I, Our Cyber Monday Flash Sale is live! Spin out washing machine and drain water. Fleece will dry faster with more air movement – large clumps will take much longer to dry. Remove bag(s) of wool. Let it dry away from heat, sun, pets, and any further agitation on your part. Put the wool in the first rinse bath and gently push it down until it is covered. If you machine-dry wool on high-heat, it may shrink drastically. Walk away. Remove bag(s) of wool. When using an old washing machine, a working spin cycle definitely helps to remove the dirt and dirty water between each step in the process. Once the washing machine is finished, promptly remove your garments both from the machine … Wash wool clothing by hand or on the gentle/delicate cycle in your washing machine. Add bag(s) of wool, using plunger to make sure wool is entirely under water. There are several soaps, soaks, detergents, pastes, etc. Depending on the quality of the shearer, shepherd, and/or whoever rolled the fleece, this may or may not be possible. While our guide below provides recommended ratios of water, Power Scour, and fleece, the key principle seems to be matching the amount of water and Power Scour used, rather than the amount of wool. Turn the machine to the last spin cycle. Dissolve a gentle cleaner in water first, to prevent it from reacting with the wet … Fill them both with warm water the same temperature as the baths you just emptied, or slightly hotter. Remove wool carefully, supporting it well. ; Add vinegar. Add bag(s) of wool, using plunger to make sure wool is entirely under water. Overnight Soak with Power Scour in cool water, let sit 10-12 hours. Once the towel has soaked up a good deal of the water, you can speed drying by moving the wool to a fresh dry towel. The three pieces of equipment needed are a washing tub, a water heating device, and an area to skirt and dry fleece. Remove the wool lifting it from the water and squeezing it slowly and gently as you did before. You will have noticed that space is an issue when washing wool. A dedicated mini plunger – not the one from the neareast bathroom – works well for gently pushing the fleece below the surface of the water and will keep your gloved hands out of harm’s way as much as possible. Henry typically puts three to three-and-a-half pounds in a bag, rolling it so the outside of the fleece – typically the dirtiest part – is toward the outside of the bag. Running a fan or a dry breeze will help to dry the fleece but can also cause it to blow away. STOP AGITATION, press wool into the water and let soak for 15 mins. Washing raw fleece is a straightforward process, though many different methods exist. Contact us for an estimated time to expect your finished items. Alpaca and Mohair do not have lanolin and can be washed with one-quarter of the recommended amount of Power Scour and clean best with water in the 110*F – 120*F range. Agitate wool as little as possible. Once the fleece is bagged, tuck the drawstring inside the bag so that it doesn’t get stuck on the agitator in the wash machine or anywhere else in the process. Myrtlewood. Immerse the wool slowly and let it soak for ten minutes so the dirt can loosen. Add 3 times your normal amount of laundry detergent or better yet, about 1/4 cup of inexpensive shampoo, like Suave Lavender, and agitate to dissolve. Let it float for a bit and then a little more up/down, up/down. Your mileage may vary, but the theory is that if the dirt it towards the outside of the bag, it will be able to find its way out of the bag, rather than being trapped inside. They do make it easier to felt though. This treatment prevents the fibers from locking together and felting. Take raw fleece and lay it out on the floor. If soaking and washing more than one fleece at the same time use fleece with similar grease and dirt contents, washing fine wools with other fine wools, long wools with other longs wools, and alpaca, mohair, etc. Add wool, several pounds is fine. The last piece of equipment is a tool for keeping the fleece together in the water. To wash the wool and remove it from the water, support it well as you lift it carefully from the water. Let your fleece drape back into the water...no need to bunch it up. Henry started with thick plastic netting when he was washing in the sink, but garment bags are so much more manageable and easier to store. An overnight soak is critical to priming the fleece for an effective washing by introducing a surfactant that will make the dirt and grease wash away more easily. Turn off washing machine. Add the wool, making sure the bag or bags are below the surface of the water. Add Wool & Cashmere Shampoo according to the machine type and load size. Give this wool a cold water soak (in its bag, of course) for a day before washing it--no detergent is needed in this presoak. (Refer to drying instructions as explained in step 8 above. Long wools or less greasy wools may come clean with two rather than three washes; Henry has found it most efficient to wash all wools with the same method as this tends to result in the fewest re-washes. Lift the wool carefully as in step three, gently squeeze out the excess water, and lay the wool on a clean dry towel to drain. It is up to you to decide whether to wash them together or separately. Most water heaters can replenish the required amount of water in the 20-25-minute range, and a large pot of water will get up to temperature in about the same length of time. Always fill the washer with the very hottest water (set hot water heater to 140 degrees if possible), ad in the soap and agitate. Opean the door and put the dirty wool into it,add wool cleaner,shut the door,the water will into the machine automatically,select the washing time(usually 40 … A good scour requires moisture, heat, and agitation as well, in the presence of a detergent. ”Washing in high temperatures cause wool to shrink” False! However, some wool garments may have already been pre-shrunk, so you can machine dry them on medium heat without risking additional shrinkage. Crockpots are great for washing small amounts of fiber, especially mohair locks, which need a … Wool is an acid fiber and is softest and has a kinder hand when the pH of the washing water remains at 7 (neutral pH) or below. Fill your container with HOT water, and add soap. However, a disadvantage, which emerges during washing, is the felting tendency. Soak In Cold Water. A Washing Receptacle appropriate to the amount of wool you will be washing. If not, split the fleece vertically (down the spine) or horizontally (across the middle of the back) to get to even amounts in each bag. Our water heater and washing machine are side by side; we fill almost directly out of the water heater with an insulated rubber hose. If the ambient temperature is cool (less than 60*F), preheating your tub or wash machine will reduce heat loss, which is critical to maintaining the desired temperature range throughout the process. Washing (scouring) seeks to remove wool grease (lanolin), dirt, vegetation and chemicals from your fleece. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the first bath (the amount is not critical; the vinegar will help cut the excess detergent and leave the wool in a slightly acid environment). Are warm and moist just after the final rinse on time throughout process. A water heating device, and then repeat in the SF Bay area since.... No agitation at all barb e d scales cover the sink so most of fleece. 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