HOW TO WASH RAW WOOL

IN YOUR WASHING MACHINE

by Barbara Ann Muret, Wooly Ways

ow to wash raw wool is one only cycle one more time and turn important thing is, you dont NEED

H of the most frequent subjects

I get letters about. It is
simple enough. The basics
are this: Hot water is not bad, it is
on
YOU MAY NEED TO REPEAT
THE LAST THREE STEPS IF
WOOL IS EXCESSIVELY
anything special. Its how you
handle the wool. The washing
machine simply allows you to skip
all of the messy, dripping, dirty steps
the movement of the wool in hot DIRTY we used to think was necessary.
water that damages it. Washing I prefer not to unless
machines are great for doing circumstances are extreme, the less NOW FOR DE-BUNKING
woolit is the turnstile (the spiral you work with it wet the better loft THEORIES
column in the middle of the washing and condition it will have. It is O.K. to wash wool in hot
machine) that does the damage. THATS IT! water if you do not touch it while it
Please read all the way through this LAY OUT ON A TOWEL TO is in hot water. Any movement, no
article before beginning so that you DRY, the spin cycle will remove the matter how minor, can felt tangle,
understand your choices and the water to a barely damp state and the encourage shrinkage and cause
whys of handling the wool this wool will dry fairly fast. Once in a problems. Simply allowing wool to
way. The great part is there is very while, flip the wool over so the rest in hot water will not damage it.
little personal handling of the wool, damp wool on the bottom can get If you were to take it from cold
it is clean, fast, and wont hurt your air. Sweater racks and clothes water to hot water or the reverse, the
washer. drying racks are great for this! They shock would cause shrinkage. Hot
allow the air to reach the top and water itself, at the temperature we
INSTRUCTIONS bottom at the same time, however, it do our laundry, is not a problem.
Fill washer with HOT water will still dry faster if you give it a Wools are usually dyed at 212,
Add detergent as if for a very turn and a flip. Resist pulling it which is just below or at the point of
dirty load of jeans (regular laundry apart or handling it while it is wet. simmering, certainly much hotter
detergent is fine) People who do a lot of wool than your laundry hot water.
Allow the washer to start washing like to build simple drying You need the hot water to cut
agitation (swishing), for a few racks, like shelves without boards on through the lanolin and remove the
minutes or until the detergent is them...then stretch chicken coop grease, therefore, the dirt is absorbed
dissolved wire or other inexpensive wide mesh and trapped by the grease. Most
TURN OFF WASHER across the shelf. I purchased some sweaters truly left in the natural
Add wool, several pounds is collapsible plastic coated laundry lanolin are washed in cold water, it
fine, push into water with broom racks from the J.C. Penney is true. But the sheep are raised in
handle, do not pack it in, allow it to Catalog and thy have lasted a long grassy knoll areas with very little
be loose time with no sign of ever wearing dirt and you will see a marked
Allow to soak for an hour or out. Since I use them constantly, difference in the cleanliness of the
two, until the water is lukewarm, they are simply handy. They have yarn (color of white for instance) if
poke with broom handle a few more wheels and I use a special drying you should ever decide to dry clean
times room with heat lamps and a it or wash it in a manner that
Turn the water (while off) to the dehumidifier (you have to remember removed the lanolin. Although most
DRAIN/SPIN ONLY CYCLE, turn I do hundreds of pounds this way!). deny it because it removes the
on allowing it to remove all I like that I can move the racks romance, most lanolin enriched
excess water around the room and put the most wool yarns and sweaters are cleaned
STAY WITH MACHINE, allow damp wool or rush order closest to and sterilized lanolin is put back into
it to refill with warm/cool water, DO the drying lamps (I use heat lamps the wool. There are exceptions. But
NOT ALLOW TO AGITATE as for chicken brooders). For home the truth is, as if you were cleaning
Poke gently with broom handle, use it strikes me these would be bacon grease from a frypan...cold
do not stir, simply allow water to pretty practical, because you could water does not remove grease and
enter trapped areas use them for folding and stacking grease holds dirt.
With machine off, turn to your laundry (novel idea, just like The removal of the dirty water
drain/spin only cycle, turn on they show in the catalog) ...when while it is still warm is a vital fact.
With machine off, turn to spin you arent doing wool. The Because the lanolin will tend to
settle back down into the fibers as sparingly and not soaked for long on its own; then lay it in a clean area
the water reaches a cool periods, it will whiten. Most and sort it...taking the areas with the
