This particular washing machine’s agitator is broken – which is great as we won’t accidentally use that function to make felt. Do not guess on water temperature; use a candy thermometer to make sure you are staying in the proper temperature range. 2. Place on a towel or in an empty tub or container. Thankfully, some wool can go in your washing machine! How to Wash Raw Wool and Fiber correctly (without felting it!) We wash over a hundred fleece a year, but everything in this method is scalable down to washing just a couple of pounds. ; Use cold water and your regular laundry detergent, but don’t use laundry detergent with built-in bleaching agents or other fancy add-on ingredients. Opean the door and put the dirty wool into it,add wool cleaner,shut the door,the water will into the machine automatically,select the washing time(usually 40 … For a couple pounds of raw wool, you can use a bucket or sink. Spin out washing machine and drain water. Fine wools have a higher grease content and surface area than long wools and may require more Power Scour. They do make it easier to felt though. Let soak for 20 minutes. When wool is machine … Most wool will shrink if you don't wash and dry it properly. Your washing machine may have special settings for washing doonas and blankets. There are many methods for cleaning fleece, all with the same general principles. Immerse the wool slowly and let it soak for ten minutes so the dirt can loosen. I quickly found that preparing wool is a labor of love! You will have noticed that space is an issue when washing wool. If you’re using a washing machine, you can spin out the wool (as long as it doesn’t spray water into the wool while spinning!). These additional washing tips may be useful: You can use a top-loading washing machine to wash some types of fibers, if you do it carefully. Add up to approximately 2 pounds of wool, opening it up to remove debris as you go. Overnight Soak with Power Scour in cool water, let sit 10-12 hours. Let your fleece drape back into the water...no need to bunch it up. Wool can definitely be washed in hot water; it can even be boiled! Give this wool a cold water soak (in its bag, of course) for a day before washing it--no detergent is needed in this presoak. Instructions: Resist pulling apart or handling it while it is wet. As long as you’ve got the wool sweater tightly compacted inside the mesh bag and the bag itself is also tightened down, the express cycle on the machine will be just fine. Remove wool from bags and spread out on drying rack as thinly as possible with the space available. The three pieces of equipment needed are a washing tub, a water heating device, and an area to skirt and dry fleece. Henry typically puts three to three-and-a-half pounds in a bag, rolling it so the outside of the fleece – typically the dirtiest part – is toward the outside of the bag. ; Add vinegar. Use a timer to stay on top of the process so that too much time doesn’t lapse and the water temperature does not fall below 140*F. Agitation or movement of the wool while in the hot water will result in felting. Once you're comfortable with the process, you can then wash more at once in a bathtub. If using a washing machine, this means filling the machine with known quantities of water – one-gallon jugs, two-gallon buckets, etc. If your water heater does not produce water at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you may need to supplement the water in your tub by boiling water on the stove. , Our Holiday Sale is live! We don’t all have the same amount of space (or budget) to dedicate to a fleece washing setup. Much of the mud will soften and rinse away. Henry started with thick plastic netting when he was washing in the sink, but garment bags are so much more manageable and easier to store. Introduction of Sheep raw wool washing cleaning machine: This wool washing machine made of stainless steel, the material is wearable and easy to clean. separately. Put the wool in the first rinse bath and gently push it down until it is covered. Washing (scouring) seeks to remove wool grease (lanolin), dirt, vegetation and chemicals from your fleece. A bathtub or deep kitchen sink works almost as well as a wash machine – especially if made of cast iron. While our guide below provides recommended ratios of water, Power Scour, and fleece, the key principle seems to be matching the amount of water and Power Scour used, rather than the amount of wool. Once the towel has soaked up a good deal of the water, you can speed drying by moving the wool to a fresh dry towel. Otherwise, add it when the rinse cycle begins. 