If you’ve ever wanted to buy a really nice cashmere sweater or wool sweater, but hated the idea of spending money on dry cleaning bills, I’m going to show you how to wash dry clean only cashmere at home – plus I’ll share my trick to fix sweater pills. Removing sweater pills instantly makes a sweater look brand new and it’s an especially handy trick if you like to thrift for wool sweaters. Here’s how to wash wool sweaters at home, two ways – so whether you have a top loader washing machine or not!
What You’ll Need:
Buy some Eucalan no rinse delicate wash. You can find it in a few different scents, or you can buy unscented (which you can also scent yourself with essential oils). You can buy it in small bottles or, if you know you love it, giant 4L jugs. My mom and I spring for that and split it. This is UNSPONSORED – I love Eucalan and my Mom and I have used it for literal decades because we are obsessed with wool and natural fiber clothes. I use this for other delicates too, like handwashing silk scarves.
What is Eucalan No Rinse Wash?
Here are some things to love about Eucalan no rinse wash for wool and delicates:
- Made in Canada
- Perfect for handwashing OR a washing machine
- Biodegradable and non toxic
- Concentrated (a little capful goes a long way)
- Available in unscented
- Scented with only pure essential oils
- Doesn’t need to be rinsed
How to Was Wool Sweaters in Washing Machine:
I have a top loader washing machine, and here’s how I wash my wool sweaters in the washing machine. I am not sure if this works for many front loader styles. You need to be able to turn off your machine and let your wool sweaters soak for this to work!
- Set the machine to fill with TEPID water, for a small load.
- Add a cap of Eucalan no rinse delicate wash.
- Let it agitate for a minute to mix up the soap.
- Turn off the washing machine.
- Add wool items.
- Push them down and agitate by hand for a second or two.
- Let sweater soak for 30 minutes minumum.
- Swish the sweaters around, by hand, at the halfway point (if needed).
- Set the machine to spin (no rinse!).
- Remove sweaters and dry flat or on a sweater drying rack.
How to Wash Dry Clean Only Cashmere at Home by Hand:
If you have a front loader which prohibits soaking an item, you can also just soak a sweater in a basin and then gently squeeze (not wring) it out by hand, which is what I did as an apartment-dweller. I still do it for smaller items, like silk scarves. Back before I had my own washing machine, I would soak a batch of cashmere or wool sweaters in our (freshly clean) bath tub! It was an easy way to let them soak and I didn’t have to wash wool sweaters at home one at a time.
How to Dry Cashmere and Wool Sweaters:
You don’t want to hang wool or cashmere sweaters to dry. If you have room for a sweater dry rack (like this) they are amazing – my Mom has one like that. I had a collapsible one, until it failed. This hanging sweater drying rack look like it would save space. But you could also take a regular drying rack like this and add some towels to the flat areas to make a makeshift sweater drying rack. But you don’t NEED to buy anything – you can also squeeze dry your sweaters and then lay on a towel to dry. You could roll it up in a towel, first, to squeeze out additional water and then place on a dry towel for drying. Make sure to flip over so it gets some air on both sides. I would also recommend a dry towel when you flip it over. You don’t want a wool sweater to sit in dampness, it really does do best with some air flow for drying.
How to Fix Sweater Fuzz:
I find that pilling makes a sweater look old and ratty. Shaving a sweater so it’s smooth again makes it look brand new!
I use a sweater shaver to remove pills and balls. I have thrifted so many of them, but I found this one with great reviews. You just turn it on and gently move it across the surface. I put my hand under the sweater so the shaver is working across a smooth, flat surface. I work little by little, starting at the most pilly areas and working outward.
You can also use a sweater shaver on upholstered fabric that has pilled and other textiles. I used it for my needlepoint upcycling project!
A Warning About Sweater Shavers:
One tip, though: I bought a sweater shaver a few years back that totally chopped holes in my favorite sweater! When you buy one, read reviews before committing and then test it on a few crummy articles of clothing first – keep the packaging in case you need to return it.
I love, love, love cashmere, but just like wool and angora I can't wear it. Against my skin I break out. Over something cotton (blouse) it makes me wheeze. Sad! I have 3 beautiful sweaters hanging in my closet, they've been there for years, can't wear them, can't give them up.
Oh my goodness, that is sad, because soft wools can be so comfy and cozy – but not, obviously, if accompanied by itchy skin and wheezing. I know other people with this same allergic reaction, and they too have a few beloved woolens they can't give up. There are so many other soft, natural fibers out there, though, hopefully you've found some great ones.
I am planning an eventual basement reno which will include our laundry room. I found this link on finehomebuilding (diy built in drying racks). http://tinyurl.com/n38fboq. Thought it was a fantastic idea and is one of the first pins that made it onto my "home – laundry" board.
That is AMAZING! I am definitely going to pin that for our eventual laundry room reno too! We don't have space now, but I need to make space for that in the plans. So clever. Thanks so much!
Ha! We totally had that same sweater shaver!!!!
High five!
I've been using Eucalan for years and absolutely love the stuff. It makes washing wool blankets a breeze, I must say.
So happy to hear you're a fan! It's such good stuff, I can't gush enough.
Surely you could take the mesh shelves off of your broken drying rack and attach them with zip ties or some string to the last rack with the one mesh shelf to get what you want.
I think it's definitely possible, but I can also see it being a nightmare (too short, too long, too low, getting caught up when we open/close it). I will eventually figure something out – and maybe go with your idea – but it's been eight years. I'm in no hurry. I think it might wait until we reno the laundry room, at which point we can build in a nice dryer and I can gleefully set this thing on fire. But I do want to keep complaining, lol.
I do this too. I hate drycleaning, and it makes me itch! And I like being able to clean my clothes as needed!I have a drying rack with those barred shelves. I just put a towel over it and then put the sweater on that. It does take longer to dry but not by that much. I would like a better solution though. I used to have one of the mesh stacking ones you linked but yes, they do take a long time to set up, comparatively. Also my cat slept on it and broke it, so there's that!
So happy to hear you're a fan! I like your tip to use a towel on the drying rack. Let's make a deal: if either of us find THE perfect dry rack, we'll share with the other. I know it's out there…
Awesome post. I'm terrible at washing my own sweaters, but my mom has a magic hands, so I often cart them to her house. I know, right? I'm just not very good at washing and reshaping them. But I love my cashmere, too, so I won't give them up. I must investigate this cleaner and defuzzing (scary!) situation you've shared today. Thanks for the thorough recap.
Haha, no shame! There are many tasks I still offload to my Mom. She's just better at some things 🙂 I'm happy this was helpful!
I hate washing sweaters. But this guide will help. I've been doing some things wrong.
Happy to help!
I'm definitely going to have to order some Eucalan now, Woolite just grosses me out with its smell and I never feel like things are clean. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tanya 🙂 I haven't seen any update on your blog/instagram for quite some time, and it is unusual. So I just leave a note to tell you I miss your posts, and I hope you're all fine. Take care ! Big hug from Germany.
Such a useful blog for us. Thanks Tanya for sharing about cashmere care at home 🙂
For a sweater drying rack, you can use a window screen. Just don’t buy steel window screening because it will rust. I use the aluminum screening. I think there is also a man-made product that might be plastic or polyester. Anyway, they are easy to store flat and can just be balanced on your rack. I have found your ideas on cleaning helpful and signed up for your news letter.
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That’s such a great idea, thank you! And I’m so happy to hear you signed up for the newsletter!