found jumpers shrinking even on the gentlest setting so we do not recommend it. Both warm temperatures and spinning can felt wool.
3. AIR DRY FLAT
Your jumper will be sopping wet when it comes out of the bath or the washing machine without the benefit of a spin dry. So first lay it flat on a large towel and gently roll the towel up with the jumper inside. This will get rid of most of the excess.
Then remove the jumper from the towel and leave it to dry naturally. Placing flat across the top of an airer or clothes horse is perfect. You may want to put this in the bath, do it outside or put a towel under it to catch drips.
Try to avoid hanging on a coat hanger when wet as this can stretch the item.
Remember, AVOID HEAT – Don’t tumble dry, spin or place on the radiator or even put in direct sunlight.
Still looks like new in 20 years
It’s hard to believe if you haven’t owned a British Wool jumper before but when cared for in this way, your wool jumper can look great for many years.
We’ve had many customers contact us and send us photos of their Glencroft jumpers purchased in the late 80s or 90s that they are still wearing and still looking almost like new. The springy natural properties of wool means that it maintains its shape for many many years.