650 San Pablo Ave. Pinole, CA 94564 USA, How much fiber do you feed into a drum carder at o, Today is the last day to order in stock items for. Add up to approximately 2 pounds of wool, opening it up to remove debris as you go. A bit of vinegar or lemon juice added to the first rinse will keep the fleece soft and return it to its ideal pH, after washing with detergent. Lift the wool carefully as in step three, gently squeeze out the excess water, and lay the wool on a clean dry towel to drain. If the ambient temperature is cool (less than 60*F), preheating your tub or wash machine will reduce heat loss, which is critical to maintaining the desired temperature range throughout the process. Remove bag(s) of wool. When washing in cold weather, we recommend filling the tub with hot water before beginning the first wash, to raise the temperature of the tub and reduce the loss of heat. Fill machine with 160*F or hotter water. Alpaca is inherently dusty and benefits from multiple overnight soaks and spinouts prior to beginning the wash routine. Alpaca and Mohair do not have lanolin and can be washed with one-quarter of the recommended amount of Power Scour and clean best with water in the 110*F – 120*F range. The Unicorn Fibre products consistently produce a clean, soft hand that is free of lanolin yet doesn’t feel harsh or overly scoured. Wool will only shrink when you’re combining hot water with motion. Now you don’t have to run to the dry cleaner whenever your wool blanket needs refreshing! However, a disadvantage, which emerges during washing, is the felting tendency. Spin out washing machine and drain water. When you are washing your wool clothing or bedding, just double-check the water temperature. Agitate wool as little as possible. Let the wool soak for another five or ten minutes, with no agitation at all. Once the washing machine is finished, promptly remove your garments both from the machine … Washing & Carding Services We can process your raw or pre-washed fleeces into roving or batts at the rates listed below. Open the door and put the dirty wool into it, add wool cleaner, shut the door, the water will into the machine automatically, select the washing time(usually 30 minutes),the machine will It is up to you to decide whether to wash them together or separately. Depending on the weather, it will dry completely in one to three days. Machine Washing Instructions: Here's how I wash fleeces in my washing machine- Fill the tub with hot water. There's a difference between allowing the wool to swish and agitating. A gas water heater is ideal for heating the amount of water needed to wash wool. Most of the time, this method of washing will produce a fleece that is clean enough that any additional dirt will come out in the carding or combing process. STOP AGITATION, press wool into the water and let soak for 15 mins. Wool is an acid fiber and is softest and has a kinder hand when the pH of the washing water remains at 7 (neutral pH) or below. Use a low foam cleaner.. For greasy fleece, using a generous amount of detergent and really hot water. Add Unicorn Fibre Rinse and stir in. Use … Dissolve a gentle cleaner in water first, to prevent it from reacting with the wet … Allow the washer to start agitation for a few minutes or until detergent is dissolved. If your setup doesn’t include a washing machine with a working spin cycle, a spin dryer made by The Laundry Alternative or Panda is a great way to remove the bulk of the water from the fleece and will greatly speed up the drying process. Cocobolo. Turn the heater up to its highest setting and make sure everyone else in the house knows not to use any hot water until you are finished washing and have turned the heat back down to the normal temperature. EASY WASHING MACHINE METHOD FOR LARGE AMOUNTS OF RAW WOOL FIBER Fill washing machine with hot water; add soap (see step 1 above) and let agitate a moment. If your machine has an automatic fabric softener dispenser, fill it with 1 cup vinegar. You will be able to take a stinky, greasy, dirty sheep fleece and turn it into lovely, clean wool, ready for spinning, carding or felting! Drain and rinse the basins. Some fleece may require splitting into thirds or fourths, depending on the size of the fleece, the bag, and your wash tub. When using an old washing machine, a working spin cycle definitely helps to remove the dirt and dirty water between each step in the process. Lingerie bags are helpful for keeping the fiber intact. When shopping for these bags, the larger the holes in the mesh the better as it will allow for more dirt and vegetable matter to be removed during the spin out. Let it dry away from heat, sun, pets, and any further agitation on your part. Otherwise, gently press the bags of wool against the side or bottom of the sink so most of the water runs out. Take off the very dirty wool around the edge of the … Wash wool clothing by hand or on the gentle/delicate cycle in your washing machine. We use an old Kenmore High Capacity washing machine. Let it sit for 20-25 minutes. At temperatures below 140*F, the lanolin may reattach itself to the wool fibers which makes it very hard to remove again, so the goal is to keep the water in the 140*F – 160*F range. To wash the wool and remove it from the water, support it well as you lift it carefully from the water. Read a book. Once you have skirted this side of the fleece, flip it over (doing your best to keep it intact) and check over the other side. This removes most of the water. Can I Machine Wash Wool? The amount of water and soap to use is best discovered through trial and error. Close lid on wash machine, set timer for 30 minutes or longer and walk away. Machines for easy and ecological washing of raw greasy wool | Check out 'Machines for ecological washing of raw greasy wool' on Indiegogo. Take raw fleece and lay it out on the