What am I doing wrong shrinking cashmere ?

[667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast]

My husband has had two cashmere jumpers, that I have managed to shrink, even though I’m washing on delicate wash 30 degrees , 600 spin and wool wash. Afterwards I put a bath towel on the heated airer I have and lay them on top of this flat. What am I doing wrong ? Is it the small amount of heat that’s getting through the towel? I bought them second hand thankfully otherwise I would be devastated! This also happened with another wool/acrylic mix jumper although this hasn’t shrunk as bad. I used to wash delicate jumpers etc by hand but am now don’t have the energy due to ill health.

Cashmere is handwash only.

Do you gently stretch them into shape before leaving them to dry?

I have a lot of 100% wool jumpers, mainly British wool but also a couple of cashmere ones. I handwash all of mine with a small amount of shampoo and rinse them in water containing a small amount of hair conditioner, (wool being hair.) I gently wring mine out, wrap them in a big bath towel, then squeeze as much water out by treading on the towel. After that, I flat dry them away from any source of heat and use a dehumidifier (at a distance) to speed up the drying process. I suspect heat is causing your husband's jumpers to shrink.

Hand wash only really then I put on a towel and shape then I roll the towel as that wrings out the water without damaging the cashmere. Then put on another towel and let dry flat on a bed or something.

Cashmere doesn’t really need much washing. Best to always wear with an under layer so it’s not next to skin. Then just air it out.

I do mine on a hand wash cycle in cold water.

I’d say it was down to putting it near heat to dry.

I think it maybe was the heat. I've retrieved shrunk cashmere by spraying it with some dilute fabric/hair conditioner to dampen then using an iron, on wool setting, to sort of push from one side to the other and from neck to the bottom, then do the same to the sleeves. The result isn't perfect but good enough.

I do mine on a wool wash which my washing machine has a setting for. The only time they shrink is if they accidentally go in a 40degree bog standard wash. I don't even use a bog standard 30degree. Just the wool wash.

I've been doing this for many years and never had a problem.

Also, I dry mine on a heated airer, or on top of the Everhot hotplate side. So I don't think the heat from drying it is your problem.

It would be the 30 degrees (but then I’m from Nz so that’s a hot wash in my world where most people wash everything in cold water as electricity is so expensive) . I’ve never washed wool or cashmere in anything warmer than 20 degrees

I would be letting my husband deal with his own cashmere jumpers, I have no time for anything which can't be thrown in the washing machine.

All my cashmere gets put on a 30 wool wash and none of it has shrunk.

But I don't have any heat on it when it's drying, so maybe that is the difference.

Firstly do they even need washing?

For 100% cashmere a spot clean and airing is probably going to be fine most of the time.

If you are going to wash them, (a once a year affair in our house) I handwash using a rinse free soap such as Soak or Eucalan.

Fill sink with warm water and swish in chosen soap. Leave jumper to soak for 20 minutes, Drain. Keep any rubbing or squeezing or agitation of the fabric to a minimum.

Then get a large towel, lay it on the ground and carefully put the jumper on it. Roll jumper + towel up in to a tube. Stand on the tube to get the majority of the water out into the towel.

The jumper should now be fairly dry. To finish dry flat, you can get a thing for drying flat in Lakeland.

Finally once a year freeze all cashmere or wool jumpers for 48 hours to kill any moths.

I put our cashmere in a cold wash and cold rinse cycle with woolite.

When I take it out, I gently pull garments into shape, then roll not too tightly in a clean, white towel and leave on an airing rack overnight (not exposed to any source of heat). I unroll the next day and lay flat on the rack, again, away from heat.

I haven't lost a single item yet.

I suspect it’s the heated airer. I bung all my cashmere in the machine on the delicate wool/handwash cycle with gentle detergent and it’s fine. It’s only dried after rolling up in a towel and on a normal, unheated rack.

Always wear something under them so they don't get sweaty. Hang in the bathroom when having a shower and the steam cleans them. Only hand wash about once every 3 months. I actually make a towel wet, wring it out a bit. Place it on the worktop, then put the sweater on top and squeeze them together. Then place the sweater on a dry towel and squeeze any water out then dry flat.

Most “delicates” wash settings will shrink cashmere. My pretty old Miele machine has a wool setting that doesn’t shrink anything. It was very expensive 17 years ago but has paid for itself many times over by not shrinking cashmere.
The shrinkage is caused by agitation, not just heat, so unless you have a machine with a designated wool cycle with low agitation, then you need to hand wash, minimal movement, just push the sudsy water through the garment and rinse the same way. Roll in a towel to get out excess water, then lay away from heat, eg a Shiela maid, or a standard rack, flat is great if possible.

30 is too hot. I'd hand wash and use the conditioner trick with the rinse.

He works and I don’t. That’s the only reason I’m doing it, otherwise would completely agree! He doesn’t really care tbh I bought them for him. He would just bung them in with every else on a 40 wash if left to own devices!

No advice as I’m also always shrinking my cashmere. Handwashing is a faff so I put mine in the washing machine on the handwashing setting. I’ve just accepted that they have a relatively short life span, and then need to be replaced.

Would never put my cashmere in machine. Used to dry clean but don't think it gets it clean do gentle handwash. Never have a problem.

Mine go in the machine, 30 degree wool wash, using mild liquid wool wash liquid soap.

Then on a hanger or laid on a rack to dry in ambient temperature.

I’d just buy other jumpers that can go in the wash if you can’t hand wash due to ill health and he can’t hand wash because he works.

I put mine in the washing machine on the wool cycle with normal non-bio washing powder. Hang it on a clothes horse. No shrinkage so long as DH doesn’t put them in a normal wash or in the tumble dryer.

Thank you everyone for the tips. Those of you who have said cashmere won’t need washing very much, I agree but my husband is convinced that a jumper that’s been worn for a week is filthy! He always wears a shirt or long sleeve T shirt under it so it’s not exposed to sweat etc. It drives me nuts tbh as it’s such a faff washing wool separately etc. I get that it is better to have a man that changes his clothes frequently than one who wears the same shirt for a two weeks and has to be persuaded to put it in the laundry (my Dad used to be like this !)
Sounds like the heated dryer could be the issue and even maybe 30 degrees being too hot. I do have a wool wash on my machine but each time I’ve used it the washing is covered in horrible grey looking greasy bits. I suspect that my washing machine needs to go on 90 degree wash etc to clean it. I’m not sure why this would only be happening on wool wash though.