temperature. It depends on your frequently (it depends on the sheep most and putting it in a bag, the
sheep and area in which you live. breed), the wool reacts by actually areas that arent too bad and putting
Some lanolin is very malleable yellowing all over. Non-chlorine it in a bag, and the clean wool and
while some is very sticky. Also, we bleaches used for colored clothes putting it in a bag; you can salvage
all have preferences on whether the and permanent press laundry are it! Do not wash it all together
lanolin (or how much lanolin) is left safe for wools. Read the labels in because the foreign matter will
in the wool. One valid your grocery store. You can always redistribute itself throughout. Wash
notelanolin attracts moths, they experiment with small batches of each batch separately. There will be
love it. The encyclopedia claims your wool in the kitchen sink. a perfect use for each batch
that a moth antennae can smell up ANTIQUE NATURAL COLOR appropriately. And in the future,
to a mile! It may be a consideration of softness to lessen the yellowing of only use quality to start with, if it is
in whether you wish to leave lanolin the tips to the rest of the wool, if you your own flock, and examine ways
in your wool. wish to use it natural white, which to avoid it next year.
About MESH BAGS ...There is easily obtained by allowing the NOTICE TO FINE WOOL
is a long-time theory that wool must rinsed wet wool to soak overnight in BREEDERS: Wools such as
be washed in small amounts (a few leftover coffee youve saved in the Merino, Rambouillet, Targhee, and
ounces at a time) and in small fridge, or tea. It will take more sheep with over a 64 micron count
lingerie-style mesh bags. Actually, quickly if heated on the stove, in the may be sensitive to this method.
the wool does not get as clean in oven, or even the microwave. They felt extremely easy. Test a
fine mesh, because the water does SEPARATING LOCKS TO small batch before going forward
not flow as freely and the wool tends STAY IN SINGULAR WAVES: with multiple fleeces.
to wad up. However, if you are ALWAYS SEPARATE BY DYEING: Wool is very easy to
being very finicky about each and PULLING APART AT THE TIPS. dye and can take natural dyes,
every individual lock of wavy Whether separating large amounts or grocery store dyes, and craft dyes.
staying singular ... yes, they will not just a little bit...handle by taking a Simply read the instructions for
be moved as much if washed in a hold of the tips of the wool pieces. wool or protein fiber and
bag. But you must still use the same Take one small lock and separate it proceed accordingly. Never use
method listed. Do not simply turn from the rest by pulling it away; cooking utensils or pots for dyeing
on the washing machine! The hold the tip. Then pull it apart from unless you are dyeing with edible
reason they help is that you are not the bottom (the blunt end where the materials such as food coloring or
pulling the wool out of the sheep was given its clipping) and foods themselves (coffee, tea, wine,
washer. So with delicate handling, I you will want to pull by the tips. If etc.).
maintain that you can still get the you are picking out for a drum
same effect and cleaner wool carder you will want to pull by the
without the bags. base. From The Shepherd Magazine, May
BLEACH & WHITE WOOL ...It BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL 1994, pgs. 44-45.
is a point of view of how white wool THIS OTHER STUFF? The final
should be. Different breeds of sheep unfortunate answer on dirt is that
have a different whiteness to their straw, bits of feed, burrs, grasses,
wool. If it is not the nature of the DO NOT WASH OUT. Larger
wool to be sparkling white, no things can be handed picked out, the
amount of washing will change it. others can be shook out somewhat
Some wools are actually a lovely before and after washing. But, for
antique cream by nature. Likewise the most part, you have to start with
wools with stained tips. The sun has quality, clean fleece to have quality,
melted the lanolin away from the clean washed fleece. It is the
tips and given a natural antiquing, manner in which the sheep is raised
like a suntanexcept it is yellowed. and cared for. If you are the owner
In crafts some people love this and of a fleece (raw wool straight from
some dont. It is not a defect. the sheep), that has a lot of stuff in
Coated sheep generally do not have it...the best approach is to sort it
this problem, and it is certainly less before washing.
evident in areas without hot The worst of the foreign
summers. Whitening agents can be matter will be in the areas of the
used in the wash or rinse process back of the neck, the tummy and
when cleaning the wool. Chlorine sometimes right down the center of
bleach is very caustic on the wool the back. If you pull shake the wool
fiber and is not recommended. Used to encourage the matter to fall out