Time to put the woolens away

It’s that time of year when we say goodbye to our wool clothing and accessories. If you are like me, there is so much to take care of! I’m trying to do a little bit every week to get through it all.

This is my most recent setup.

I have a Spin Dryer from the Laundry Alternative. If you have a top-load washer, you could also put your items in to spin only. I’m cautious about using a front load washer to spin dry your woolens because they can introduce more agitation. I like my spin dryer best. It gets out so much water! As a spinner who also processes fiber, I really like this in my toolbox.

I just purchased two medium-sized blue-green bins at Michaels. I can fit two sweaters in each bin, and they have room to soak. Right now, I only have four places to dry sweaters using the white metal drying rack and the oxo sweater folding rack. I like to give them 48 hours to dry, so I don’t put anything away damp.

I do find these are heavy to lift from my kitchen sink when they are full, so I’m filling them about halfway and then using a smaller bin to fill them up. Of course, I do the same when I empty them. So be safe out there and protect your back!

I like to use Eucalan, a no-rinse wash. I add about 1/4 cup to each bin and soak everything for about 20 minutes.

I’ve planned an ambitious schedule. I’ll keep you posted if I keep it up! I should be done with the sweaters next week and ready to start washing some hats and mittens. I’m not sure how long it will take to get through all the accessories, but I think 6-8 batches at a minimum to get through it all. I almost forgot I have several blankets too! I might soak the blankets in the bathtub. Those will have to dry one at a time. So that’s about 3-4 washes. I have a small load of socks to wash as well. It looks like I could be done by the end of June.

Thankfully most of the work is just waiting for things to dry. I spend about 15 - 20 minutes getting things ready to soak, spinning things dry, laying them out to dry, then putting them away.

When I combine items in the bins, I try to keep them in similar colors or values. So the bin on the left includes an orange sweater and another sweater with browns and oranges. The bin on the right has a dark purple and dark green sweater, not the same color family, but they are both dark colors, so I think this should work fine.

Next year I hope to start washing things a little sooner. How do you take care of your wool sweaters and accessories?