CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR MOHAIR SWEATER
A quality sweater lasts a long time.
1. Select a delicate WOOL program
2. Set spin speed to 800 rpm
3. Set temperature to 30°C
4. Place your sweater in a laundry net bag
5. Use a special eco-friendly wool detergent
6. Use few detergent
7. Take out the sweater at the end of the cycle
8. Lay flat on a towel and turn it over halfway through drying.
CARE TIPS TO OFFER
A BEAUTIFUL LIFE FOR YOUR MOHAIR SWEATERS
Wash your mohair sweater only once in a while
(1 to 2 times a year maximum).
100% natural knitwear breathes and regenerates, so don't hesitate to air out your sweater in the fresh air - it often saves you a wash.
I'm in favor of machine washing
If you hand wash, you take the risk of using too hot water for a few seconds, wringing too hard, soaking too long, using too much detergent... Follow the eight tips above and you'll be fine, or opt for dry-cleaning (preferably environmentally-friendly).
Why is it so important to use
a special wool detergent?
Wool is a protein fiber, similar to human hair, and contains a natural oil. If your detergent is too abrasive, you risk felting your sweaters by removing the fiber's natural protection. After testing several special wool detergents, here are my favorites here and here.
Before I started making my own wool detergent, I asked Caroline Gomez for her advice. Her answer taught me a lesson in simplicity: "you should wash a sweater as you would wash your skin: with a superfatted soap".
Once dry
When worn, any creases will disappear very quickly. If necessary, iron your sweater very lightly on the underside, without pressing. Use a pattemouille (a light, damp cloth placed between the knit and the iron). Use steam.
Tips to keep your sweater looking good
- Don't wash your sweater too often. Airing it out is often enough.
- If pilling does appear, it's usually rather large and rare. In this case, don't pull on it! Just cut it. There are special electric shavers for pilling, which are very effective for certain wools like cashmere, which create a lot of little pellets, but they're not very suitable for my mohair sweaters.
- Avoid frictions with a rough handbag, or a metal purse chain that can get caught in the mesh, for example.
- Don't smother your sweater under a big pile of clothes in your closet during the summer months, or at the bottom of a dirty laundry bin for weeks.
- Don't hang your sweater on a hanger (especially one that's not damp after washing), as it may stretch or warp at the shoulders.
- If you ever get bored, don't hesiitate to change the buttons or embroide your sweater. Find out how to give a second life to your knitwear in our tutorials.
Understand why a sweater felts
- The fibers that make up mohair yarn are like human hair. They have scales. When a sweater is tossed around too much in the washing machine, in too hot water OR TOO COLD, crushed or mishandled, the scales will rub against each other, twist and tangle, resulting in felting.
- Then you'll understand why I recommend spinning at 800 rpm. At this speed, your sweater stays pressed (but not too violently either) to the walls of the drum, whereas at 400 rpm, for example, it will fall back heavily before the end of a spin and will be too tossed around.
- A laundry net bag is also essential to prevent the sweater from moving around too much in the machine during washing, and the scales from rubbing each other too much.