floor. Fill washer with HOT water. Lay the fleece out on your surface and do your best to recreate fleece as it was on the animal. Link in bio for our spec, Overnight Soak with Power Scour in cool water, let sit 10-12 hours, Wash #1 with Power Scour in hot water; let sit 20-25 mins, Wash #2 with Power Scour in hot water; let sit 20-25 mins, Wash #3 with Power Scour in hot water; let sit 20-25 mins, Rinse #1 with no detergent in hot water; let sit 20-25 mins, Rinse #2 with Fiber Rinse in hot water; let sit 20-25 mins. We’re tossi, Today is Small Business Saturday! You can use your washing machine, *BUT ONLY AS A CONTAINER *. Add Wool & Cashmere Shampoo according to the machine type and load size. Locks will open and separate easiest while they are warm and moist just after the final rinse. Crockpots are great for washing small amounts of fiber, especially mohair locks, which need a … The closer the water heater is to the wash tub or washing machine, the better. ). The standby or waiting time between each wash will vary depending on equipment, but 20-25 minutes has been the sweet spot for each of the combinations that Henry has used so far. Remove bag(s) of wool. Soak In Cold Water. Fill machine with 160*F or hotter water. If soaking and washing more than one fleece at the same time use fleece with similar grease and dirt contents, washing fine wools with other fine wools, long wools with other longs wools, and alpaca, mohair, etc. Drying and Stretching the Wool Garment Soak up water with a towel. Running a fan or a dry breeze will help to dry the fleece but can also cause it to blow away. Walk away. Some other things you can do to avoid felting are to never run water directly on the wool, and never vary the temperature of the wash and rinse baths. My method is all done by hand as I don’t trust my front-loading washing machine, but there are some methods that make quicker work of this process by using spin and rinse cycles. If not, split the fleece vertically (down the spine) or horizontally (across the middle of the back) to get to even amounts in each bag. Easy, step by step instructions for scouring wool at home without felting it. Depending on the breed, how it was sheared, and how much skirting took place, one bag may hold an entire fleece. Leg, neck, and britch wool often have a different crimp and fineness than the rest of the “blanket” or “prime” part of the fleece. Myrtlewood. A sealed room or area with a dehumidifier speeds up the process, but the result is no different from a day or two in the sun. The water you will be working with is hot enough to cause instant burns; eliminating potential snags and hazards in the name of safety is always a good idea. The process consists of skirting and bagging the fleece, three washes, two rinses, and drying. Treat your wool items carefully and they should last you a … A stainless steel electric food warmer is a good solution for washing smaller batches (1-2 pounds at a time) and provides the tub and water heating component in a portable and efficient package. For an entire fleece, your bathtub or top-loading washing machine will be just right. With multiple soaks, Henry has found that one wash and two rinses can be quite effective for washing an alpaca fleece. Spin out washing machine and drain water. If it says anything other than cool or warm, then you will shrink your wool items. A Washing Receptacle appropriate to the amount of wool you will be washing. To wash a full fleece in the washing machine, I use Era with 1 3/4 cups detergent for the detergent bath and about a cup of white vinegar for the vinegar bath. While you should always read the care label on your silk items before washing them to check for washing instructions, there are a few golden rules to washing silk that you can follow too. Depending on the quality of the shearer, shepherd, and/or whoever rolled the fleece, this may or may not be possible. Don’t wring or twist the wool. Fill them both with warm water the same temperature as the baths you just emptied, or slightly hotter. If the water and detergent can't move through the wool, the wool won't get clean. Add bag(s) of wool, using plunger to make sure wool is entirely under water. Henry experimented with a variety of them and found the most consistent results for a wide variety of breeds to come from Power Scour. An alarm, timer, or a similar app on your phone is an important tool for staying on time throughout the process. Two keys throughout the process are to maintain a consistent temperature and agitate the wool as little as possible. For the batch process, I use 1/4 cup detergent (Era) for the detergent bath and a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for the vinegar bath. Skirt and bag fleece. Small, barb e d scales cover the surface of wool fibers. SKIRT. Put the wool in the second bath (that bath is the same temperature now as the first bath). Once the fleece is bagged, tuck the drawstring inside the bag so that it doesn’t get stuck on the agitator in the wash machine or anywhere else in the process. Add bag(s) of wool, using plunger to make sure wool is entirely under water. Copyright © 2020 Clemes & Clemes, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I, Our Cyber Monday Flash Sale is live! Here are some of the answers to common questions about machine washing and hand washing … designed or capable of scouring wool and other fibers. Add liquid detergent as if for a very dirty load of jeans. Excerpted from the books Hands On Spinning and More Magic Wool. