Keeping your woollens soft and fluffy like cotton candy: A handy guide

Woollen clothes keep you warm; school taught us that well. Unfortunately, maintenance was out of the syllabus for our dear uniform sweaters. Today, woollens can make or break the smart-casual attire. From cardigans that scream suave, to socks that feel like home, woollens are closer to us than most of us realise, especially if you’re from one of the colder parts of the country.

Today, we give our woollens the love and care they deserve. Here are some easy ways to make sure your lovely woollens stay soft and fluffy.

Take it easy when washing

Let’s begin with the basics. While your rough and tough jeans may be accustomed to dunking it out in the washer, woollens need more care during cleaning for them to retain their shape and shine. Always make sure your woollens are treated with mild soap and lukewarm water. If your washing machine has a special mode for woollen items, use it.

Befriend a fabric softener

If you still haven’t used fabric softeners to pump some new life into your apparel, consider this the sign you’ve been waiting for. Fabric softeners (good quality ones) can restore the life in your woollen clothes quickly. For some extra conditioning, you can also use fabric products with Lanolin, an oil that is naturally found in sheep wool, and has restorative properties for this material.

ALSO READ: Washing Machine tips and tricks to wash woollens

The right amount of sunlight

Woollens dry the best when they’re naturally sun-dried. Avoid the dryers, instead, try to manually get rid of the excess water and lay out the item on a drying rack, preferably a mesh one which will promote even drying. While letting your woollens dry naturally is the point, take care to not expose them to direct, harsh sunlight. Rather, try drying them indoors, but in an airy, naturally lit part of the house.

Choose folding over hanging

Storage also plays a key role in the longevity of your clothing items, and woollens are no exceptions here either. Experts will tell you that woollens retain their quality and shape better when stored folded, preferably in an air-tight unit where moisture will not be a problem.

As woollens can easily develop problems in the presence of moisture and germs, you can even add a couple of naphthalene balls to prevent issues. Avoid hanging your woollens during long-term storage, which is known to change the natural shape of the fibres. If you must, keep the hanging to a minimum, preferably only when drying.

Giving your woollens a break

So, you’ve been washing, conditioning, and drying your woollens better than ever before. That’s awesome. Now, its time to give them some rest every now and then. Unlike materials like cotton and denim, woollens are not built for daily-wear.

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So, if you regularly wear your favourite sweater for over three days in a row, expect its quality to deteriorate faster. To make sure it looks lively (and stays that way for longer) pick up a couple of more woollens and alternate between them.

Those were some of the easy ways to do your woollens some justice. A good thumb rule for woollen garments is to treat them like they’re alive. That means you, proud owner, should treat these items gently, avoid harsh chemicals, and dry them as naturally as possible. That should take your woollens a long way!