Washing cashmere

[Cynderella]

I'm not really a jumper person, but I've started serious layering in a bid to keep the heating off. I have two lovely cashmere sweaters from nearlynewcashmere who recommend machine wash at 30 deg and a 1200 spin, pull into shape and dry flat.

This is for all their cashmere - I'm a bit nervous. Before I had kids I used to wear wool and always hand washed it. I'm thinking of putting it in a pillowcase if I machine wash. Hand washing is a bit daunting in the winter if i'm not having the heating on so much. This week, I've line dried, but it'll soon be indoor drying time.

We've had moths over the last few years, and so I will also need to store carefully in the summer - thinking of vacuum bags.

Any advice on washing and storing - I am so pleased with them, so I don't want to ruin them on the first wash.

I have cashmere dry cleaned. Store in vacuum bags over the summer. Have deterrent pouches in the drawer in the winter.

I’ve had a few cashmere jumpers over the years, and machine washed them with no problem. Cold, hand wash/delicate/wool setting, wool detergent. Sometimes I use a laundry bag, not always. I dry flat on a mesh trampoline thing from Lakeland.

I have one cashmere sweater and I wash it on the wool setting. Comes out fine.

I put mine on the 30 degree wool wash in the machine. Very low spin (think it’s 400 or 600) and then dry on a towel over the banister. Never had any problem and have been doing it for years.

I wouldn’t do a 1200 spin though. Not would I put it in a pillowcase. Put it in by itself on a low spin. It is heat and friction that cause wool to felt (including cashmere), so you want keep to a minimum with low agitation (hand wash and low spin) and low friction (nothing else in the drum to rub against.

I wash mine on a wool setting with woolite, for a dry flat mesh I google and ended up buying a drying rack from a 'specialist' weed herb store 🤣🤣 ( it was cheaper than Lakeland!)

I have about 40 cashmere jumpers and machine wash them all. Persil wool wash on the "woollen" setting on my machine. Then I air dry either outside if it's nice or over the AGA / rack by fire.

The key is to ensure the wash is low heat and not too agitating. 1200 sounds like too much.

I wash at 20 on the delicates cycle which I think is 800 spin. Then reshape and dry (not flat admittedly but hung on an airer).

I used to wash at 30 but found they did shrink - not noticeable at first but definitely after several washes. The looser the knit the worse the shrinkage.

I try not to wash them too often - they don’t pick up a worn smell nearly as quickly as man made, so they can be worn many more times without washing IME. Unless you spill something of course but even then I will spot wash if possible rather than wash the whole thing.

I use a wool detergent, either on a wool setting in a bag in the machine, or by hand and then a machine spin.

Happy to see the consensus is machine wash - my machine offers choice of 40, 30 or cold. Spin is separate and I can choose 400, 600, 900 or 1200.

machine wash with gentle 'wool' detergent. 30deg and spin at 400.

The key thing is the wool wash needs to not do a lot of "agitation" so I wouldn't machine wash unless it has a delicates setting. If it agitates a lot then it can cause felting.

I do have a delicates wash. I suppose I could hand wash and spin.

Op, you have a woollens setting on the list there - that's the one to use.

Not delicates, that could have too much agitation. The spin speed isn't the issue, its how much it gets swished about in the water.

Have washed many cashmere jumpers in the machine for years, on the wool setting with appropriate detergent. Come out lovely and soft.

I agree that they don't seem to need washing as often as other jumpers. Just don't do stinky cooking in them, wear another underneath and air them off /don't wear day after day without a break (like leather shoes)

I either hand wash in the bath with cold water and woolite or use the machine on a no spin, completely cold cycle. This thread is making me think I’m being over-cautious

The woolens setting is the one I was going to use. I will admit that I was just going to use non bio ... off to get some Woolite or similar tomorrow. I haven't bought it for years.

I've been wearing one jumper for a few days now - the other 'under layers' have been changed a couple of times. How long can cashmere 'go' between washes if it's being worn over a top and under a hoodie (yes I feel the cold) and worn pretty much all day and into the evening? I WFH and am not the most active person in the world 😎

Sorry yes, should have been more specifi. Re woolens vs delicates ré agitation.

I don't even want to think about how infrequently I wash my woolens, probably realistically after a month's worth of wear given I have a few I cycle through? I usually spill something on it before it smells TBH.

I recall reading on a cashmere website once not to wash in actual cold water as it can ‘shock’ the cashmere. 20 or 30 would be better.