How to Care for Your Cashmere and Wool in Winter

There is plenty of advice about how to store your woollens when winter is over: Wash everything. Fold it away. Protect it from moths. Wait for autumn.

But what about the months in between?

What about when your favourite cashmere jumper is in constant rotation, when you wear the same wool cardigan three times in one week, or when your favourite jumper has become the thing you reach for every time the temperature drops?

Winter is when our woollens are actually living their lives.

They are worn, stretched, brushed against coat sleeves, caught on door handles, covered in crumbs, occasionally splashed with coffee and, if you are anything like me, pulled on and off in a hurry more often than you would like to admit.

A little care here and there can make a huge difference. And often, the best thing you can do for your favourite jumper is simply... leave it alone for a while.

Wool doesn't need washing after every wear.

One of the wonderful things about wool apart from being natural and kind is that it doesn't need the same constant washing as many other fabrics. Wool is naturally odour resistant, so often a garment simply needs a little time to air out rather than another cycle through the washing machine.

After wearing a jumper, I like to give it a rest, allowing the fibres to recover their natural spring and shape. Take it off, shake it out gently and lay it somewhere with a bit of air around it. If it needs freshening up, cold fresh air can help remove lingering odours.

Of course, if there is a stain, or the garment genuinely needs washing then wash it. But there is no need to wash a cashmere jumper simply because you have worn it once.

When it is time to wash

Always start with the care label. Some wool garments are machine washable, while others are hand-wash only. If your garment can be machine washed, a wool or delicate cycle and a mild wool detergent are generally the gentlest options. For hand-wash-only garments, use lukewarm water and a gentle detergent, avoiding excessive agitation and once washed, resist the temptation to wring your jumper out.

Instead, gently press out the excess water by rolling it into a towel, then dry flat and reshape it while damp. Never hang a wet wool jumper as the weight of the water can pull the garment out of shape. Keep it away from direct heat. It can be tempting to put a damp cashmere jumper directly on the radiator when it's freezing outside, but gentle, slow drying is much kinder to the fibres.

Don't be afraid of pilling

I think it is worth saying this clearly: Pilling is normal.

It doesn't mean that your cashmere is poor quality, nor does it mean that you are doing anything wrong.

Pilling happens when some of the shorter, loose fibres on the surface of the yarn work their way out and become tangled together through friction. This is particularly noticeable in areas that experience more rubbing like under the arms, along the sides of the body or where a coat or bag repeatedly brushes against your jumper.

Cashmere is particularly prone to this because of the fine, soft fibres that make it feel so lovely against your skin.Rather than seeing those little balls of fibre as a sign that something has gone wrong, I think of them as part of the early life of a cashmere garment.

The good news is that they are very easy to deal with. Give it a little comb.

A cashmere comb is one of my favourite tools for keeping knitwear looking and feeling lovely.

Once the garment is dry and laid flat, gently run the comb over the surface in one direction, allowing it to catch and lift away the loose fibres and pills.

Don't press too hard and don't repeatedly comb the same area. You are simply removing the fibres that have already worked their way out of the yarn -  you don't want to pull healthy fibres from the garment.

I generally recommend giving your cashmere a gentle comb every few months, or whenever you notice pilling appearing.

Cedarwood & moths - storage your knits right

During winter, I don't think of storage as something that only happens when the seasons change. Even the clothes we are actively wearing need a good place to rest.

Knitted garments are generally happiest folded as hanging can stretch the shoulders and distort their shape over time. And this is also where a little moth prevention comes in.

Moths are not only a problem when your woollens are packed away for months. They can find their way into the clothes you are wearing and storing all year round where they lay their eggs and when the larvae hatch, they look for wool, cashmere and other animal fibres containing keratin, a protein, which is exactly what these larvae are interested in. 

One of the most important things is to avoid leaving wool garments dirty or with food stains or body oils before storing them, as soiling attracts moths.

For the woollens in my wardrobe, I like to use cedarwood pieces and lavender sachets which contain natural aromatic oils that repel moths, amongst my folded knitwear and in drawers, replacing them every 6 months or when their scent starts to fade. I love how they make opening a drawer of winter clothes a calming experience for the senses.

Check your clothes while you're wearing them

This might be my favourite piece of advice as a passionate mender. Don't wait until spring to discover what has happened to your favourite jumper.

Every now and then, have a little look and check under the arms. Look around the cuffs. Have a look at the elbows - you can turn the jumper inside out and see whether any areas are starting to thin.

And if you spot a small hole, snag or tear...Don't wait.

A tiny bit of damage is usually much easier to repair than a hole that has continued to stretch and unravel.

There is something very satisfying about catching a problem early.

A single loose thread can often be secured before it turns into something larger. A tiny moth hole can be reinforced before the surrounding stitches start to pull apart. A thinning elbow can be strengthened before you are left with a much bigger repair.

Repair doesn't have to be the last resort. It can simply become part of how we care for our clothes.

I think we sometimes imagine that looking after clothes has to be another task on an already very long to-do list. But over time, these small things can become part of the experience of wearing them.

Airing your jumper after a long day.

Folding it away.

Running a cashmere comb gently over the surface when those first little pills appear.

Checking the elbows and cuffs and noticing where the fabric is beginning to thin.

Finding a tiny hole and sitting down with a cup of tea, a needle and some yarn before it has the chance to become something bigger.

These are small acts, but they change our relationship with our clothes. Instead of wearing something until it is damaged beyond repair and then replacing it, we begin to notice, to maintain and repair. And, slowly, our clothes become things that stay with us for longer.

That, to me, is one of the loveliest things about wool and cashmere. They are made to be worn and keep us warm for many winters to come.