Written by Fanny Pascual
Garment care has been greatly simplified and sped up since the advent of synthetic fibres. Nylon, polyester, and acrylic are materials that can be tossed with impunity into the washer or dryer, regardless of temperature, in a quick, carefree, even unintentional gesture, and these clothes will come out intact. These synthetic garments are well-suited for a fast-paced lifestyle, marked by a certain indifference to the objects that surround us.
Wool garments are different in this respect. This fibre, derived from sheep fleece, is a living material. Derived from and animal protein ingeniously designed to perform vital physiological functions in animals, wool fibre reacts to what it is exposed to… to its environment. It, therefore, requires special care and maintenance, echoing the benefits these woollens provide to our skin.
A Natural Antibacterial
Wool is naturally antibacterial. That’s why you don’t need to wash your woollen garments thoroughly after each use, unlike synthetic garments, which have the unfortunate tendency to retain body odours. Simply airing the garment, by laying it flat or hanging it on a clothesline, is sometimes enough to remove moisture and bacteria from the garment.
The Cold
The cold is also put to good use in a traditional and surprising method: washing woollens in snow. Some of you will have heard of this technique, which involves laying woollen carpets, blankets, and garments outside in winter, buried under powdery snow for 30 to 60 minutes. The cold, damp snow refreshes the fibre, removing accumulated odours and impurities without damaging it.
Heat
On the other hand, heat is a formidable opponent when it comes to wool care. When exposed to hot water, wool fibre relaxes and, on a microscopic scale, its scales unfold, transforming each filament into a veritable Velcro. Add to this agitation and friction, like that produced by a washing machine, and you get an irreversible physical reaction: felting. This is how your cashmere sweater ends up shrunken and stiff, the fibres having permanently adhered to each others. This reaction may sometimes be desirable, particularly in certain manufacturing processes such as boiled wool or fulling, which aims for a denser, more solid finish.
To avoid this kind of disaster, always choose cold water and a delicate cycle to prevent agitation in the machine. For maximum safety, wash by hand in cold water, with a simple soak. Drying should be done exclusively in the open air, ideally lying flat. Forget your dryer for woollens! The few minutes it saves you will be quickly regretted when your favorite sweater is irrevocably felted.
If your wool garment is water-soaked and difficult to spin, start by placing it between two towels and rolling them to extract as much water as possible, without wringing it. This technique is safer for the garment than hand wringing, which can deform it.
Moths
Even after you’ve adopted good habits for washing your woollen garments, one enemy remains: the moth, that little flying insect that’s merciless on woollens.
We may remember family members who kept their clothes in cedar closets, complete with mothballs. Today, these cedar closets are a rarity, as most clothes are now made of synthetic fibres. But beware: moths can tell the difference between an acrylic sweater and a lambswool cardigan. Its microscopic larvae feed exclusively on animal fibres (alpaca, sheep, mohair, cashmere, etc.) and love the dark corners of your closet.
After their passage, moths leave holes in wool garments, and its very difficult to get rid of an infestation completely. In a way, this testifies to the biodegradable nature of wool, a material fully integrated into the cycle of life, with no negative impact on the environment. But we still have to want our sweater to reach this stage in the life cycle!
If you want to keep moths at bay without using mothballs with strong chemical odours, or if you don’t have a cedar closet, sticky pheromone traps are readily available from hardware stores, attracting male moths and preventing their reproduction.
If you suspect a garment is infested, you can freeze it for a few days (in a bag. In a freezer or outside if the temperature drops below -10°C), or put it in the oven at 120°F. Both methods kill eggs that are invisible to the naked eye.
Darning
In recent years, there has been a growing trend towards darning or mending textiles, as a way of upgrading and even personalizing damaged garments. Once a common and necessary activity for seamstresses and parents, darning disappeared in the age of hyper-consumption, when damaged garments were quickly discarded and replaced by new ones.
Today, this practice is back in fashion, reminding us of the importance of caring for th objects we love, extending their life and adding a personal touch. This simple, sustainable, and creative gesture evokes the ancestral Japanese techniques of boro and sashiko: veritable textile arts of darning and aesthetic sewing, aimed at transforming worn-out garments into new fabrics, prized today for their style and complexity.
The care and maintenance we give to the things we love reflect the value we place on them. Yes, wool requires a little more attention than some synthetic fibres, but this attention is minimal compared to the benefits a natural fibre garment provides to the wearer, it’s low ecological impact, and the awareness we develop towards the objects we choose to surround ourselves with.