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature if you are unsure. Don’t let the wool migrate all over the basin. – and marking the water level on the inside of the tub. However, some wool garments may have already been pre-shrunk, so you can machine dry them on medium heat without risking additional shrinkage. Close lid on wash machine, set timer for 20-25 minutes and walk away. gloves ”Washing in high temperatures cause wool to shrink” False! We offer expertise in a variety of woolen mill services. Let the water swish through the fleece. Redwood. Agitate wool as little as possible. How to wash silk: The golden rules. A good scour requires moisture, heat, and agitation as well, in the presence of a detergent. Lay a clean, dry towel out on a … Finish drying on a towel. Washing raw wool (often referred to as scouring) removes dirt, straw, and wool grease – lanolin from the sheep fleece. Our Eco-Wise Wool blankets and throws undergo an anti-felting treatment, so not only are they washable, but they get softer with every wash. Fleece will dry faster with more air movement – large clumps will take much longer to dry. Remove bag(s) of wool. Henry’s method of washing wool will remove all the lanolin from a fleece. Garment bags typically hold 3-4 pounds of fleece, lingerie bags typically hold about half a pound. Let it float for a bit and then a little more up/down, up/down. Long wools or less greasy wools may come clean with two rather than three washes; Henry has found it most efficient to wash all wools with the same method as this tends to result in the fewest re-washes. Likewise, they may be washed with Unicorn Fiber Wash rather than the harsher Power Scour. We have a dedicated water heater just for this purpose but using a household water heater is fine. Felting requires moisture, heat, and agitation of the wool. Select Your Cycle: Select the woolens or delicate cycle on your washing machine and make sure the water temperature is cold and the spin is on low. The steps below are Henry’s process in a washing machine – the order of operations (when to remove fleece or add water) may vary slightly if working with a sink or tub. (Refer to drying instructions as explained in step 8 above. A separate area may be used for skirting and drying, but isn’t necessary as they both need the same basic elements: a flat area capable of laying out an entire fleece (or as much as you are washing at one time) with 1/2” to 1” openings for dirt and vegetable matter to fall out when skirting and to allow for air flow when drying. If you wish, at this time, you may add moth-repellent essential oils such as lavender during this second rinse cycle. Join us live on, Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours! Wool is a delicate fibre and should always be handled with care. Fill your container with HOT water, and add soap. However, fleece with extraordinarily dirty or tightly closed tips may still have dirt in them. Examine the fleece well while it is on the skirting table and note how tight the tips are and if they are caked in dirt. The last piece of equipment is a tool for keeping the fleece together in the water. Food warmers are also excellent vessels for dyeing. Do not forget this final step of turning the water heater back down to normal temperature as someone may scald themselves with water at the hotter temperature. Leave it there for five minutes, and then repeat in the second rinse bath. An overnight soak is critical to priming the fleece for an effective washing by introducing a surfactant that will make the dirt and grease wash away more easily. Add 3 times your normal amount of laundry detergent or better yet, about 1/4 cup of inexpensive shampoo, like Suave Lavender, and agitate to dissolve. Now is the time to separate and/or remove any unwanted parts of the fleece. Close lid on wash machine, set timer for 20-25 minutes and walk away. Unicorn Power Scour. It is essential to remember that exposing raw wool to heat and agitation will cause it to “felt”. Add wool, several pounds is fine. Wool can be machine washed on a wool-program. There are several soaps, soaks, detergents, pastes, etc. Add Unicorn Power Scour and stir in. Remove the wool lifting it from the water and squeezing it slowly and gently as you did before. The washing process consists of an overnight soak, three separate washes, and two rinses. Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the first bath (the amount is not critical; the vinegar will help cut the excess detergent and leave the wool in a slightly acid environment). Fill machine with 160*F or hotter water. Add one tablespoon of Unicorn Power Scour per 8 gallons of water and stir in. Spin out washing machine and drain water. Add bag(s) of wool, using plunger to make sure wool is entirely under water. If it's your first time washing wool I would recommend washing your first batch in the sink as it will be easier to manage. Turn the machine to the last spin cycle. Use a soap MADE FOR WOOL. This is Henry’s wool scouring method that he has refined through years of tinkering, with the goal being to consistently produce a clean wool fleece while being as efficient as possible with his time and the amount of soap and water used. NEVER use the agitation cycle when wool is in the washer. Remove bag(s) of wool. Fill the wash tub with enough cool water to fully immerse the amount of fiber you are washing. Steps. Supplies. If you machine-dry wool on high-heat, it may shrink drastically. Washing Your Wool; 1. The important thing is to make sure the garment is completely still during the process. Once the bag or bags of wool are under the water, leave them alone for the entire waiting period. Mango. Spin out washing machine and drain water. Repeat step 3 adding a few dollops of vinegar to the rinse water prior to adding wool. When working with exceptionally dirty fleece, you may want to open the tips with either a Lock Pop or a flicker between the first and second wash. Bagging the fleece not only keeps it together, but prohibits you from seeing the fleece, which will go a long way towards keeping you from being tempted to play with or agitate it once it is under the water. This treatment prevents the fibers from locking together and felting. Refill you washtub and get ready for more of the same exercise. Cover the sink or tub with a cutting board so that you’re not tempted to mess with it. Agitate wool as little as possible. Remove wool carefully, supporting it well. Tags – the clumpy bits from near the rear end – and dung can go straight into the compost pile, along with any shorts or second cuts. Turn off washing machine. But if you concentrate on getting the temperature of the water right, using enough detergent, and limiting agitation, you can get very clean, soft wool without felting. You do not want to attempt measuring 160*F water while you are in the middle of the washing process. At this point, the lanolin has been removed so there is no concern for maintaining the temperature. If you're just washing a couple ounces, a large bowl is perfect. Suds do not equal cleaner wool. This is pretty important factor, take my word for it or if you need to have more detailed information I highly recommend reading Scour Wool Like a Boss written by: Mary Egber I recommend using Unicorn Power Scour. Contact us for an estimated time to expect your finished items. Step 1. Add the wool, making sure the bag or bags are below the surface of the water. Starting with a greasy fleece, this method will result in a clean, dry fleece in as little as 36-48 hours, with just about an hour of actual working time. Your mileage may vary, but the theory is that if the dirt it towards the outside of the bag, it will be able to find its way out of the bag, rather than being trapped inside. Do anything but agitate the fleece. Some wool garments are machine washable (but always check the label carefully first). Turn off washing machine. Father and son duo making innovative, generational fiber art equipment in the SF Bay Area since 1970. Remove bag(s) of wool and set them on your drying rack. Our equipment consists of a dedicated washing machine, dedicated hot water heater, and a custom-built drying cabinet. A dedicated mini plunger – not the one from the neareast bathroom – works well for gently pushing the fleece below the surface of the water and will keep your gloved hands out of harm’s way as much as possible. Vegetable matter is also typically easier to spot when moist, so this is also a good time to pick out large chunks of VM that did not wash out, See table above for recommended quantities of water, detergent, and fleece. Follow these instructions to avoid felting your wool. Decide how much wool you want to wash at once, and where you want to wash it. Wash $6.50/lb Re-wash $4.00/lb Fine wash $9.75/lb Skirting $25.00/hour Pi Washing raw fleece is a straightforward process, though many different methods exist. Experimented with a towel and then a little more up/down, up/down may add moth-repellent essential such! With a towel “ felt ” garment soak up water with a washing raw wool in washing machine board so that you ’ re tempted! … wool can definitely be washed in hot water ; it can even boiled! Use your washing machine detergent necessary, with hard water requiring more Power Scour them together or separately all the... To “ felt ” for scouring wool at home without felting it up/down, up/down to. High Capacity washing machine altogether throughout the process consists of an overnight soak, three separate washes, and area... ’ re tossi, Today is small Business Saturday for an estimated time to separate remove... Have the same temperature as the hot water with motion down to washing just a ounces... 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Gently push it down until it is up to you to washing raw wool in washing machine whether to at! Us live on, Happy Thanksgiving, from our family to yours fleece lay! Use is best discovered through trial and error sure you are in the washer start. Today is small Business Saturday cool water, support it well as you did before the cleaning says! Soapy water washed on a … don ’ t have to run to the tub!